Rapha Core

[chriscap]

Not necessarily "affordable" but much more approachable than Rapha prices have been in the past. Apparently, they're using the same chamois as the Classic bib, so I'm curious how they'll make up the price difference between the two.

I'm also very interested to see how low these prices will go if they include the Core line in their sales.

Personally, I don't own Rapha bibs. But I've been really interesting in trying them based on their great reputation.

http://pages.rapha.cc/stories/rapha-core

http://velonews.competitor.com/2016/...d-rapha_396331

[AngryScientist]

yea, saw that. they just opened their new shop in soho here, i might go check them out sooner than later and see what they look like in person.

[sandyrs]

What's the deal with the women's line? No women's bib shorts? Or are the bibs supposed to be unisex?

[eBAUMANN]

apparently only shorts for the ladies, because they sell more womens shorts than bibs...go figure.

i like the idea, $150 is a great price point for a quality set of bibs. ive never ridden the rapha classic bibs but the pro team stuff is all I wear these days.

[MattTuck]

It will be interesting to see the quality. I have rapha classic bibs, and also a pair of Giordana silverline shorts and a pair of Giro New Road bibs that were at the $150 price point.

there are some pretty obvious differences in the the materials and quality of construction in the cheaper bibs compared to the Rapha bibs. If Rapha can keep the quality and bring the price point down to 150, that would be pretty impressive.

[scho74]

take. my. money.

[pgrizzwald]

Originally Posted by MattTuck

It will be interesting to see the quality. I have rapha classic bibs, and also a pair of Giordana silverline shorts and a pair of Giro New Road bibs that were at the $150 price point.

How would you rank those bib options? Just curious.

[chiasticon]

apparently the bibs are basically the same, with cheaper-made grippers, two panels instead of three, and one type of stitching instead of three. my guess is they'll be basically the same, but might not last as long. fwiw, I'm going on like five years with my first set of rapha classic bibs... I don't see any major noticeable changes in the jersey except that it contains no wool. they've made cheaper fully synthetic jerseys for years, just not with their "classic" type of styling (they're usually kind of loud, actually).

I'm not sure whether it was Rapha that did these photos or not, but it's nice to see a more normal-sized woman in these and not a total waif. in my opinion, they haven't catered to this demographic of women well at all. http://www.bikeradar.com/us/road/new...lection-46455/

[MattTuck]

Originally Posted by pgrizzwald

How would you rank those bib options? Just curious.

Well, the Silverline bibs have the most compression of those 3. If that is your thing, it is not even a contest. The giro are the next most compressive and the Rapha are the least.

For the chamois, the Rapha is probably best, then Giro, then the Giordana.

For over all quality, it is harder to judge the two $150 bibs. I like the feel/fit of the Giro's better, a little less compressive, and a better chamois, but I'm not sold on the durability. I picked them up late summer, so I have less miles on them. I'll take pictures when I get home, but the stitching that holds the pad in place is just a zig zag stitch, that gives me some worries that it may not last. Also, I don't have enough time in it to tell if the pad will hold up. The rapha pad has held up extremely well.

The giordana bibs (I actually have two pairs) are ever so slightly different sizes, despite both being XL. Not sure if I got some seconds when I ordered one pair on sale, and the other pair at full retail. The cheaper pair is a bit snugger, and the chamois cuts/stitching is not as clean as the other pair. Also, I am a bigger guy and can notice that the pad in the pair that I wear more often is definitely more compressed than the pad in the less used pair.

I know that is a bit more complex than a simple ranking.

I think over all, I'd give them 1. rapha 2. giro 3. giordana. (With the caveat that I'm not a huge fan of the compression of the giordana and that may skew things, and the jury is still out on the durability of the giro's)

[thp]

How bout the men! All I see are images of men who look 15% or less....

[AngryScientist]

Originally Posted by thp

How bout the men! All I see are images of men who look 15% or less....

get to work.

[pdmtong]

Originally Posted by chiasticon

fwiw, I'm going on like five years with my first set of rapha classic bibs... I don't see any major noticeable changes in the jersey except that it contains no wool. they've made cheaper fully synthetic jerseys for years, just not with their "classic" type of styling (they're usually kind of loud, actually).

I too am getting four plus years of 150+ days riding on my rapha bibs. crazy they can last that long and not get thin or pad go flat.

After years of $200 rapha jerseys I think the core range is a jedi-mind trick to make us all think there is a bargain here.

[Lovetoclimb]

As someone who is usually excited by their product lines this got a very meh reaction from me. The video was amazing though really nailing the "why I ride" perspective from some of their ambassadors.

The thing that gets me about the pricing is most of their jerseys are already down around that price when they're on sale and the higher end bibs can usually be found for only a little more, again on sale.

So really nothing from the aesthetics, price, or massive build up for a jersey and shorts impressed me, but happy to see the videos from this season's product lines are hearkening back to the old style.

[livingminimal]

Im pretty excited about it. Looking forward to picking up a couple of pieces in two weeks when I head up to the Los Angeles Pop Up.

[eBAUMANN]

Originally Posted by Lovetoclimb

As someone who is usually excited by their product lines this got a very meh reaction from me. The video was amazing though really nailing the "why I ride" perspective from some of their ambassadors.

Ill 2nd that, really enjoyed the video. That said, I dont really think these products were supposed to "WOW" in anything other than maybe their MSRP. On sale, these pieces will be flying off the shelves, as they look like they will be great basic/everyday kit for almost anyone.