EF Giro Jersey question

[auto_rock]

Answering my own question which is gauche, but also plugging a cycling podcast I this is worth checking out.

The Slow Ride Podcast had a Listener Mail which got to the bottom of the true mystery here. Not "what is fashion", not "is Rapha for olds" and not "is Rapha Wal-Mart" but "who are the faces!?!?"

They're apparently Rory Milanes and Juan Saavedra, professional skateboarders who ride for Palace

[andrew+]

Originally Posted by jkbrwn

And no, I mean a lot.

That's interesting. Do you have a sense of who these people are in terms of demographics and interests etc.? I wonder how they compare to the early fixed gear crowd.

This sounds like a significant phenomenon, but it's not very visible even here in the East Bay. Almost all the road cyclists I see around are older and the younger ones rarely seem like they would have any interest in skateboarding. Maybe an interest in Streetwear or whatever we're calling this sort of Fashion now.

Not doing market research, just curious.

[barnabyjones]

Originally Posted by andrew+

That's interesting. Do you have a sense of who these people are in terms of demographics and interests etc.? I wonder how they compare to the early fixed gear crowd.

This sounds like a significant phenomenon, but it's not very visible even here in the East Bay. Almost all the road cyclists I see around are older and the younger ones rarely seem like they would have any interest in skateboarding. Maybe an interest in Streetwear or whatever we're calling this sort of Fashion now.

Not doing market research, just curious.

Portland and San Francisco seem to have a fixed gear culture more connected to punk rock, skateboarding and the messenger scene than the rest of California and other urban centers. Five years ago, 90% of the kids I'd see in Central and Southern California on track bikes were POC. I expected to see a huge explosion of new road cyclists, especially when ENDO came on the scene and the Williams Brothers began to gain prominence. The unfortunate reality is that there seem to be LESS teenagers and early 20-somethings riding road bikes. Friends who work in the industry support this as sales of fixed gear bikes have plummeted by 90%. Skating continues to grow. Barriers to entry and all that. Or spandex underwear will never be mainstream. But to jakebrown's point, last time I visited Golden Saddle all the employees and customers under 25 were Latino or Pinoy.

https://www.colorlines.com/articles/...xed-gear-bikes

https://chi.streetsblog.org/2014/09/...ation-cycling/

[jkbrwn]

Originally Posted by andrew+

That's interesting. Do you have a sense of who these people are in terms of demographics and interests etc.? I wonder how they compare to the early fixed gear crowd.

This sounds like a significant phenomenon, but it's not very visible even here in the East Bay. Almost all the road cyclists I see around are older and the younger ones rarely seem like they would have any interest in skateboarding. Maybe an interest in Streetwear or whatever we're calling this sort of Fashion now.

Not doing market research, just curious.

Back in London and particularly when I worked at Rapha, there was a big emphasis on design in general. This included fashion. Lots of people who worked at Rapha came from other fashion brands. Places like Ted Baker, Levi’s and Burberry. Then you had the product development team who all had sportswear backgrounds. Adidas and Nike, for example. Then you had graphic designers who obviously are interested in how everything looks, aesthetically.

All of this influence meant the majority of people took an interest in fashion as a whole. I know lots of people who felt exactly the same way outside of Rapha. Design conscious millennials. Me included. This affects on bike and off bike fashion.

But yeah, lots of millennials to be honest. Younger kids not so much. You’ll find this demographic all over Europe. Predominantly white, middle class males in large Metro’s. Cycling, coffee culture and fashion are all kind of joint at the hip. Think cities like London, Berlin and Copenhagen.

I don’t know if they necessarily have an interest in streetwear, but a lot of people admire palace from afar. And it’s a pretty unique collaboration. Hence the excitement from the aforementioned.

Having now lived in NYC and also LA, it surprises me how few young road cyclists I see. WAY more young road cyclists in the UK than in either of these cities IMO.

[mistermo]

As predicted, these are going for exorbitant amounts in the market. Clearly Rapha/C'dale tapped into something. Jerseys for $600, even [maybe] $1400?!? Bottles for $100+, musettes for $100+ Crazy stuff. ...and to think I thought Rapha kit was expensive! Ha!

ebay Rapha Palace sales

[jpw]

If only Rapha would buy Assos, or visa versa, then the melding of ideas could produce the almost perfect synthesis of 'techno hip' cycle clothing. There's still, in my opinion, a massive unserved market for a better product. They both make maddening decisions, decisions that seem not to make any sense at all. Assos and its 'black' obsession, and Rapha and its 'bling' mindset.

[barnabyjones]

Originally Posted by jpw

If only Rapha would buy Assos, or visa versa, then the melding of ideas could produce the almost perfect synthesis of 'techno hip' cycle clothing. There's still, in my opinion, a massive unserved market for a better product. They both make maddening decisions, decisions that seem not to make any sense at all. Assos and its 'black' obsession, and Rapha and its 'bling' mindset.

You're on to something there.

[buckfifty]

Originally Posted by jkbrwn

Back in London and particularly when I worked at Rapha, there was a big emphasis on design in general. This included fashion. Lots of people who worked at Rapha came from other fashion brands. Places like Ted Baker, Levi’s and Burberry. Then you had the product development team who all had sportswear backgrounds. Adidas and Nike, for example. Then you had graphic designers who obviously are interested in how everything looks, aesthetically.

All of this influence meant the majority of people took an interest in fashion as a whole. I know lots of people who felt exactly the same way outside of Rapha. Design conscious millennials. Me included. This affects on bike and off bike fashion.

But yeah, lots of millennials to be honest. Younger kids not so much. You’ll find this demographic all over Europe. Predominantly white, middle class males in large Metro’s. Cycling, coffee culture and fashion are all kind of joint at the hip. Think cities like London, Berlin and Copenhagen.

I don’t know if they necessarily have an interest in streetwear, but a lot of people admire palace from afar. And it’s a pretty unique collaboration. Hence the excitement from the aforementioned.

Having now lived in NYC and also LA, it surprises me how few young road cyclists I see. WAY more young road cyclists in the UK than in either of these cities IMO.

Palace recently had a collaboration with Polo, pretty crazy for a skateboarding/streetwear brand. But it's a testament to how far their reach and influence is