Rapha release £695 Gore-tex rain coat!!

[Ming the Merciless]

I tend to steer clear of 3 layer as they are too heavy and bulky and I no longer winter climb.

You haven’t come across modern 3 layer laminate jackets which weigh around 200 - 250g and in some cases lighter. Soft to the touch, rustle free, packable, and wear more like a soft shell, and I don’t mean like heavy wind stopper soft shells .

 

[roubaixtuesday]

Perhaps it's the consumers who have gone mad. There must be people who buy these products. It baffles me when at least comparable, if not better, products at more competitive prices are available.

The point of wearing designer labels is to advertise to other people that you can afford to waste money on designer labels.

More expensive makes them better value, not worse!

 

[Ming the Merciless]

To be fair people are prepared to spend a lot more on a new bike.

 

[midlandsgrimpeur]

I have to admit I have a fair bit of history with Rapha as a customer. I was one of the first to buy from them, back when they only had five items and you could literally phone their office up and place an order (they always used to try and get me to order on line but I only had dial up and downloading their web page took ages 😂).

The quality of their stuff in the early years really was very good, it was still a premium price then but worth it. I guess you have to accept they have morphed into a cycling/lifestyle brand with a certain customer base. If you know how to sift through the large and unwieldy range, they do still make a lot of good products, they also make some pretty average ones too.

It will be interesting to see how they fair over the coming years, large losses each year, but more worryingly is a decline in sales. The ending of the EF relationship and sponsoring USA for the next Olympics might be a masterstroke, they're obviously banking on a lift similar to London 2012 and its impact on British cycling.

 

[matticus]

You haven’t come across modern 3 layer laminate jackets which weigh around 200 - 250g and in some cases lighter. Soft to the touch, rustle free, packable, and wear more like a soft shell, and I don’t mean like heavy wind stopper soft shells .

Give us an example. (I haven't even looked at any new coat tech since Shakedry. In fact that was the only new-ish thing I seriously looked at in about 15 years ...)

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Give us an example. (I haven't even looked at any new coat tech since Shakedry. In fact that was the only new-ish thing I seriously looked at in about 15 years ...)

Take a look at North Face Futurelight summit superior or Papsura, Outdoor Research Helium Ascent for examples.

The newer membranes are based on electro spinning nano fibres and far thinner and more flexible and breathable than goretex of old. They are mildly air permeable with moisture vapour breathability about twice of Shakedry.

Different technology, slightly heavier is the Rab Kinetic Ultra with similar breathability to Shakedry with a light feel.

 

[matticus]

Thanks! Although ...

electro spinning nano fibres and far thinner and more flexible and breathable than

... would sound like utter snake oil, if posted by some random

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Thanks! Although ...

... would sound like utter snake oil, if posted by some random

Used for quite a few modern industrial applications. Mature technology now, waterproof membranes in clothing are late to the party

https://advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/adma.202500162

https://www.nanoscience.com/techniques/electrospinning/

 

[geocycle]

I have to admit I have a fair bit of history with Rapha as a customer. I was one of the first to buy from them, back when they only had five items and you could literally phone their office up and place an order (they always used to try and get me to order on line but I only had dial up and downloading their web page took ages 😂).

The quality of their stuff in the early years really was very good, it was still a premium price then but worth it. I guess you have to accept they have morphed into a cycling/lifestyle brand with a certain customer base. If you know how to sift through the large and unwieldy range, they do still make a lot of good products, they also make some pretty average ones too.

It will be interesting to see how they fair over the coming years, large losses each year, but more worryingly is a decline in sales. The ending of the EF relationship and sponsoring USA for the next Olympics might be a masterstroke, they're obviously banking on a lift similar to London 2012 and its impact on British cycling.

Good points made here. I have acquired quite a lot of their products when sales etc are on. There are lots of things that are too race orientated, or not colours I’d wear on a bike, and some like the jacket that started this thread I’d not want to afford. But they are not the most expensive across the board.

 

[Chris S]

It’s cheaper than this T-shirt:

https://www.harrods.com/en-gb/shopping/amiri-knit-22-t-shirt-23746843

£830 for a pair of distressed jeans. I've got a few pairs they could have for that.

 

[PaulSB]

Rapha have made a loss for the past eight years, I believe total losses for the past two years exceed £37m and the company value has been written down to £67m from £169m!!! That's a lot for a company that used to claim to offer the world's best cycling kit.

I've never been a great fan but I do have a very good Rapha rainjacket which is a story in itself.

I've noticed those I ride with who used to wear Rapha have moved to other brands. Lusso is gaining ground rapidly up here. The quality is great, customer service outstanding, the factory is local, first class environmental policy and everything is genuinely made in house. Since moving to Lusso four years ago I've bought 12 bits of kit. They're my go to.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

It’s cheaper than this T-shirt:

https://www.harrods.com/en-gb/shopping/amiri-knit-22-t-shirt-23746843

@Drago has Y fronts so distressed , it’s believed hostage negotiators have been called in. Maybe Harrods could make him an offer?

 

[midlandsgrimpeur]

For those who are interested this is a really in depth look at Rapha's current situation. Interestingly, and relevant to this thread, they are going to focus on cycling products and seem to be ending the lifestyle focus. They are also pausing shoe production too.

https://road.cc/content/news/rapha-slashes-valuation-makes-loss-316393

I know Fran Millar (former Sky/Ineos CEO) has taken over and seems to be well aware of what has gone wrong. Too much unsustainable growth off the back of the cycling boom. They have revalued the entire company, bringing it down by two thirds. Looks like they are going to stop discounting and try to get back to the company they were 10 or 15 years ago with a much clearer focus on their core cyclist customer base.

There are probably quite a few other cycling brands that should probably follow suit.

 

[Dogtrousers]

It looks very nice but I don't need another cycling waterproof at the moment. I've got two decent ones, a couple of cheap lightweight "fold up incredibly small" ones, a crappy one, one that's actually designed for running but is ok for cycling. A "soft shell" one that's only shower proof. I think that's it but there may be more. Most of them are rarely/never used

As a result the price is neither here nor there.