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ARGH…. Rapha

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  • February 15, 2014 at 12:30 pm #20707
    Gkam84

    By now, you ALL know my distain for the brand of Rapha.

    Well it seems that I may not be on my own for very long. I got an email a couple of days with some unofficial news about a new Rapha jersey, from a “mate” who loves to wind me up.

    Anyway, I thought he was just taking the piss. He was telling me about this special edition Pantani jersey…

    I thought to myself, they wouldn’t dare….BUT, oh yes they would.

    Not only would they dare to use Pantani as a cash cow with a jersey, they have also helped make a film about him “The accidental death of a cyclist”

    [quote]April will see the official release of The Accidental Death of a Cyclist, a feature-length documentary telling the story of Pantani’s dramatic rise and fall. Rapha will be commemorating the life and career of Il Pirata with a special edition Jersey due to be released in April.[/quote]

    This has got me REELING….What are they playing at? He died before Rapha was even around. They had nothing to do with him in his cyclist career….

    Rapha are just cashing in on his life, our memories of him and his legacy.

    I will stop now, because I will get into some unfriendly language. I know alot of you like/love Rapha, I’d love to know what you think of this disgusting move?

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  • February 25, 2014 at 8:41 pm #774647
    0
    bashthebox

    Actually, celebrating Pantani
    Actually, celebrating Pantani is the exact opposite of celebrating dopers.

    As a doper in a doped peloton, his is a story of glory, followed by ignominy and then tragedy. He’s held out on a pedestal, not as someone to emulate, but as an example of how bad things can get when a corrupt industry uses you and spits you out.
    The most interesting stories are about people who are great but flawed.
    Think of some of the greats of cycling…
    Hinault – massive bastard
    Fignon – admitted to racing on coke and amphetamines
    Merckx – introduced his son to Michele Ferrari, so draw your own conclusions there
    Simpson – another tragedy.
    Even the Lance story has been made more compelling by the doping.

    February 25, 2014 at 5:47 pm #774645
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    Chuck

    I don’t see that it makes the
    I don’t see that it makes the slightest difference whether or not Rapha are actually a part of the heritage all their marketing stuff is based on. Or even whether or not they have a genuine love for it or are just capitalising on it (although the two aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive). They don’t have to have actually had any association with Pantani (or whoever) to make a Pantani jersey, any more than somebody writing a biography has to have been there with the subject, or the guy making those little figures of Cav and Merckx has to know them.

    The only thing about this that made me raise an eyebrow is the celebration of a doper while others are vilified.

    February 25, 2014 at 5:27 pm #774643
    0
    nicdoye

    OK, Rapha bashers…
    I’d buy
    OK, Rapha bashers…

    I’d buy Rapha if I could afford it and I’m probably the slowest “cyclist” on here. The fact that I even bother to wear lycra is something of a joke.

    As people blow past me on cheap mountain bikes in their day clothes, I may feel a bit miserable on my massive 4 mile commute, but I enjoy cycling. It’s my hobby. I can’t help it if I’m crap.

    The positives are: it helps me manage my weight & happiness; I’m one less car on the road; I get to see wildlife as I meander round the lanes pretending to be a pro (only, in the little ring).

    Back to Pantani, his climbing was beautiful – true dancing on the pedals stuff – but he was another cheat. Makes it hard to eulogise or hero-worship him. 🙁

    February 25, 2014 at 10:27 am #774641
    0
    Anonymous

    arrieredupeleton wrote:
    Am I

    arrieredupeleton wrote:

    Am I missing something here? Take just last year in isolation:

    Milan/San Remo hardest and most spectacular is many a year – with an unpredicted winner.
    Some imperious displays by Cancellara in the classics (we’ll look back when he’s retired and realise how good he really is)
    Nibali in the Giro racing the weather – proper hard man.
    Froome actually racing people as opposed to power and VAM calcs in Le Tour
    Tony Martin’s day long ITT in the Vuelta.
    Adam Hansen riding all three Major Tours (yet again).

    No passion and drive there…

    absolutely. There is a lot of cycling on TV or streamed these days, so it’s unrealistic to expect every single race to be an epic story; it’s also a long season with most riders having to peak for certain races or having to support others at key times, so they can’t go on suicide missions all the time.

    in addition to the above, I vividly remember some other highlights of last season:

    – Dan Martin in LBL and later in the TdF Pyrenean stage where Garmin were giving their all
    – Barguil and Kiriyenka victories in the Vuelta, and of course Chris Horner
    – Richie Porte in Paris-Nice
    – cross winds blowing Valverde’s chances away in the TdF
    and many more I’m sure.

    February 25, 2014 at 7:28 am #774639
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    Tarquin

    Having visited the Rapha
    Having visited the Rapha store makes it worth the money alone. You can’t do that with other high end brands.

    The rest of my kit is mostly Castelli with a few other bits of Assos and some other brands.

    I bought a few Rapha base layers online and was impressed, visiting the shop allowed me to try on various jackets to get the best fitting one which would be most suitable for my needs rather than ordering online and guessing. Not something you want to do when buying a premium product and paying the price.

    Sure the jacket was $320 which is expensive compared to some others, but it’s something I’ll wear every morning ride throughout winter. 4 rides a week for 3 months, maybe 100 hrs a month, so less than $3 p/h! Given how other people have said the kit lasts very well that cost goes down even more after a few years.

    February 25, 2014 at 6:50 am #774637
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    funkdubious

    Its ever so tiresome that the
    Its ever so tiresome that the cycling fascists are always going on about what people should or shouldn’t wear, do they, dont they deserve to wear certain kit.
    All manner of companies exploit the memories and images of the dead. Perhaps Rapha may make some kind of donation.
    Road racing kit is generally crap looking and Rapha actually make good looking stuff.
    You should all be sticking together because as a group youre generally hated by everyone.
    In fact stop messing around with all your carbon fibre and digital gears, get a fixie, relax the attitude and get fitter powering up those hills 🙂

    February 24, 2014 at 10:43 pm #774635
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    Gordy748

    Other than my race kit, I
    Other than my race kit, I almost exclusively wear Rapha. Because simply, the stuff just doesn’t wear out. In 7 years of wearing Rapha the only thing that’s died were my original gloves, and that was because they didn’t survive an accidental trip through the washing machine. This includes heavy weekly commuting (min 4 x weekly), cyclocross and road weekend riding and 2 – 3 centuries a year through winter and summer.

    Sure, the brand and marketing is fancy, but the product is bombproof. When I compare the investment for the time it lasts, Rapha’s a far cheaper option than anything else I’ve tried.

    February 24, 2014 at 6:40 pm #774633
    0
    Cyclist

    RoboRider21 wrote:No matter

    RoboRider21 wrote:
    No matter how much I admire their marketing and brand presence I just cant justify paying their prices on anything. That is all.

    And that’s as it should be… Each to their own.
    @original poster.
    The only person it bothers if Rapha kit winds you up, is you… I couldn’t care less, I am just enjoying the ride…

    February 24, 2014 at 3:10 pm #774631
    0
    Scoob_84

    farrell wrote:Also, this:
    [quote=farrell]Also, this: http://www.janullrich.de/%5B/quote%5D

    I can’t tell if that’s real or an elaborate pi$$ take

    February 24, 2014 at 2:27 pm #774629
    0
    arrieredupeleton

    Gkam84 wrote:Nick T wrote:You

    Gkam84 wrote:
    Nick T wrote:
    You can’t deny that freak shows are entertaining, whether you’re aware you’re being hoodwinked or not.

    Much like WWF as a child, but alas, you grow out of it.

    Now, UFC is where it’s at. That is real….we need some of the in cycling…..ok, I know that is not a real possibility.

    But we need passion and drive is cycling. To me, it seems many are just going through the motions. Yes they have worked hard and are the best cyclists out there, they need to show it though

    Am I missing something here? Take just last year in isolation:

    Milan/San Remo hardest and most spectacular is many a year – with an unpredicted winner.
    Some imperious displays by Cancellara in the classics (we’ll look back when he’s retired and realise how good he really is)
    Nibali in the Giro racing the weather – proper hard man.
    Froome actually racing people as opposed to power and VAM calcs in Le Tour
    Tony Martin’s day long ITT in the Vuelta.
    Adam Hansen riding all three Major Tours (yet again).

    No passion and drive there…

    February 24, 2014 at 12:13 pm #774627
    0
    farrell

    Also, this:
    Also, this: http://www.janullrich.de/

    February 24, 2014 at 12:13 pm #774625
    0
    farrell

    bashthebox wrote:You wanna
    [quote=bashthebox]You wanna check out Milltag jerseys… maybe this one? http://milltag.cc/shop/jerseys/dope%5B/quote%5D

    It’s alright, but I actually want Jan Ullrich gurning his balls off, swigging from a bottle of water before thumb-fingeredly screwing the cap back on and passing it back to his mate.

    With his top off.

    February 23, 2014 at 10:37 pm #774623
    0
    crazy-legs

    Quote:I wish those days were

    I wish those days were back, I shy away from watching cycling, because its become a little stale and boring. There is no-one that is very exciting to keep my interest alive.

    It’s the same as F1; flair and panache and suicide attacking doesn’t win races when everyone else is looking at a power meter and a heart rate monitor.

    15 years ago, the “science” in bike racing was all about who had the best drugs. Now it’s aerodynamics and nutrition and power. You’ve got to decide which you want – the entertaining drug fuelled spectacle of the past or the scientific fractions-of-a-second approach now.

    Although we’ve gone a bit off topic of where Rapha fits in to that – personally I can’t really find much to dislike about a successful British company that’s done so much to support cycling over the last 10 years. Sponsored the best UK domestic team (Rapha-Condor-JLT), promoted grass roots CX, hosted dozens of events, made some decent stylish cycling clothing and now sponsors one of the most famous cycling teams in the world. And I suppose courting a bit of controversy along the way in terms of commemorating Pantani is one way of getting talked about! 😉

    February 23, 2014 at 10:11 pm #774621
    0
    Nick T

    That’s just what stage races
    That’s just what stage races are about, you need to keep one eye on tomorrow’s stage rather than aim for a knockout in the first round. That’s probably why your man Sagan is more interested in the Classics.

    February 23, 2014 at 10:07 pm #774619
    0
    S13SFC

    Gkam84 wrote:Nick T wrote:You

    Gkam84 wrote:
    Nick T wrote:
    You can’t deny that freak shows are entertaining, whether you’re aware you’re being hoodwinked or not.

    Much like WWF as a child, but alas, you grow out of it.

    Now, UFC is where it’s at. That is real….we need some of the in cycling…..ok, I know that is not a real possibility.

    But we need passion and drive is cycling. To me, it seems many are just going through the motions. Yes they have worked hard and are the best cyclists out there, they need to show it though

    So you hark back to the days of blatant cheating with misty eyes and wonder why it can’t be like that now but have an issue with a clothing company.

    That’s totally normal. No really, it is, honest.

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