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Rapha not happy with Torm

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  • January 25, 2011 at 9:48 am #13040
    11speedaddict

    Has anyone else been in touch with Torm clothing ? i noticed their website showing”o ut of stock” on all items so i did some snooping. I believe Rapha are squeezing them legally so to speak.
    i think this is disgraceful. However you look at it Torm is less than half the price for very similiar quality jerseys. I know some rapha fans dont agree with Torm but thats only because feel foolish spending so much more on identical jerseys. I have owned both brands and i wouldnt buy rapha again over torm BUT now I certainly will not buy rapha if this is how they act to competitors.
    are they trademarking the stripe across the arm / front.
    Its effectively bullying and more importantly its stopping people like me buying reasonably priced jerseys. What are Rapha saying ” you pay our prices or take a hike” outrageous.
    I wouldnt mind but by nature Rapha is retro through and through. their designs hark back to previous decades designs.
    Anyone else feel the same way ? any Torm owners out there feel Rapha are dictating prices here ?

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Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 121 total)
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  • June 23, 2011 at 7:05 pm #640307
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    oldgit

    In the words of Vic and Bob
    In the words of Vic and Bob ‘You wouldn’t let it lie’.

    June 23, 2011 at 7:01 pm #640305
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    TheHatter

    I don’t think Rapha are quite
    I don’t think Rapha are quite over it – this is a genuine question on their current questionairre (albeit a little tongue in cheek)

    59. A new cycle clothing brand appears in your favourite cycling magazine/ website selling jerseys made from a merino wool blend and featuring a familiar three rear pocket configuration and contrast armband styling. When you visit their website you find the experience poor but the jerseys are a bit cheaper than Rapha’s. Do you:

    Buy one because everyone is wearing Rapha these days and you think these are going to be the next big thing.

    Buy one because no-one will know that it isn’t a Rapha jersey, but will probably think it is.

    Buy one because you read a review that says it is nearly as good as a Rapha jersey but is cheaper.

    Don’t buy one because Rapha is the original and best merino jersey. Of course.

    Don’t buy one because the website experience doesn’t inspire confidence.

    Don’t buy one because you doubt their customer service can compare with Rapha’s.

    Don’t buy one because you have found a Rapha discount code and would rather go with a more well known brand.

    Buy one and burn it. Post video to YouTube.

    Other (please specify)
    [/i]

    June 23, 2011 at 10:09 am #640303
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    jijiandnoah

    My turn to make massive
    My turn to make massive generalisations now, but I do notice that whenever I go out riding it’s always the old guys in club gear who wave and say hello. I generally get either blank or icy stares from the guys wearing full Saxo Bank kit or something similar.

    When I am brave enough (and I’m well aware how pathetic that sounds, I just don’t consider myself able enough yet and have never ridden with others am kind of a bit scared by it) I’m hoping to join a local club – I like the idea of having kit which means something, rather than something corporate (whatever the status or size of the manufacturer)!

    June 23, 2011 at 9:23 am #640301
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    oldgit

    You mention inverse snobbery.
    You mention inverse snobbery. I honestly think that inverse snobbery has almost been a rule in cycling since day one.
    Though I would have thought that came from older riders, the poker faced ones that like to keep their tallent and intentions well hidden, not younger riders.
    I fall into the older rider camp myself, but my own issues aren’t only with Rapha. I won’t wear any clothing that blatantly advertizes it’s manufacturer. The exception being clothing supplied by the bike manufacturer or other business that would be supporting me.
    Currently I only wear club kit.
    But as I said that Rapha is beautiful kit, and I think everyone who produces kit anything like raphas is a pale immitation.

    June 23, 2011 at 8:40 am #640299
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    jijiandnoah

    At the risk of stretching out
    At the risk of stretching out a 6-month old thread even more, I thought I’d add my two pence to the whole Rapha debate. Threads about Rapha are like an institution on bike forums – the LFGSS one is now 114 pages long! – none of which can hurt Rapha in any case, as it’s much better to have a brand which is as divisive as it is than one which creates a feeling of apathy.

    In regards to the Rapha/Torm dispute – it seems pretty childish and certainly exceptionally niave to throw words like “bullying” around. There isn’t a (successful) business around who wouldn’t have acted in exactly the same way if a competitor began producing items extremely similar to their own. To do anything else would be commercial suicide. I noted a few sarcastic comments at the time but I didn’t see pages and pages of forum debate when Assos stopped Asos from trading in Switzerland under their name; arguably a decision far harder to understand in legal terms as the chances of someone accidentally coming across the Asos site and buying what they believed to be a high-end jersey which actually turned out to be a Ben Sherman polo shirt seems unlikely.

    Likewise the branding of Rapha will obviously not appeal to all, but to single them out as “all about the brand” is laughable given that most other companies push lifestyles for people to buy into alongside their product. For Rapha it’s arty shots of cyclists, for Assos it’s ladies in bib shorts. And though you’d think Rapha is so expensive if you actually compare it to other similarly placed brands it simply isn’t – buy a ShuttVR jersey, a pair of arm warmers, cap and socks and the difference is £10 to what you’d pay for the Rapha classics pack with the same items, but I haven’t seen a single post in which someone shouts about how overpriced they are.

    The irony is that in most of these threads about Rapha the most vocal detractors – the whole “all the gear/no idea” thing for example – is basically an inverse snobbery. If you wear x and ride y then you are xy and you can’t be in our club. It’s just as elitist to make the decision as to who can be considered a “proper cyclist” based on what they wear/ride. For the record I ride a fairly modest Allez 16, but I certainly don’t begrudge those who have the money to buy Cervelos or Colnagos regardless of their ability.

    Anyway… just my thoughts. Also – nice to see a discussion about this which hasn’t descended into knuckle-dragging homophobia as on certain other bike forums. Though I don’t post often it’s one of the reasons I like Road.cc so much!

    June 22, 2011 at 4:08 pm #640297
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    oldgit

    Rapha certainly looks lovely,
    Rapha certainly looks lovely, but when far superior technical apparel is available for far less I know what I’d go for.
    Perhaps when I’m even older, and I start admiring myself in shop windows, and ride so slow I can drop my Giro for a cotton cap and need something to keep me warm whilst Tweeting with one hand and sipping expressos in a street front café I’ll don some Rapha.
    So really good looking stuff, but mental pricing.

    June 17, 2011 at 1:47 pm #640295
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    Jack Osbourne snr

    Duplicate post removed.
    Duplicate post removed.

    June 16, 2011 at 10:13 pm #640293
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    Jack Osbourne snr

    I like Sportwool… I like
    I like Sportwool… I like Sportwool a lot.

    I have 4 Torm jerseys, 2 colomba and a Shutt VR. I have, and always will have absolutely no Rapha in my jersey drawer. I detest the elitist uber-trendyism of the brand. The recent bullying of Torm has done nothing for their image in my eyes, and has even made Torm more attractive to me!

    As for the marketing of Sportwool Jerseys, its an obvious rip-off of the real cyclists over at Team JVA http://internationale.teamjva.com/

    Interestingly, of the Sportwool jerseys I do have, I have found an inverse relationship between quality (or at least my preference)and cost. I love the Torm gear for summer or layered up for other seasons and their sizing is perfect. Colomba stuff is great in slightly cooler weather, but limited in range… and the colour leaches a bit. With all respect to the guys at Shutt, I was hugely disappointed by their stuff… Big fat seams, weird cut/sizing and seemingly less breathable than the offerings from either Torm or Colomba. Of the the 7 Sportwool jerseys i have, the shutt is the least likely tosee daylight. Obviously, I can’t compare Rapha, but I don’t feel the need to.

    June 16, 2011 at 8:30 am #640291
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    alty

    V funny post by TheHatter of
    V funny post by TheHatter of the Colnoga riders.
    I wonder what Torm were thinking in making items so similar to Rapha’s.
    They are almost damaging their own brand by appearing as Rapha knock-offs rather then a legit sportwool jersey brand. Like producing Burberry-ish check shirts, or polo shirts with the croc facing the wrong way.

    If they can sell these shirts at a great prices (cheaper than many other manufacturers besides Rapha) then good luck to them (i’ve bought 2 plain jerseys from them) but there’s no need to put out the designs that ape Rapha so closely.

    February 10, 2011 at 5:25 pm #640289
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    KirinChris

    Nah, stoning’s too good for
    Nah, stoning’s too good for him.

    On LFGSS he’d have his testicles tied around NJS bars, to which Chris King headsets are then added one by one until… well you either lose them outright or you need a different sort of top-tube protector.

    Of course we can only look on and admire such high standards.

    February 10, 2011 at 4:44 pm #640287
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    Simon E

    Fixie Girl wrote:n another

    Fixie Girl wrote:
    n another forum, like LFGSS that’s a capital offence..

    It’s easier going here at road.cc, no stoning people in the street just for an opinion.

    LFGSS is so anarchic they even have rules about how anarchic you are supposed to be.

    abudhabiChris wrote:
    There’s just nothing more worthy of derision than some total newb who’s jumped onto a trend.

    STONE HIM!!!

    February 10, 2011 at 4:11 pm #640285
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    KirinChris

    Fixie Girl wrote:simonmb

    Fixie Girl wrote:
    simonmb wrote:
    Fixie Girl wrote:
    First post promoting Torm?

    Hardly FG. There have been many. Where have you been? :/

    I mean the previous poster, its his/her first post… On another forum, like LFGSS that’s a capital offence.. He/She should try it…

    FG

    Well it was a perfectly valid post in the context of this thread, hardly the same as coming onto a forum specifically to sell or promote something.

    Having said that I think it’s very commendable to be fixated on how many posts people have made, rather than what they’re saying.

    There’s just nothing more worthy of derision than some total newb who’s jumped onto a trend.

    February 10, 2011 at 3:50 pm #640283
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    Simon_MacMichael

    11speedaddict wrote:the thing

    11speedaddict wrote:
    the thing with ASSOS is they sell themselves as a textile company. constantly innovating. it clearly aint about the look

    And clearly not still just about a woman wearing nothing but bibshorts.

    Oh.

    February 10, 2011 at 3:30 pm #640281
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    Bom W

    Second post!
    I’m a lurker on
    Second post!

    I’m a lurker on here and didn’t actually realise it was my first post!

    I’ve been reading the Torm v Rapha saga with interest and I’m just glad I can get hold of their gear again.

    I’ll probably go back to lurking a bit and post my third post another day. 😉

    February 10, 2011 at 2:02 pm #640279
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    JC

    What? You’re not allowed to
    What? You’re not allowed to make a first post – you have to jump straight to number 2?
    How? 😕
    Overall I’m glad the whole Torm v’ Rapha thing is all sorted now. Perhaps they can now concentrate on making an XXL top 😉

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