Rapha not happy with Torm

CLX1 wrote:
I don’t intend to

CLX1 wrote:

I don’t intend to go into my personal details on this forum but you don’t know how I prioritise my spending, you don’t know what kind of home I live in or if I have a car or not. You don’t know how old my bike is or what spec it is.My point is that we all make choices in how we spend our money. Not aimed at you but some of the comments made in this thread are quite insulting, the one that really p***es me off is the “all the gear and no idea”, it’s typical of the superior attitude of some roadies,
Anyway that’s my rant!
On a final point the length of this thread is a perfect example of just how good Raphas marketing is, It always amuses me that the Rapha critics are willing to spend time writing about a product they have no intention of buying.

If you don’t intend to go into personal details why did you start ?

Maybe you should also read before you rant.

I said that there is a feeling that Rapha appeals – deliberately – to the All The Gear No Idea market – people who start their riding wearing Rapha on a Serotta. It’s undeniable that they exist and a lot of them will wear Rapha. They’ll also wear Assos but in my view Assos has not courted them in the way Rapha has.

What I did not say is that everyone who wears Rapha fits that description, if that’s the inference you have drawn in order to feel insulted.

Your other assumption about critics who don’t have any interest in buying is equally incorrect. I have several fantastic pieces of Rapha clothing. The rest of my stuff is generally Giordana or club kit. If I don’t buy Rapha it isn’t to do with cost – I would have bought more if it wasn’t such a wankfest.
I’m not that keen on Sportwool and I’m not interested in or planning to buy Torm.
And I don’t rate Assos stuff at all – everything I’ve ever bought from them has been disappointing.

And FWIW I mostly ride a Ridley Noah, and my other bikes are a steel Colnago and a Roberts with guards and rack.

11speedaddict wrote:To fixie

11speedaddict wrote:

To fixie girl
Torm arent a “some cynical import of far eastern goods ” any more than Rapha. they sre both manufactured in the far east.
If Torm were wanting to make lots of “dollars” off the Rapha brand they would probably cost a little more.
they are just trying to make stylish jerseys affordable and not exclusive.
AND if you ever want insight into why most of the world view america with disdain the quote “If it happened here in the US we’d back our boys… ” sums it up. we are not blindly patriotic. and people view the US as litigation central “sue their ass”. and unfortunately the UK mimic the USA these days which is very sad.The 51st state.
Ironically the usa economy is effectively owned by the chinese now…..who produce Torm & Rapha…funny that.

If Torm had a genuine brand identity I am pretty sure would have charged more. I cannot believe anyone is naive to view them as some kinda Robin Hood of the cycle clothing market when they are in it to make money. Or even that they are the victim of Rapha strong arm tactics.

Not sure where my Torm jersey is made as the label doesn’t bother to say, but I thought it was Vietnam? On another forum it was claimed they were made in the same factory as Rapha, perhaps that is what has exercised Rapha and its lawyers.

Not sure where your are going with your homespun xenophobic yank bashing btw

FG

How do you know it was a
How do you know it was a cease and desist letter? Doesn’t sound like that to me. Just been on the Torm site and ironically about the only product you can buy is the arm warmers that Rapha are supposedly miffed about…

Y’know I reckon they’ve just sold out of everything else buoyed up on a wave of hype that they’re about to be put out of business by the brutes at Rapha, and the fact that they are shockingly good value/cheap.

‘Rapha slightly miffed by
‘Rapha slightly miffed by Torm’ doesn’t do it either. No one sends a ‘cease-and-desist’ letter on a friendly basis or without first considering the final consequences for both sides. If it gets to court and Rapha lose this they’ll also lose a big chunk of their ‘kudos’ (I was going to write credibility, but I’ve never seen the words ‘Rapha’ and ‘credibility’ used in the same sentence before). I guess they must be pretty confident that they’re on the right track, but I hope they’re wrong.

How many WorldTour teams are
How many WorldTour teams are wearing assos this year?

Just askin’ 😕

I’ve got no problem with
I’ve got no problem with Chinese manufacture at all – and to be fair to Rapha they’ve never pretended their kit was made anywhere else. And I am pretty sure that Assos shorts either are or have been made in China because I know other cycle clothing companies who say they have used the same factory – I could be mistaken though and maybe it’s Bulgaria another low wage economy but without the shipping costs associated with China.

dhb’s Pace Roubaix bib shorts at just over £40 use a Cytech gold rated pad – the same rating as Rapha and I’m pretty sure that dhb’s slightly higher end shorts use a Cytech Platinum grade pad the same level as Assos because I was at dhb’s product presentation for their new range. They might have sold out or indeed they might not even be out yet – that’s the trouble with clothing presentations you often get shown stuff that’s months down the line.

I’m afraid that I’m just as sceptical of Assos’s technical claims as I’m amused by Rapha’s epicness. The one piece of Rapha kit I’ve bought has been despite not because of their brand image. I’ve never wanted to buy any Assos kit precisely because of it’s brand association as being the kit for “real roadies” but that is why many wannabe rich cyclists buy it too.

All I’m saying is that all the sins that Rapha are accused of could just as easily be laid at the door of Assos. I’m certain they would do to Torm exactly what Rapha are accused of doing if they were in the same position.

Let’s be honest here people are using Torm as a stick to beat Rapha with because they don’t like the brand image that Rapha has created for itself.

On the merits of Torm V Rapha the balance of opinion amongst kit manufacturers I’ve spoken to is that Rapha have a right to feel aggrieved on this one and that’s from some of Rapha’s more direct competitors.

Quote:China and its

China and its neighbours lead the world in quality manufacturing. a Dogma frame is made there ! when will we start to move away from china = crap Europe / USA = quality. what a load of rubbish

The China/Europe debate has nothing to do with quality, really. It’s more about price. If it costs £30 to make, what’s the justification for selling it at £200? I’ve got no particular beef with Torm or Rapha and I don’t own any clothing from either brand. Or Assos. But Torm are certainly shining a light on the true cost of Chinese-made sportwool gear, so good on them.

is a boardman £1000 carbon bike a cynical rip off of a Cerevlo R3

not the first time that’s been suggested 🙂