Job losses at Rapha
Discussion
okgo said:
JPJPJP said:
Where did Hussey end up?He sank that business, and was pretty underhand with that crowdfunded cash.
addey said:
Right.I see he's already back to making podcasts and indulging himself rather than getting on with it.
El stovey said:
A few years ago every bloke in his forties was getting raphad up...
[Dons a pair of wellies for effect]...I do get the feeling that this is a London thing. Where I am there are plenty of cyclists but the number of people I see in Rapha garb is zero. I do have plenty of friends who do wear the stuff, and post when "the new catalogue is out!" (whoop-do-do) but these all with no exception live in London or Bath.
YMMV Obv..
Edited by Fetchez la vache on Friday 14th September 14:27
Thanks for the replies about the core shorts (and apologies to the OP for digressing!).
Any views on Rapha socks or the Merino headband (and I promise I will not hijack this thread anymore SVS) as just wondering whether to add anything to my shorts order?
They still seem to be churning out emails although have nothing in the Skincare & Aftercare section listed on their website and are unlikely to have any chamois cream in stock until next year, so as well as relocating their UK warehouse they appear to be streamlining too...
Any views on Rapha socks or the Merino headband (and I promise I will not hijack this thread anymore SVS) as just wondering whether to add anything to my shorts order?
They still seem to be churning out emails although have nothing in the Skincare & Aftercare section listed on their website and are unlikely to have any chamois cream in stock until next year, so as well as relocating their UK warehouse they appear to be streamlining too...
cslwannabe said:
Any views on Rapha socks
I like their lightweight socks for breathability. Material still feels nice a year later. They're durable too, having survived multi-week wearings and all the abuse that comes with them, while others will have holes wearing through the ball of the foot and the nail of the big toe. I'm not sure what else you can say about socks?'Discovered' Rapha around 2010 and have spent a fair bit with them over the years, generally great quality and problems always quickly resolved.
Waiting for the sale was always worth it and didn't feel ripped off if I'd paid full price.
The last year or so and in particular with the new website the whole brand now feels distinctly 'meh', they certainly aren't my first port of call for my fix of expensive cycling gear.
Waiting for the sale was always worth it and didn't feel ripped off if I'd paid full price.
The last year or so and in particular with the new website the whole brand now feels distinctly 'meh', they certainly aren't my first port of call for my fix of expensive cycling gear.
Rapha were impressive in the way they quickly developed a brand from nothing. They managed to take share from the likes of Castelli, which had decades of brand heritage. Simon Mottram who founded the company came from a branding and marketeer background.
However, it seemed to exist in a narrow spectrum. It had a certain appeal but to a specific customer at a specific price point. It's less is more approach was quickly copied by others such as Le Col, Chapeau, Stolen Goat, Endura and the likes of Castelli, Sportful (same company), Gore etc fought back with modern kit, the Gabba being the obvious groundbreaker.
The kit is good yes, but the pricing reflects how aspirational the brand is, and it's just not that aspirational any more.
They launched their "Core" range, which is priced against the like of Exxeondo, Sportful, Endura, Gaerne etc. The £60 jersey is a very crowded market. It also undermined the brand - became the X Type of posh cycling kit.
They did a 'Burbury' and sold alot quickly but also lost their exclusive cache with alot of the wrong people wearing it (even if those people, think they're the right people).
They need to get back to their core business of producing good quality, understated cycling kit that does the job.
They need to get back to their core business of producing good quality, understated cycling kit that does the job.
It was the free repair thing that started me buying my Rapha gear. The kit is very nicely put together, and comfy. I don’t generally like any ‘aspirational’ brand, of anything. I get the business justification for doing what Simon Mottram has done with the brand, and I don’t care at all about the ‘poser / all the gear, no idea’ image, that the kit has. The ‘make it well, sell it at a premium’ leaning on marketing to make it work, is something that works, no one wants to be the busy fool. I hope the kit’s quality doesn’t take a dive, in search of driving down the bottom line / profit margins. I fear it may well though. The ‘killing the goose that laid the golden egg’ scenario. I’ll still buy their kit, and monitor it closely, for the time being.
Not Ideal said:
I tried to book a Rapha Travel trip for next May and was told that its being shut down which is a real shame.
What are other good medium/high-end operators that come recommended please ?
Not sure what a high end operator is but I did the TDF 2018 trip with Alpinechaingang this year and it was superb. Run by a Scot who lives out there and runs a ski school in winter and rides in summer and boy can he ride. I plan to do the TDF trip with him next year and possibly one of the week long point to point trips.What are other good medium/high-end operators that come recommended please ?
On the subject of Rapha. I've been wearing their gear for about 6 or 7 years and there have been some hits but also some misses with their range. The Pro Team bibs are superb. Personally better for me than any Assos or Castelli and I've tried a few. The jerseys are for the most part excellent. I still have and use a few of the jerseys I bought years ago. I hardly bought anything from them this year other than the blue Gavia jersey which is part of the problem. I don't need anything from them and I'm a fan boy, I already have too much cycling clothing so I just buy stuff when it wears out or gets damaged.
I've tried other brands but not many get the style/fit combination right like Rapha do or did. Café du Cyclist make some nice gear but there is too much emphasis on merino which is horrible on a hot day in the alps. Castelli and Assos is too racy and I'm skinny.
moonigan said:
okgo said:
What does this mean?
I'm a right lightweight rider and I JUST fit into their XS stuff, but it's definitely a squeeze, which I generally prefer. Almost all of it feels uncomfortably tight when standing upright, yet when flexed forwards on the bike.....perfect!
When I was in the UK I used to regularly visit the Soho clubhouse because they served what was my favourite coffee. I could never bring myself to spend the money on the clothing, even on sale. I made do with a couple of bidons and some shower gel.
I've since moved to Hong Kong - where there had been a pop-up shop for a while and there's now a full clubhouse with cafe. I've phased out all of my Castelli RC gear and now wear almost exclusively Rapha. Generally the quality and design thought / touches are a notch above anything else for the same money - at full RRP.
As has been noted - there is almost always a sale. I'm a 5' 10'' 185lb cyclist (powerfully built redbull drinking director yah....nah)living in Asia - my size is ALWAYS availableon sale. I don't think I've ever paid more than 60% RRP which makes the garments untouchable for the money.
Yes I'm a bit of a fanboy - I'm on the love side of the love or hate marketing / stylisation. I collect the clubhouse T-shirts when I visit whilst travelling. I'm an RCC member. Do I feel I get value from that? Not especially.
Rapha in Asia doesn't have the 'baggage' that it has in the UK - a lot of people wear it, because it's generally good stuff. Lets also not forget that the UK loves nothing more than to build something up to tear it down. We love to hate success stories. We love to hate things we perceive as too expensive. We love music artists until they 'get too commercial'.
It looks to me as though the business is restructuring rather than downsizing. That's a natural part of growth. I just hope it happens without selling out on the original branding and ethos.
I've since moved to Hong Kong - where there had been a pop-up shop for a while and there's now a full clubhouse with cafe. I've phased out all of my Castelli RC gear and now wear almost exclusively Rapha. Generally the quality and design thought / touches are a notch above anything else for the same money - at full RRP.
As has been noted - there is almost always a sale. I'm a 5' 10'' 185lb cyclist (powerfully built redbull drinking director yah....nah)living in Asia - my size is ALWAYS availableon sale. I don't think I've ever paid more than 60% RRP which makes the garments untouchable for the money.
Yes I'm a bit of a fanboy - I'm on the love side of the love or hate marketing / stylisation. I collect the clubhouse T-shirts when I visit whilst travelling. I'm an RCC member. Do I feel I get value from that? Not especially.
Rapha in Asia doesn't have the 'baggage' that it has in the UK - a lot of people wear it, because it's generally good stuff. Lets also not forget that the UK loves nothing more than to build something up to tear it down. We love to hate success stories. We love to hate things we perceive as too expensive. We love music artists until they 'get too commercial'.
It looks to me as though the business is restructuring rather than downsizing. That's a natural part of growth. I just hope it happens without selling out on the original branding and ethos.
Rapha middle management ballooned in the run up to the sale, as did the range, whilst cash flow withered.
The incompetent middle management have (almost 100%) stayed whilst a lot of talented and dedicated people have been made redundant.
So what Rapha now has is the management team that steered the ship onto the rocks trying to get it back off by giving the same orders as before to half the previous number of sailors.
Until they clear out the current management and work out how to generate cash-flow without a perpetual sale I doubt they will turn the corner.
The incompetent middle management have (almost 100%) stayed whilst a lot of talented and dedicated people have been made redundant.
So what Rapha now has is the management team that steered the ship onto the rocks trying to get it back off by giving the same orders as before to half the previous number of sailors.
Until they clear out the current management and work out how to generate cash-flow without a perpetual sale I doubt they will turn the corner.
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