WTF is happening to roadie outfits/brands? more flashy more expensive?
05-08-24, 01:27 PM
#201
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What do you mean "any more"? I've been a competitive cyclist for 17 years and things have been way overpriced IMO the whole time
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05-08-24, 01:29 PM
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Feel free to buy into luxury fitness apparel!!! It's all good!!
But lets face the truth here...You can't exactly say that cycling is an accessible sport for a lot of people any more. All driven by the expensive brands and their big marketing!!. From the bikes to the wheels to the clothes to the nutritional items etc. It's full of prices significantly inflated by a massive marketing arms race.
But lets face the truth here...You can't exactly say that cycling is an accessible sport for a lot of people any more. All driven by the expensive brands and their big marketing!!. From the bikes to the wheels to the clothes to the nutritional items etc. It's full of prices significantly inflated by a massive marketing arms race.
05-08-24, 01:43 PM
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But lets face the truth here...You can't exactly say that cycling is an accessible sport for a lot of people any more. All driven by the expensive brands and their big marketing!!. From the bikes to the wheels to the clothes to the nutritional items etc. It's full of prices significantly inflated by a massive marketing arms raced
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05-08-24, 01:48 PM
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One of my other hobbies is fly fishing. It's the same thing there, where they know they are catering to affluent people with a lot of disposable income.
Wanna pay $400 for what essentially is a fingernail clipper? Yup. It's possible.
https://mca.fish/products/abel-nippe...51c4efdaf3409e
With some of this stuff it falls under "a fool and his money are soon parted" with no tangible benefits considering the high price that was paid.
Wanna pay $400 for what essentially is a fingernail clipper? Yup. It's possible.
https://mca.fish/products/abel-nippe...51c4efdaf3409e
With some of this stuff it falls under "a fool and his money are soon parted" with no tangible benefits considering the high price that was paid.
05-08-24, 01:54 PM
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05-08-24, 02:33 PM
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I feel lucky that I'm not easily triggered by the idea that someone might have nicer stuff than I do. I've never had the best of anything, AFAIK. Other than my dear wife, obviously.
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05-08-24, 04:10 PM
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Don't go putting words in my mouth. Plenty of high quality products made in China including my Primal jerseys!!!
It's just that some have a premium price tag due to brand name recognition and big time marketing within the industry. I think the way Rapha and others market their jerseys, they would have you believe their stuff is woven from the silk of virgin silkworms fed on the leaves from Mulberry trees fertilized by Unicorn sh!!!T!!
All of these luxury brands have a huge cost-intensive marketing machine that makes their clothing more expensive....Team sponsorships,,,,brick and mortar stores...flashy websites...social media influencers...website ads...paid reviews...podcasts...Google ads etc. They don't come for free!!! And the thing is....they are not actually trying to convince you to buy their products...They are trying to convince you to buy into a brand and attach yourself to it. Humans have strong tribal instincts and Rapha and others want you to decide that Rapha clothing is your brand!!
It would be interesting to know what percentage of the price of any piece of Rapha gear goes into manufacturing/materials and what percentage goes into marketing. I'm betting it's pretty lopsided towards the marketing end of things. At the end of the day, it's just moisture wicking fabric that's sewn together and made in China. And with all that they've spent on marketing, they've paid vastly more to sell you that jersey then they've paid to make you that jersey. Fact. And that's the same for many discretionary products these days, it's not just limited to cycling apparel.
It's just that some have a premium price tag due to brand name recognition and big time marketing within the industry. I think the way Rapha and others market their jerseys, they would have you believe their stuff is woven from the silk of virgin silkworms fed on the leaves from Mulberry trees fertilized by Unicorn sh!!!T!!
All of these luxury brands have a huge cost-intensive marketing machine that makes their clothing more expensive....Team sponsorships,,,,brick and mortar stores...flashy websites...social media influencers...website ads...paid reviews...podcasts...Google ads etc. They don't come for free!!! And the thing is....they are not actually trying to convince you to buy their products...They are trying to convince you to buy into a brand and attach yourself to it. Humans have strong tribal instincts and Rapha and others want you to decide that Rapha clothing is your brand!!
It would be interesting to know what percentage of the price of any piece of Rapha gear goes into manufacturing/materials and what percentage goes into marketing. I'm betting it's pretty lopsided towards the marketing end of things. At the end of the day, it's just moisture wicking fabric that's sewn together and made in China. And with all that they've spent on marketing, they've paid vastly more to sell you that jersey then they've paid to make you that jersey. Fact. And that's the same for many discretionary products these days, it's not just limited to cycling apparel.
05-08-24, 04:47 PM
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😂 They spend more on cat food adverts here in the UK. Of course there is a fashion/style element to higher end cycling gear, but I don’t see that as a negative. I actually make more of an effort with my cycling and ski gear than I do with my normal clothes. Part of that is for technical function and part just because it looks good - unlike some of those Primal print jerseys!
05-08-24, 10:00 PM
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None of this is a black or white binary decision. Value is subjective, features are valued differently, quality is relatively subjective, etc.
Same for where a product is made- it's not like all of a certain product is good or bad based solely on where it's made. It's subjective and each needs evaluation instead of bucketing based on meaningless commonalities.
A jersey can be good if it costs $40. A jersey can suck if it costs $40.
A jersey can be good if it coats $150. A jersey can suck if it costs $150.
05-08-24, 11:42 PM
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I have no doubt that the expensive, high end clothing is generally better than mid range offerings. After all, good designers with generous budgets will produce high quality products.
I also have no doubt that the higher end clothing have much more generous profit margins and markups.
Whether or not the kit is worth the higher markup is highly individual. There is no universal answer. Personally, I prefer quality Italian kit purchases on sale.
I also have no doubt that the higher end clothing have much more generous profit margins and markups.
Whether or not the kit is worth the higher markup is highly individual. There is no universal answer. Personally, I prefer quality Italian kit purchases on sale.
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05-09-24, 04:52 AM
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Yeah, all of this is very subjective. However, there is - generally speaking - a correlation between price and quality.
You pay a lot for the marketing when you buy big brand clothing (PNS, for instance). You also pay for the R&D behind the scene.
You pay a lot for the marketing when you buy big brand clothing (PNS, for instance). You also pay for the R&D behind the scene.
05-09-24, 05:06 AM
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I agree. If products are both expensive and low quality they tend not to survive for very long. Brands like Assos and Rapha are built on quality and the marketing/pricing follows. Cheaper brands tend to focus on value and there is almost always a trade-off against quality. With jerseys this trade-off might be acceptable if you are on a tight budget. But I’ve tried this approach with bib-shorts and they quickly ended up in the bin after the seams literally cut my legs up.
05-09-24, 08:55 AM
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As with a lot of products we buy its 10% thought and 90% marketing. That's why some folks have $200 jersey's hanging in their closet!!! I could afford to buy one if I wanted, but the pragmatic side of me says "no way you are paying $150-$200 for a shirt!!!"
05-09-24, 09:13 AM
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[I could buy a Lamborghini if I wanted, too -- but I choose not to. And yet I'm still able to acknowledge that it's very different -- and for its intended purpose, very superior -- to the vehicle that I have chosen.
05-09-24, 09:16 AM
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Intended purpose matters a lot. A Lamborghini is a fantastic car...except when you need to pick up a few sheets of plywood.
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05-09-24, 11:05 AM
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Lamborghini LM 002
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05-09-24, 11:10 AM
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EDIT: That's tie-dye-print-bike-jersey ugly.
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Last edited by Eric F; 05-09-24 at 11:13 AM.
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05-09-24, 11:22 AM
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05-09-24, 11:33 AM
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05-09-24, 11:41 AM
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05-09-24, 11:51 AM
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That's a good question that I'm not able to answer. I have some of the $150 Primal jerseys that I purchased on sale for half or less than that amount. To me they felt just as good as some of the more expensive jerseys.
As with a lot of products we buy its 10% thought and 90% marketing. That's why some folks have $200 jersey's hanging in their closet!!! I could afford to buy one if I wanted, but the pragmatic side of me says "no way you are paying $150-$200 for a shirt!!!"
As with a lot of products we buy its 10% thought and 90% marketing. That's why some folks have $200 jersey's hanging in their closet!!! I could afford to buy one if I wanted, but the pragmatic side of me says "no way you are paying $150-$200 for a shirt!!!"
But my point was that if Primal are selling both $70 and $150 jerseys (full retail pricing) then it would suggest that there are different quality tier levels. Rapha themselves have a cheaper “Core” range which is not that expensive. But it is lower quality. I have a pair of their Core bib-shorts and they are not holding up as well as their regular bibs. Both the stitching and fabric are less durable. I actually contacted Rapha customer service for their free repair service and they just gave me a voucher for the full value I paid.
05-09-24, 12:04 PM
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I would think an over-the-cab rack would do the job.
05-09-24, 12:15 PM
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