[Closed] Who are the MTB version of rapha?

7Mesh/Mission Workshop/Acre are all high end to the point of lunacy

$385 for a Gilet?

http://missionworkshop.com/products/apparel/waterproof-meridian-vest.php

$139 for a tshirt?

http://acre-supply.com/apparel/merino-wool-henley-DISTRICT.php

POC?

Mission workshop are certainly a candidate: ever tried to buy any if their products in the UK? It's pretty hard work.

poc!? Expensive yes, any better than Endura? I'm not convinced

And Rapha are? ive had a few pieces and yes there nice to look at but I don't think a jersey at £100 can be that much better than one at 50?

Im a Troy Lee man my self so what do I know.

Howies tries hard to fill that niche 🙂

Kitsbow?

Bigpins, out of interest, have you tried Rapha stuff, I hear that a lot ( that they are just expensive) but for me at least the value if them is The cut, the fit, the materials the finish they use are well above pretty much every one else. You can argue about the cost, but my point is; where/who are the the market leaders doing the same thing that Rapha do. Forget the ****y marketing and Veblen pricing focus on the product

Flare clothing do some nice stuff.
[url= http://flareclothingco.com/ ]Linky[/url]
I've got a short sleeved top and a tech-Tee.
Thinking about the shorts and that too as very nice and a bit more nicerer than a lot of others I reckon.

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I like Troy Lee stuff but the price is extracting the wazz.

Sweet protection make some of the best quality kit I've used recently.

I'm tight as hell when it comes to kit, my usual jersey is from 2007 and my usual shorts are from 2008 and they're knackerd, but just about cover my chubby frame.

So I thought I'd look at is scientifically. So I went to CRC, Stif and Wiggle, searched for Men's jerseys and set it to "price, high to low" a first for me, don't really know why you'd even have that function (see above).

On CRC and Stif the answer seemed to be Tory Lee and Fox Head, £45 - £50 for an over-sized plastic t-shirt, admittedly a nice looking one, and I thought - there is no Rapfa for MTBs, we're too practical and level headed to be done like that - that was until I looked at Wiggle - oh no, there are things like Gore, Assos (I thought they sold womens clothes online) and Ale - upto £250 for a zip-up, very roadie looking Jersey - a fool and their money eh? Still, it quickly tumbles down to £50ish again.

Expensive jerseys and the like are much less practical on the mtb imo. Virtually every time I ride local I end up in a tangle with a stray bramble at some point tugging on my clothes.

I just use cheap plain gore jerseys generally in grey as they seem to take the thorns better and blood, mud and oil don't look to bad.

Nice expensive kit is reserved for the roadie, it survives much longer!

More to the point, why don't Rapha do MTB?

Yeah had a merino club jersey, currently use a Brivett Gilet and some of their race socks. I only ever buy stuff in the end of year sale. The Jersey was ok held off stinking for quite a while but the inside of the back kind of rubbed off the feltness (if that's a word) when wearing a pack. The Gilet is probably one of my favourite pieces but I only paid 40quid rather than the full price of £80!i like how the zip goes across rather than straight up/down so you don't have the zipper under your chin. Not used the socks much as their a summer thickness.

Have you thought of something like The North Face running gear?

iainc - Member

Howies tries hard to fill that niche

Don't think Howies are really that expensive compared to a lot of others.

chakaping - Member
More to the point, why don't Rapha do MTB?

Likely because Road is where the money is, they don't need the extra sales, their repair service would be swamped by people shredding gear on trees etc...pick one.

To answer the OP's question. At retail prices? - Gore. they're not far off Rapha's prices (10-20%) but are more often available for a discount.

I use Gore for MTB and Rapha for road and commute.

As previously mentioned probably Kitsbow [url= http://www.kitsbow.com/shop/mens ]here[/url] - the Mission Workshop stuff is just mental, they're more like the cycling version of Acronym though (£650 for a hooded blazer anyone?)

Both suffer badly from the $ = £ conversion, Kitsbow's 300 Euro shorts are $300 in the states - BARGAIN!

I wouldn't say Howies fill that niche, they're more roadie - I like Howies stuff

I often wear roadie-like jerseys on my MTB, with baggy shorts. Sometimes baselayers and some form of midlayer/shell over and under

The MTB tops just seem like normal active t-shirts, with different branding

I have a fair amount of Howies stuff, which is generally worn on MTB. I also have some Rapha stuff, which is only ever worn on road or track (except the socks 🙂 which are a staple piece of riding wardrobe whatever )

All bought in the sales, where prices are fair.

Kitsbow had an ace sale on recently, shorts to 99usd. I had some contact with them when they started out, nice guys and the shorts were amazing (still are) but the deviation in the range and pricing kind of put me off a bit.

honourablegeorge - Member

iainc - Member

Howies tries hard to fill that niche

Don't think Howies are really that expensive compared to a lot of others

^^^ I wear their bib shorts or bib 3/4's under baggies all the time, except deepest winter when i use longs...

Their Slipstream LS Jersey is a staple mid layer for me on MTB

Howies do periodically seem to do MTB stuff - my main shorts are from them; along with bib tights, merino zipped top and jacket (roadie / universal).

I quite like the Maloja clothes. Although I think they're quite seasonal so biking clothes come around in the summer and the concentrate on the ski clothes in the winter.

[url= http://www.maloja.de/summer2015/catalog.php ]This is last summers selection.[/url]

Also I quite Morvelo and Dakine. Not sure how these scrub up against Rapha as have never really looked at their gear.

[url= https://www.norrona.com/en-GB/Activities/Mountainbiking/ ]Norrona[/url] - niche Norwegian Arc'teryx-style outdoor brand which also produces some very nice mtb kit at reassuringly expensive prices. And [url= http://www.7meshinc.com ]7Mesh[/url], run by ex-Arc'teryx people. Would be the two obvious calls.

Some bits and bobs from Morvelo as well. And some of the multi-sport clothing from outdoors brands like Arc'teryx, Rab, Haglofs etc works really well and uses nicer fabrics and better cut and construction than most bike brands.

Mostly though mountain bikers seem happy to spend £1000s on hardware, then want a top-notch, ultra-breathable shell for 50 quid...

I'm as tight as cramp, but Gore stuff is functionally brilliant.

I've got some winter bibs and an Alp jacket, both well made, comfy and superbly designed.
Excellent customer service - I broke a plastic popper on the drop tail of my jacket.
They replaced both poppers with metal ones, free of charge.

I couldn't care less if they're fashionable or not, but they are worth the money.

I use the jacket as a lightweight shell for walking too, it's paid for itself a few times over.

Yeah Rapha are expensive, beyond the point of being overpriced. But one thing Rapha do really well, which I haven't come across with any similar clothing vendors is they have an excellent repair policy. Twice I've had my bibs repaired by them, at a reasonable cost, and then received Rapha vouchers for more or less the cost of the repair.

And I probably am a total poser, but I wear my Rapha bibs often, and my Rapha jacket sometimes, on the MTB. I must have missed the memo that said Rapha was for road/CX use only.

At retail prices? - Gore.

I've never been that impressed with Gore if I'm honest, and it's a bit like a German's idea of what a mountain biker would wear, and they're shorts are still not that well cut TBH.

I'll second [url=flareclothingco.com]Flare Clothing[/url]

Really quality stuff, really good value and great customer service.

Yeah I've got some Flare shorts (that had to be repaired along the seam) they're good stuff, but they're not what I'd buy if I wanted the ultimate in mountain-bike shorts, they're not quite there.

I have a few things from Intrepid Apparel, really like them. the Pioneer gilet especially.

Ooh, yer all a bunch of tart's, you lot...

...but on a serious note. I just throw on whatever and let my Issey miyake man-spray do the talking.

I see a lot of on line sellers providing cycling gear made of decent materiaks nicely cut, well made (wisper it) fashionable colours, and I wonder where I can get the same sort of high end gear for mountain biking? I know I could use roadie gear, but I don't want to, I could ride around in troy lee pyjama sets but again I don't want to... Start something myself is fast becoming my conculsion

My question would be why do you want to spend silly money on bike clothing thats either going to get very very mucky and stained (even after the first ride) ripped or snagged?

darrenspink, good point, but I'm not a kit destroyer, so I can afford to throw a bit of cash at it, and I think that that roadie is just as hard work on kit anyway, gravel will shed a jersey just as fast as the stuff we ride on/in will. (a quick google on tour accidents will show that!) and it doesn't stop them having high quality kit.

Kitsbow and Mission/Acre have the self consciously cool websites that a company would need to be considered the Rapha of MTB.

7mesh's website is more functional so I guess that is the impression they want to give of their garments. I suppose it also reflects the customers it will attract.

I've not seen any of this gear in the flesh, but I would love to give some a go. The North Face made some cycling shorts for a couple of years. I have a few pairs and they are great. I don't recall what they cost, but I guarantee they weren't $300.

I just wear Rapha kit on the mtb. Don't care if it gets damaged, because a) I'm not an idiot who falls off a lot, and b) Rapha will repair it for a negligible amount of money.