Rapha severs ties with Team Sky, cites “Market saturation”
November 5, 2015 § 24 Comments
Rapha announced today that it would end its partnership with Team Sky at the end of 2016. Cycling in the South Bay sat down with Chauncy Chalmers, CEO of Rapha, to talk about the divorce.
CitSB: What was it? Irreconcilable differences?
Chauncy: Oh, far from it. We’ve both benefited immensely from the partnership and are leaving on the best of terms. We plan to remain friends, and we wouldn’t be where we are today without Team SKY.
CitSB: And where are you today?
Chauncy: We are the dominant player in the pretentious bicycle clothing market. $345 for a pink plastic vest. See? We OWN it.
CitSB: Yes, but there’s more to your success than that, isn’t there? Rapha is regarded as one of the best fitting, most superbly designed clothing manufacturers in the bike industry, combining the understated English qualities of Savile Row with the hardman exploits of volcano dopers. That’s what they say over at Red Kite Prayer, anyway.
Chauncy: Don’t believe everything you read; that guy was nominated for Wanker of the Year. Our stuff is made by the same underpaid Chinese garment workers as every other label. And get this–the average Chinese worker makes $19.81 per day, just under $2.50 an hour. Pretty sweet mark-up, I’d say.
CitSB: Schweet, for sho. So why the break-up with SKY? Seemed like a match made in heaven. Pretentious British label hawked by marginal gains volcano dopers with funny accents that sound vaguely aristocratic to the untrained American ear, which can’t distinguish between the Queen’s English, Ozzie Jibberjabber, and Pig Latin.
Chauncy: Yes, the American market is what we’ve always referred to as “gullible.” And it certainly has paid the bills.
CitSB: So why the breakup? Faux English tailored cycling kits with a vaguely 70’s design in updated 21st Century Pink; volcano dopers who talk funny and millions of tubby Americans who think Rapha’s been around since Eddy Merckx.
Chauncy: The market is saturated.
CitSB: How can that be? There are ten new baby seals on the NPR every week, ripe for clubbing and for new Rapha kits and for 100% full carbon parts made of pure carbon. It’s only just begun!
Chauncy: Our market research shows that with the exception of New York, Los Angeles, and parts of North County San Diego, the pretentious asshole demographic is saturated and shrinking.
CitSB: Impossible.
Chauncy: It’s true. Most people who ride bicycles aren’t snobby twits who crave approval by being treated rudely and looked down on. What’s worse, most people who ride bicycles don’t really care what their bicycle clothing looks like.
CitSB: Blasphemy! How do you know that?
Chauncy: We took our team of designers to the Tour of Palm Springs last year to examine the market first hand. Three of our designers are still in therapy. It gets worse. We randomly sampled riders, asking them if they liked Wiggins better than Froome. The answer blew our mind.
CitSB: What did they say?
Chauncy: They all said the same thing: “Who?”
CitSB: Shocking. And so you’ve pulled the plug. What’s Team SKY going to be wearing for 2017 then?
Chauncy: It’s a secret, but I’ll tell you if you promise to keep it off the record.
CitSB: You can trust me.
Chauncy: They’ve hired one of your local guys here in LA to do their kits. Apparently one of the designs here has really caught their fancy.
CitSB: Which one is that?
Chauncy: Big Purple, or Orange, or something.
CitSB: Big Orange?
Chauncy: Yes, that’s the one. You know them? They must have a pretty understated look to catch Team SKY’s eye.
CitSB: Nope. Never heard of ’em.
END
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Cycling in the South Bay 
i laugh when you mention the mark up…. sadly I wont be spending my funds with them… too much $$$, when I get clothing from a few US made companies and I know where my money is paying for
It’s such a not bargain!
but it is so aero…. haha
To help those 45-lb. tummies speed along the bike path!!
Here’s a great summary of the bike business and how Ralpha positioned itself.
http://www.alpsandes.com/posts/2015/8/24/brendan-quirk
I don’t care for their stuff either, but I do give them credit for timing “cycling is the new golf” and targeting their consumers very well.
The honest truth is we’re headed to $20,000 bicycles (scam) and Ralpha will sell the clothes for it.
We know how Rapha positioned it. I’m just wondering how they got all those people to assume the position.
Wow, all that for a punchline about Big Oranges’s new kit. Nice work WM!
It just turned out that way, honest.
Still, a very nice seque.
Thank you!
Just saw this today and thought I’d share. Lots of adjectives…. http://www.outsideonline.com/2031056/meet-worlds-most-advanced-cycling-apparel
I don’t care whether it’s high quality or a dishrag. As long as it costs me $240 for a jersey, I’m in!
In other earth-shattering news, I’ve ceased wearing Hanes and have switched to Fruit of the Loom. [That’s when I don’t go commando.]
I was changing at a race this year and Brett Clare saw my saggy Hanes briefs with the dead elastic waistband and droopy hindquarters. “Dude!” he said. “Get some real underwear!” So, there’s that.
I heard that Froome is really a nickname…that he got tired of telling his riding buddies he wore “Fruit of the Loom” and so he shortened it to just “Froome”. The added “e” at the end is for “e”mphasis…
You may be on to something. I’d like to sit down with you soon to discuss some great opportunities to own your own business selling high quality herbal products and real estate in Florida.
Well that pendulum has certainly swung for Team Sky and their new kit. I guess Orange really is the new black and with Wanky, Wike and a bunch of new recruits, Big Orange is definitely doing something right. Kudos for keeping the rest of us on our toes and on top of our game.
Yes, we will totally own the splashy kit corner of the block. BTW, the Zipps have added at least 300 watts and reduced my drag coefficient by 7. So, thank you.
He’s overlooked the ahole triathlete market which by all accounts continues to expand. The pretentious will always demand sporty threads, the better to be seen rolling through reds on PCH.
Nothing says “sporty” like a number drawn on your leg with a magic marker!
Nobody every heard of assos? They make rapha look like pikers.
I remember when their slogan was “Gute fahrt!”
San Francisco and Marin County are filthy with Rapha posers.
One cannot be a Rapha poser. Once one wears Rapha, one is no longer posing. This is the promise of Rapha: Acceptance through purchase. Very different from bike racing, by the way, whose promise seems to be this: Failure.