Rapha boss outlines company's plans for 2014

So a pop up cycle club is a Shop? Well glad they are coming to Manchester, guess I will just go in for a perv like the Assos/Pinarello shop on Deansgate.

Say what you like about Rapha but all I can say is kudos to Simon Mottram and his team for creating a business around something they are so passionate about.
As well as being a big cycling man he is a big supporter of autism and now Parkinson's charities so all the best to him and keep buying their clothing is all I can say.

* in the interests of disclosure, I do not own anything produced by Rapha but would love to if disposable was not an issue...

Think about what pro sport is for a minute. IMO it is entertainment above all else.

Was Pantani entertaining to watch?

It was an era when too many turned to drugs to perform, to be able to do their job.

A ride in the memory of Pantani doesn't necessarily mean you're celebrating his drug use. From experience, a few minutes break at the Pantani monument on the slopes of the Mortirolo, contemplating the perfect storm of events that ultimately led a man to take his own life is time well spent.

rapha, such a strange brand that causes so much opinion.
as a casual rider i liked my rapha stuff but as soon as i started racing i ditched it for less expensive kit.
i still look through the site and occasioanlly buy some bits

some stuff is over priced, like way over priced yet some is really reasonable (thinking rain/wind jackets and the prorace jacket, merino collar)

got to give them credit for pushing different ideas and all that.

and the pantani jersey, great idea he was amazing and again i imagine in that era everyone was doped to the gills he just stood out above them and died a tortured soul.

Turnover isn't equal to profit

Likely if Rapha did more UK based manufacturing more people would complain about the prices.

I just don't get the Pantani jersey; he was one of the biggest cheats the sport ever saw, killed himself by overdose and, worst of all, was/is a massive hero to Ricardo Ricco.
What exactly is there to celebrate??

It is an absolute tragedy that we've been subjected to a succession of governments in thrall to an economy based on lowest cost above all else and shuffling virtual money around rather than actually making and maintaining stuff. That is one part of the 'workforce', if you can call them that is not fit for purpose.

leguape wrote :"The problem seems to be that some UK manufacturers have problems scaling up to do big volumes or the cost of smaller runs isn't viable. Both are problems Rapha and others have had to deal with."

This is an issue in the area I work in, software development. At peak production we have to bring in outsourcing from the far east and eastern europe typically. Not because they are cheap labour or better at the job - in fact they cost more per hour than we do here - but because we can't ramp up quickly enough or support that many people permanently. It's also often a brute force approach because the quality of work is not always good enough and you have to factor in wastage and management of the outsourced work.

I know this isn't directly comparable to 'real goods' manufacturing but many of the issues are the same. The skills shortage we do face is mainly due to 'brain drain' of people going overseas for better pay & conditions in countries with more enlightened policies towards creative / manufacturing industry.

In terms of fabric/clothes manufacture, Britain happens to be home to some pockets of world expertise. For example Burfields were the original supplier for Rapha's gloves (and as I understood it still do some of the special edition stuff) and Johnstone's of Elgin did some of the early pure merino stuff IIRC - they and the rst of the Scottish factories currently do a huge amount of the luxury cashmere business.

The reason you go to Moa Sports for stuff is because they are industry experts with those sorts of fabrics, and they are happy to do contract work in high volume.

Actually the Raeburn collab was done in the UK, at the Private White VC factory http://www.selectism.com/2013/04/29/selectism-qa-grame-christopher-raebu...

The problem seems to be that some UK manufacturers have problems scaling up to do big volumes or the cost of smaller runs isn't viable. Both are problems Rapha and others have had to deal with.

Once again a sweeping statement but British manufacturing, especially in the clothing and footwear industry, is a by word for quality.
I could list you an extensive list of British companies (mainly in the Midlands and north of England) that make very high quality clothing and footwear. But i cant be bothered.

Yeah I'm pretty terrible. I was however referring to manual labour.

There are exceptions to the rule, as always. But from my experience within the engineering industry; they are few and far between.

Rather more specifically, quite a lot of their range is manufactured by MOA, who also manufacture for other high-end cycling brands (and Adidas).

Climber's shoes? Really?

Start manufacturing at least some of the range in the UK? They've clearly got enough profit margin...

Was hoping they'd mess with everybody's head by swapping the stripe to the other sleeve/leg.