daniell

The bright yellow faded so I am now wearing it inside out. I cut off the one small pocket and the tag. I hate paying another $100 for something made with maybe $3 worth of material. I admit that zippering it is a little more difficult.

Koyote

Noted.

Iride01 

So what about the wages for the people making it? And the fuel it took to get it from wherever to where you bought it? And the cost of warehousing for the time it spends between manufacture and being ordered by the vendor that sold it to you? And the money that investors in the company that made it as well as the company that sold it expect for a return on their investment? And quite a few more other things that go into the cost of goods.

wolfchild

Just go and buy a new jacket.

indyfabz

Does it look like this on the inside?

genejockey 

This strikes me as excessive frugality, but of course I don't know your financial situation. My suggestion would be to shop the sales, look for discounts you can qualify for, etc. I have completely upgraded my cycling kit in the last year, without buying a single item at full retail price, because, for example, I signed up for challenges on Strava that got me substantial discounts on stuff.

Trakhak

Don't know if it's just a male thing or what, but I find that my spending habits are absurdly lopsided depending on what I care about. My hobby-related spending (bikes, musical instruments, etc.) has always been lavish; in contrast, the soap dish on the bathroom sink is still the one that I found there when I bought this house some 35 years ago, and it was ratty looking even then.

elcruxio

Ironically the fabrics of the jacket are likely a significant portion of production price. Good fabrics aren't cheap and they aren't easy to find. It all depends of course but something super thin and dense with a high thread count that blocks wind but breathes well and packs into a jersey pocket? Easily over 10 USD per meter. And you probably can't make a jacket out of one meter. Then there's zippers, reflectives, strengthening strips, webbing, threads, tags, and all the other stuff you might need. And that's just the raw materials.

Designing clothes isn't as simple as it seems. Forming pieces of 2d material to conform to a 3d model so that it fits well is something that requires an actual professional to design.

And of course there's wages, running cotsts, marketing, profit and all that.

daniell

Many of these products are made in low wage countries. They should at least pass on the savings.

shelbyfv

In general, you do pay less for clothing made in Asia than you would for MUSA. This isn't news to most folks.

smd4

You can also get a few more days between laundering if you turn your underwear inside out.

wolfchild

Most of Rapha clothing is made in China and it's not cheap....Majority of ASOS clothing is made in China followed by India and Turkey and they're expensive too... Under Armour is made in Asian countries and so are majority of other high end sports clothing.

wolfchild

What happens when the inside fades out ?.

shelbyfv

I agree. And it would likely cost even more if made in USA or UK, which was my point.

daniell

At my age I may not live that long.

Atlas Shrugged

That’s why you should purchase through AliExpress. Jackets are available from $15 which should be well into your budget. Skip the middleman.

daniell

I checked out Ali Express. The prices were remarkable.

indyfabz

I’ve gotten 2 Rapha Core jerseys on sale. One was $50, the other $55. Great deals considering the quality and features, including full zippers. The fabric is super soft. Hoping to snag a wine colored one. By the time I have heard of the sales it has been sold out in my size.

BTW…I’d love to see some proof of life photos.

Koyote

Kitsbow tried to do max MUSA -- made their stuff in NC, paid good wages and benefits, used MUSA materials to max possible extent, etc. Their flagship piece, the Icon wool shirt, was $289. 'Course, you can't buy one now, since Kitsbow went ouf of business.

Koyote

I've got drawers full of Rapha stuff, almost all bought in their Archive sale section. I've found good items at half off, even more than half off. Fave item: long-sleeve Brevet jersey (wool blend with lots of features) for $84; original price was $210. At those prices, I have to wonder why anyone buys something like Pearl Izumi or Primal Wear.

Maelochs

Because you hadn't revealed your secret .... until now. I hope we aren't the same size.

squirtdad

Voler is American made and good quality https://store.voler.com/pages/about-voler

much of aero tech is made in usa also https://www.aerotechdesigns.com/cycl...el-made-in-usa

fabric and parts like zippers are world wide sourced

I have found over the years paying for quality is short term cost, long term frugal

Korina

How's it go? "Buy the best and cry once."

FBOATSB

"Buy once, cry once" rhymes

nomadmax 

Is this the same guy who wanted to warranty seven year old socks ?