Chain Reaction Cycles....are Tesco?

[FST4RD]

Coming from NZ our market is quite small, so the bike shops and whole salers can pretty much charge what they want.
One of the bike shop owners I'm friends with however said that it was cheaper to buy certain stuff from CRC to stock his shop then it was to buy it from the direct whole saler into NZ!!!!! :shock:

Another bike shop owner used to tell me what whole salers charged and what they sell the product for in the bike shop... I was very surprised in the mark up! :shock:

I like to support local shops, but when I was in the market for a Thomson seat post and CRC were selling them for cheaper then what the whole salers were selling them to the bike shops it's a no brainer why I would buy from CRC.

 

[stedlocks]

If it makes you feel better, I'm sitting outside tesco Watford using their wifi for free....... And it's quick too!!

 

[bojangle]

I have to say that i've never purchased anything from chain reaction!!

I would love to say it's out of principal....but it's not! I've just never found anything on there that i thought 'wow that is cheap i'll risk my banking details over the internet to get cloned and save £1.75!! and put another lbs out of business!!)

If you shop around locally most lbs will post an item out to you and it's never that far off chain reactions price!

Unless your spending loads of money chain reaction are not as cheap as you would like to think!

 

[mattbrown]

they only become like Tesco because everyone uses them (they provide a service everyone is happy with and wants)

Supply and demand - you dont like it, dont shop there, never understand why people moan but continue to shop at those places.

 

[David B]

Don't use CRC very often now - most of the cheap, obscure stuff that was good value and worth using them for seems to have vanished off their website (smaller bike shops, requests to clubmates or RB members and eBay listings seem better for those things). Try to give my actual LBS a wide berth too though unless absolutely necessary, ever since one of their sponsored riders with his subsidised kit made some fairly condescending remarks about my road bike on the train back from a race last year. On the other hand, whenever I visit family I try to send a bit of business the way of the bike shop in the Midlands I've been using since I was 15; always helpful and carries a good line of stock from a mix of brands.

David

P.S. I've only shopped in Tesco twice in the last 2 years, and then out of necessity. After some of the stuff I've heard about them from a friend who works in the food industry, best avoided on many levels.

 

[hamster]

My LBS gives me a small discount and combined with advice and a willingness to help me out have won my business back from CRC.
I do end up paying a small premium, but the fact that they'll lend tools etc makes it worthwhile. However an NOS M737 chainring for £15 and other goodies from the forgotten recesses of their stockroom makes it a great deal overall.

They struggle to get stuff in quickly, which is the only downer.

 

[JohnH]

Disgusting. I don't go anywhere near their shops. Stay way from One Stop too, also part of the Tesco group.

There was a Channel 4 documentary about this very subject...
http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&sa ... ng+britain

I've ordered an amberwall tyre from CRC, but that's about it.

They must be doing well, though; the family who founded the firm are now on the Sunday Times Rich List...
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/busin ... 52091.html

 

[beagle]

My LBS gives me a small discount and combined with advice and a willingness to help me out have won my business back from CRC.
I do end up paying a small premium, but the fact that they'll lend tools etc makes it worthwhile. However an NOS M737 chainring for £15 and other goodies from the forgotten recesses of their stockroom makes it a great deal overall.

Same here. Have used CRC in the past but now there's a good LBS, run by a mate, I'd rather pay a bit extra and support the shop.

 

[orange71]

if my lbs was friendly I'd use it more often, but they're surly or at best disinterested :evil:

 

[velomaniac]

CRC are in the free market, they started small (an lbs) and got big by working hard and exploiting the market. I will not support my Local bike shop if they dont try hard enough. You can have a loyal clientelle by means other than cheapness such as good customer relations, helpful advice etc. Most of my local bike shops are rubbish, they dont try and win me over, they're slow and even lie to my face about how you cant get the parts (the same parts I know you can get and CRC have). I like CRC and I like Tesco and one day someone will challenge them, all empires fall eventually.
Support your local bike shop/grocers shop if they deserve your support, not just because their the smallest fish in the pond !