In the world of online mountain bike sales, Chain Reaction Cycles (CRC) is the 400lb gorilla in the room. No other site has the same global reach and influence within the marketplace, so much so that there are several online campaigns to boycott CRC as traditional bike shops see their bottom lines eroded by online sales. For some it is the one-stop shop for whatever they need, wherever in the world they are, for others it's a totem for all that is wrong in the modern marketplace. Yet their story mat not be the one you would expect.
Born as a local bike shop in a tiny unit just outside Belfast, Northern Ireland, some 32 years ago, its roots are as humble as you can imagine. In those early days, there was no plan to change the way we buy our bikes and components; it was just another small business trying to find its way. Where it differed from the competition is how it adapted and grew. Many of our younger readers probably don't remember a time before the internet, and how strange those first, shaky connections to a global network were. Back then it wasn't obvious how profoundly it would change our lives, from how we connect with each other, to how we shop. CRC was one of the first to test those waters and maybe more than anything it is that timing that set them on the path - it is around the same era as companies like Amazon were beginning. In the intervening two decades they have refined and evolved their business model, so today they may seem dominant, but it is because they were there at the right moment and willing to take the risks on this new way of doing business.
We visited their headquarters, which are still in Ballyclare, a small village just outside Belfast, to take a look behind the scenes of what goes into serving a truly global market.
When we say humble beginnings, we mean humble - this is the unit where CRC was born before its direct sales business dwarfed its sales as a bike shop.
Much of online bike component sales is based on the premise that the customer knows exactly what they want - that level of technical understanding of our bikes is something that sets mountain biking apart from most other sports and is a big factor in the prevalence of online sales. Of course, not everybody does know quite what they need, or whether what they need will work with their existing kit. For those customers, CRC has a tech team. who will be their first point of contact. They should be instantly recognizable to anyone who has spent much time in bike shops - they are CRC's groms. Of all the people involved in processing an order, they are generally the keenest riders and have an encyclopedic knowledge of CRC's mind-bendingly huge range of products. Like all good bike shop groms, they will help the customer work out what they need and then put an order together with them.
With a worldwide customer base, you also need the language skills on the end of the phone to help customers who don't speak English. For this, CRC have a dedicated team of language experts from all over the world to try and help as many customers as possible.
Once an order is placed the next step is security - it is a huge task for this relatively small group of people. On Monday morning they have more than 16,000 orders from the previous weekend to work through. It is certainly very reassuring.
This isn't a process that can be automated - it takes real experience to spot the warning markers for a fraudulent order. If they are unsure, then they have the tools to look into the buyer to make sure they make the right decision.
Once the order is approved it heads over to be fulfilled at one of CRC's three warehouses - either the main one downstairs or at the specialist or large goods warehouses a few miles away. These warehouses aren't static things though - they are living, breathing organisms that constantly adapt and change to best suit the business' needs. In the tech world, there is some discussion right now about the principle of caching to organize more than just your computer's memory. The basic principle of the system is that memory is arranged in a pyramid - with a small amount of very fast memory for the most common tasks at the top of the pyramid, with a much larger amount of slower memory at the base of the pyramid. Things that are needed a lot get moved into the fastest memory, whereas things that are virtually never used get shuffled off to the further reaches of the system.
CRC's warehouses work on much the same principle, so items that sell well get brought right up to the front for easy access and those quill stems they have left lying around from the 90s are somewhere out in the furthest reaches of the system. This is constantly updated and adapted too, with each product's location based on a whole range of factors, going from price, sales data, current marketing, new releases and trends within the industry.
What this system means out on the warehouse floor is that items are not organized into one section for derailleurs, one for shifters, and so on. When you apply the caching logic this makes sense - people are far more likely to be ordering 11-speed derailleurs than old 9-speed ones. Instead, each item is given an allocated slot by the system. Each picker is given a number of orders to fulfill for each trip into the warehouse and a computer then plots their most efficient route through - they are guided through by a headset which gives them directions and other information they need to fulfill their orders.
Each order has its own box, which is then passed from the warehouse through to the packing side of the building.
While the orders are coming through from the warehouse a machine on the other side of the line preps the boxes so they meet at the packing stations.
At the packing stage the orders are double-checked as they are processed, to make sure that the right goods are going to the right person. This is a frantic job, these guys consistently work at an incredible pace to keep up with the flow of orders.
The box closing machine is a very interesting toy - it scans each packed box, then folds it to the smallest possible height to save space in shipping.
Any order that will not fit in a standard-sized box is handled by a separate team and packed individually.
Each package is stamped and heads for shipping.
Shipping is no small challenge when you are sending orders to every corner of the globe - each package is sorted by hand to be sent by the right service for its destination.
Each day CRC ships on average six 40' articulated lorries of parcels.
Just a few miles away sits the other main warehouse for CRC - the large parts store. It is here that they store the bulkier items, like bikes, frames, forks, wheels and turbo trainers. Naturally, because of the size of what it stores, it is a much bigger warehouse than the main building. The pace here is slightly less frantic too - because the big items are more expensive, they don't sell as many of them, so there isn't quite the same constant stream of orders to race to keep up with.
Because bikes ship from this building, they need to be prepped before being ready to be sent to customers. In the UK they need a PDI - a nationally agreed safety checklist to ensure they are ready for customers to ride them. This check can only be done by a Cyctech-qualified mechanic. Trainees join the team working on assembling bikes for CRC's in-house brands - Nukeproof, Vitus, and Ragley - and they can work towards their qualifications while they do this. At the moment the team is going through a change period, which will mean that eventually every member of the team will have the level one qualification, and the PDI mechanics will have a more advanced level two qualification.
The full PDI checklist - it may look obvious to an experienced mountain biker who is used to working on his or her own bike, but for many people, they wouldn't know where to start with even these basic things.
One service that CRC has offered for many years that differentiates it from other online retailers, and highlights their roots as a local bike shop, is the option to custom build wheels. They let you choose your rims, hubs, and spokes and then hand build them here in-house. They are properly hand-built too - they only use a machine for the initial tension on the spokes, each and every wheel is laced, tensioned and trued by a professional.
Here in this building the process ends with delivery lorries. Even this less frantic building still ships roughly 800 packages, every day.
MENTIONS: @ChainReactionCycles / @Nukeproofinternational / @ragley-bikes
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Please NEVER change this!
Never stuffed up my orders.
ze Germans are cheap, but CRC customer service is a hell of a lot better. Of course maybe being a UK customer has something to do with this.
Also want to give a random shoutout to DHL. They are also a class act which always makes my CRC experience even better.
This is a far cry from the standard post they used to do. Tracked, shipped and landed in about a week, 0 fees. That was a great experience. Today's experience is not what it used to be, and so much so that I don't think I will be ordering from CRC on a regular basis anymore.
It's the stupid ass tangents you go off on with all these screw ball analogies and weird jokes that only half make sense.
If you had just said something like "Not a big fan of CRC, made a couple of orders which have all been incorrect when shipped and the customer service was sub par when I needed it"
Like f*ck, see how I explained my frustration in such a way that got all the points across and I didn't sound like a f*cking goober?
I'm completely taken aback by their offer for a custom wheel building service. I wonder how many compatibility issues they run into with peoples orders. It seems like it could be a bigger pain than its worth.
There was a customs clearing charge (+ CAD taxes).
CRC was ready to accept the return package, but I ended up clearing it myself at the airport so paid taxes only.
The Germans have lower prices but they use DHL who f*ck you for import tax in the destination country. Government mail services don't as long as you don't spend too much.
At the moment though wiggle is cheaper than chain reaction, as long as you spend more than £125 to get the free postage.
He can't take any criticism, even constructive criticism like yours. He has to respond with a stupid answer. Then he bitches and moans when he gets down voted. Come on mate, what do you expect when you're a pain in the arse.
Exactly. I have a few bikes and was contemplating my XX replacement on my Jet 9, SRAM being an arse about it will make it easier to add another XTR group instead of an Eagle setup.
I personally have never used them before, but when I need a new XX1 cassette I'll be checking them out- CRC was $360 CAD vs TBS $400 CAD (will be 13% taxes, but free shipping and no import fees).
"We have a great relationship with RochShox who provide us with a great range of products. We have agreed with them that we will not sell their products outside of the EU." Looks like I will stick to TBS Bike Parts as well. Great customer service and fast shipping with competitive pricing.
It's also worth noting, that for a new bike company to spec SCAM as OEM, they need to buy over $100k of parts to even be considered. Shimano allows various size orders that allow smaller companies to grow. Since I learned that firsthand and have been watching a small company try to go through the hoops, my bike is SCAM free and always will be with the exception of any SS parts like the bars. That I can respect and support, the rest is super questionable.
However the caption about the box closing machine Lies all lies! The amount of times I get a mahoosive box with a tiny component in proves that the caption with this pic is absolute balderdash!
Which is fine, we all like a good deal and why pay full whack when you don`t have to right?
Just stop being a bloody hypocrite.
When I started riding I took it to the shop for everything and was without my bike for weeks on end, as a result I started learning to do my own work. Now I can do it all but full suspension services and now have no need for an LBS when I can order online at a fraction of the price and have the work done as soon as I get home.
If my local LBS's had provided a better service out of laziness I'd still be using them.
This right here. Sums up the demise of the lbs in one paragraph.
Ppl will pay for convenience, and inconvenience themselves for savings. But if you can't offer savings, can't offer convenience, your service stinks, and I have to deal with some skinny-jeaned roadie twat who doesn't know compression damping from his sweaty cross fit compression leggings, then I'm out.
And don't bemoan "lbs loyalty" as the issue. The lbs' are the disloyal ones who caused their customers to find other solutions.
And when the bike makers moved their production to China to increase their profits what was the repsonse from the lbs?
I guess only the end user should be responsible to pay higher costs, not the bike design companies or lbs.
Chill the fudge out dude I'm merely stating facts about bike shops!!!I buy from CRC because they are cheaper..yes!!I don't buy from lbs because they but from CRC aswell.i use my shop to fix things not.buy from them
I wish it were that easy... but EVERY LBS I've gone into looking for help or for a particular bit of gear, all I ever get is attitude from douchey shop monkeys who can't be bothered. Perhaps it is that they are simply indignant because of the Jensons and the CRC's of the world... but guess what, tough sh*t... That's how business works... Adapt or die.
I know that sounds harsh, but for every story like yours (seemingly idyllic bike shop that goes out of their way to try and keep a customer) there are 20 shops staffed by dudes who don't give a sh*t about customer service. Yeah, yeah, "but ignorant customer this, and overly demanding customer that"
Please save the "you gotta earn their love by buying sh*t from them" line of reasoning. LBS's are dying because they can't seem to ADAPT. An LBS needs to earn MY love. Not the other way around.
It sounds like you've been lucky to find a stand out example of what a good LBS should be. But in my experience, 9 times out of 10, they shoot themselves right in the foot before we even get close to money changing hands.
The last thing I ordered from CRC was a derailleur (that was in stock) and it took SIX WEEKS for me to get it in New York.
Granted, that was 3 years ago and maybe they've figured out how to get through U.S. Customs much faster. Is this the consensus? That CRC shipping doesn't get stuck in Customs for weeks any more?
I live in SoCal, so I get Jenson shipped free, oftentimes receiving it the very next day.
So, never.
I would blame it also on bike companies "innovations" and new standards, making it impossible for a shop to stock all parts.
Regardless if you did not get the memo, the usa / uk bicycle bubble is over, expect shops and company to shut down in the next few years.
My only slight criticism is that I feel like they don't stock as much unusual/ different kit these days as they used to and they won't do custom orders even for items that are supplied by brands they already stock.
I understand paying a bit more locally, in my mind on a purchase this size maybe $15 dollars more, but a $40! Price difference!
Great prices, huge range, but for me the returns policy is the winner. No barrier to sale as if I don't like it I just send it back. Bingo. Try to buy from LBS as often as possible but they barely ever have what I want and if they order it in often they can't return it.
That's how I would program it and I have already seen boxing machines like this fail big time and cut the goods in half
In my area, some of the bike shops persist in high pricing compounded with arrogance that we have no clue what we need. They also carry no stock of “what we need,” making many items, “special order.” To those shops, I have no idea how/if they can bridge that gap, but that dozen or so elitist roadies, and the Christmas-tree bike sales, will only keep the doors open for so long.
Yes there are going to be mistakes along the way but an operation like CRC's will look at each "fail" and do it's very best to rectify and remove the mistake in the future.
I still use my LBS for mechanical work I am not technically equipped to perform but even they tell me that I should buy the parts from CRC and bring them in. I find a good bottle of scotch, crate of their preferred beers or a box of donuts also helps the LBS relationship.
CRC has taken chances, they've been clever and now they're getting the rewards. It is good.
BUT almost always my bikeshops sell stuff to me cheaper. Even when it's on sale in a webshop. I'm building a bike at the moment and the shop is selling it to me cheaper than i could get it anywhere on the web (german/french/UK). Soooo i would highly recommend talking to your shop always before buying. At least in Finland the brick and mortar shops know whats up AND it still leaves them margin.
I'd be interested to know more about the workforce at CRC, bearing in mind the big flap about sports direct?
Are CRC staff directly employed? Or contractors? Zero hours? Minimum wage?
The last thing I ordered from them was an XTR shifter and it took literally, no exaggeration, SIX WEEKS for it to arrive.
Yes, it was in stock. It just takes that long for anything to get into the U.S. from foreign companies.
I do somewhat recall them making some kind of change however that was supposed to have greatly expedited their stuff getting through Customs. Anyone have any idea, or experience, as to whether or not that's the case?
I am trying to retain my street cred by not liking a shop that's too big. All my friends are into cool little boutique shops that sell only handbuilt frames and those lame little Italian cycling caps and wool riding sweaters, so I want to fit in. Knowing when a shop has gone from that cool little bike shop in the Mission (San Francisco) to that big box retailer who was too good at what they did and grew from one shop to ten.
Will this spell the demise of the LBS? I don't think so. Not all cyclists cultivate, or even desire, a level of interest in their machines that is typically a prerequisite for patronizing CRC. Many just want expertise and service that is close by and reassuringly personal. That can only be found at LBS.
Holy crap.
Still, it warms my heart to hear how many people around the globe love being on 2 wheels as much as I.
and be sure to get those wheels trued after a couple of rides - they may technically be hand built, but the builds are machine-built quality - they even include a note in the box that says they need to be retrued
SRAM components are also inferior anyway. So, I don't really care if they don't ship to Canada. I'm sure if you really want to get "cheaper" SRAM, you'd go with JensonUSA. Then again, SRAM will put contractual restrictions onto Jenson that their parts can't be shipped to Canada.
So despite online retailers such as CRC making it harder to run a shop, at the end of the day we all win. The shops that would otherwise fail (at least around my area) will just do so sooner.
A shop a few hours away is 3 weeks behind on repairs right now so some people are making the drive to get them done in our town. That guys shop is going to go under because he would rather ride than help customers and make money. When things were really busy in May a few of us put in 60 hours weeks to get repairs out the door and keep a quick turnaround. I'm not worried about our success or profitability going into the future.
Shimano doesn't really care about Shimano North America which causes the pricing problems we see. I don't think that will change. Some companies started to push back by controlling their pricing or some shops by ditching Shimano/Pearl. The last place I worked dropped both Pearl clothing and Shimano shoes. In one year their payments to Shimano were down 96%. Their sales of new clothing and shoes were also up in the new year because they didn't have to deal with people showrooming them.
#longlivepinkbike
Recently I have managed to pay with a debit card that wasn't registered to either the billing or delivery address, the staff simply over rode the security protocols and then posted the goods to a different address.
They have told me I now have to wait until the goods are returned as they CAN'T DO ANYTHING!
Well CRC allowed fraud to happen (because they ignored the fact that post code and house number didn't match the card) and are not prepared to do sweet F A about it
Rant over!
Could you please send us a private message with your phone number so we can give you a call back to get this resolved?
Thanks in advance.
You'll forgive me for disagreeing with you, as they have clearly tried to accommodate you already. If you've had the parcel sent to the wrong address, is that not your own fault for failing to check before making a payment?
There was no intention to mislead!
I do struggle to see where they have "tried to accommodate" me (before my original post)?
I had E-mailed and called to stop anything being sent but was told its to late (The E-mail didn't even receive a reply)
However there are some rather stringent distance selling regulations that must be abided by and on this occasion CRC has not followed these!
I sell very high priced items this way and the rules are clearly there for all to follow. Any diversion from these will allow fraud to happen!
www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/regulation/distance-selling-regulations
Really?
Youve admitted that it was your error by giving them your old address so I can't see how CRC has broken any laws here. I'd imagine you had orders shipped there previously and maybe even used the same card so why would you expect them to stop the order if there were no problems in the past?
Don't forget the bank can also decline payment based on the info you provide if they wish too......