Chain Reaction Cycles
Over the past 4 years we have personally made a grand total of 50 orders from Chain Reaction Cycles so we think we know them fairly well.
The vast majority of the orders were mail order but a couple were at their Ballyclare shop, which if you're ever passing, is well worth a visit.
Despite the huge volume of CRC it is still a family business and we're fans of family businesses.
Stock:
Chain Reaction have a massive range of stock from the quality manufacturers.
Like many net based retailers they don't appear to be able to reach agreement with some protectionist brands but it's unlikely that you won't find what you want on the site. In fact one of the great joys of surfing the Chain Reaction site is finding the end-of-line bargains.
They do indicate stock levels and whilst we've found these to be pretty accurate our only problems with CRC have come from out of stock items that can frustratingly delay an entire order.
Pricing:
Without doubt Chain Reaction are one of the top retailers for bargain prices.
Delivery:
Chain Reaction offer free postage which unlike some of their competitors isn't a slow-boat service. 90% of our orders have been dispatched same or next working day. They also offer 'guaranteed' delivery options if you need them.
They also use Royal Mail which in our book is vastly superior to courier delivery.
Service:
Chain Reaction's service is good. Two of our 50 orders have had problems that left us doing a bit of foot stamping and, in fairness to CRC, one of those would have been solved if we'd stumped up for next day delivery.
Sometimes there can be a wait to get through to them on the phone so we tend to use email.
In the one case where our foot stamping was justified CRC fixed the problem and offered some compensation by way of a gift voucher.
If you accept that problems will occasionally arise and judge the retailer by how they resolve you issues then Chain Reaction Cycles do well in our book.
What do they do for cycling?
CRC has predominantly pointed itself at the Mountain Bike scene where they've done an enormous amount to promote the sport in the UK with team sponsorhip and MTB Marathons.
They have also sponsored a series of MTB and Road Sportives, as well as a lot of involvement in Triathlon.
Overall:
Chain Reaction have not become a market-leader by luck. They have struck a balance between product range, price and service that has resonated with their customers.
Importantly they have listened to the needs of their customers and improved their offering without impacting value. No mean feat for any business.
