Forum menu
Quote (editing functions seem to be missing on STW) "Based upon their previous acquisitions, you’d have to imagine a £5.99 delivery fee" quote
Just been looking for a specific pair of running shorts. Available at, and with delivery charge of:
Sports Direct - £9.99
Field and Trek - £5.99
Frasers - £4.99
Go figure. 🤔
Well that's it resurrected and full of crap
https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/falcon-xc18-mountain-bike-821793#colcode=82179308
Well that’s it resurrected and full of crap
As predicted, it's a reskinned version of the Evans site.
On the plus size you can sort by discount now....
This is the bit i don't understand.... WHY ? If you have the Evans site, what's the point of creating a new webiste with the CRC name ? There must be something i'm missing here other than them having 2 websites selling the same thing.
Because it gives a bigger market share. If 5 of the top 10 Google results point to 5 of your shops and your competitors have one each then you're more likely to get the sale.
But surely that depends on you actually selling the things people are Googling for ? If they stop selling the things, then no amount of searching will bring up their site. If they go to the lower end market of stacking crap and selling cheap, then does it matter how many websites you have ?
a bigger net catches more fish
Why would they "stop selling things"?
Actually have a look at what they are selling, the site is chock full of Adidas, endura, Trek, Cannondale.
I'm fairly sure one of the most successful high street businesses minds knows how to spend and make money.
Any news on nukeproof warranty. Are the New CRC just going to tell you to do one? All a bit confusing if you bought something 8 months ago and were oblivious to the changes
On the plus side, you can now sort by highest discount. Boom.
And it's a sad day when the only bike brand being sold by CRC/Wiggle that appeals to me is Brompton. No interest in Trek, Whyte, Cannondale, PInnacle or Cube, especially compared to the bike brands we've lost (Nukeproof, Vitus, Ragley).
Not just a rebranded Evans (though the products are and I'm sure the tech is). There looks to be consistency with the old sites structure and a different mix of products between the sites.
But now I know where to buy my new 'breaks':
Tried to log in and thankfully neither of my log ins works any more, so they haven't got hold of our historic details.
I clicked on a Trek Rail
"SORRY – THIS PAGE COULD NOT BE FOUND
You may have entered an incorrect URL or the page you were after no longer exists.
Worry not though, let us help you get back to where you need to be."
Nice that they've kept some of the CRC features 😀
(oh that's on Wiggle, the CRC one works ok. CR selling Trek and Spesh eh? whatever next? Muddyfox?? 😂 )
Guess which "Fox" brand's products you get when you click on this on the homepage...
...the team behind this site clearly have no knowledge of their products.
The Fox link with the Fox head logo takes you to the right products. Oh, I see what you mean.. yeah the "brands" list only has one Fox - to the clothing... they have some work to do 🙂
The Fox link with the Fox head logo takes you to the right products. Oh, I see what you mean.. yeah the “brands” list only has one Fox – to the clothing
Errr, I'll be honest, I'm not sure I knew that they were two different brands, and I've got Fox forks and a load of Fox clothes/gloves.
That's fine bails... you're not running a "bike shop".
Guess we now know where some of the CRC stock went as well. Some prime, nukeproof and lifeline on the 'new' CRC site. No pictures yet as you'd expect.
Just had a quick flick through the Wiggle site and was intrigued to notice that the Nut Butter section of their Sports Nutrition sections is offering chamois cream, yum!
https://www.wiggle.com/nutrition-and-body-care/sports-nutrition/nut-butter
This is the bit i don’t understand…. WHY ? If you have the Evans site, what’s the point of creating a new webiste with the CRC name ? There must be something i’m missing here other than them having 2 websites selling the same thing.
The brand names are worth a fortune alone. Less applicable to the seasoned buyers here, but there will be plenty of people unaware of the changes who are buying into the reputation of the brand.
Just as big though, is search engine optimisation. Both CRC and Wiggle feature heavily at the top of search listings, and probably way above Evans. That's huge. They'll likely take a hit with the sites changing, but if there have been any changes to the site (I've not really looked), it'll be to optimize that. Lots of consideration around URLs, redirects and metadata. Virtually everyone who searches for bikes/parts/clothing will be exposed to one of these brands.
As above it comes down to a bigger net catching more fish.
Good job I've acquired enough bike spares in the fire sale to last me about five years then
(slight exaggeration but also not)
A load of garbage then. Pinnacle and other naff tat coupled with a dreadful returns policy.
Also, who is buying a Bontrager stem?!
Pinnacle are great bikes and not long ago had a big generally positive thread in this forum.
Also on the site are a metric shed load of 5:10 which despite not being as amazing as they were when everyone bought them for 20p were also the subject of a largely positive thread here not long ago.
But obvs it's cooler to be an ill informed snob.
I'm far more concernes about Nukeproof and DHB than I am about the websites. Fingers crossed something is happening there.
Errr, I’ll be honest, I’m not sure I knew that they were two different brands, and I’ve got Fox forks and a load of Fox clothes/gloves.
Two brothers who competed in MX set them up IIRC and it was literally a heads/tails decision on the logos.
A load of garbage then. Pinnacle and other naff tat coupled with a dreadful returns policy.
Pinnacle made some really good mid-market bikes for quite a while and were ahead of the curve with gravel bikes. R&D seems to have halted since the takeover but there's still nothing wrong with an Arkose.
Also, who is buying a Bontrager stem?!
I've got Bontrager bars on not-a-Trek.
Stooge bars on my Vitus.
And Nukeproof in the spares box.
So I think the answer is "people who are happy with the right part for the job rather than getting hung up on which parent company owns them"
Not dissing Pinnacle, used to have a very quick hybrid back in the day.
Have also got a bike with various Bontrager parts (non-Trek!)
My comparison is simply one of the Wiggle before and this, they aren't the same and any such 'relaunch' is more of a re-brand IMO.
Pinnacle are great bikes... But obvs it’s cooler to be an ill informed snob.
Who is ill-informed?
Pinnacle were great, when (was it Jameso of this parish?) designed them and Evans was Evans.
Looking at the range currently online there's only a few bikes and I don't think any of them have been redesigned since 2020 ish. It looks to me like Fraser Group are just running their stock down so they can replace them with more catalogue bikes stickered up as Muddy Foxes (or more likely Nukeproof & Vitus now).
Pinnacle | Bikes & Clothing | Evans Cycles
If Pinnacle were great when they came out then they surely still are great because as you pointed out... they are exactly the same bikes, just a bit cheaper.
If Pinnacle were great when they came out then they surely still are great because as you pointed out… they are exactly the same bikes, just a bit cheaper.
you obviously don’t work in manufacturing podge. I’ll draw a parallel with the website to illustrate. If an investor buys out a website but not the actual bike business behind it, and the people behind it, they get a website. One that sells fox clothing under a fox forks banner. If an investor buys a bike brand & IP but not the design team, supply chain team, and expertise behind it, they get to ask a factory to make that design. Is what comes out the factory any good? They’ve no idea. Is it a fox fork or a pissing glove? No idea! Let’s go and ask the Nukeproof qa manager. Oh no, wait, he was laid off. What about the guy that designed it? Nah he’s collecting the dole.
But obvs it’s cooler to be an ill informed snob.
we’re not I’ll informed slobs, we’re just angry (and sorry, don’t mean to direct that anger at you) and disappointed that once good companies have gone.
Perhaps direct your anger towards the people that broke your once loved companies and not invent some random fantasy scenario where one of the UK's largest & most successful sports retail businesses, one that already has a vast number of brands and products made all over the world, has no idea what it's doing.
Podge find me a great Pinnacle mountain bike currently available from Evans?
Oh no, they've sold out, what a damming reflection on how terrible they are that everything has been bought.
Pinnacle established themselves with the Arkose, which you can still buy if you don't mind being unfashionable by 30 seconds and the Lithium is a great little hybrid, I know because there's one in my house.
😀
If you want to persist in believing Pinnacle remain a good current brand under Fraser Group, have at it.
FWIW I have a 2015 Arkose in my garage, I also think it's great.
<quote> footflaps
Full Member
Like the bike spares rack in most Decathlons is like going back in time 30 years with 6 and 7 speed cassettes on the racks… </quote>
Basically Decathlon's parts section is designed to serve their own ranges, which use a lot of basic cheaper parts. They've added newer stuff basically as they added higher end bikes but mostly they sell a shitload of inexpensive, pretty decent bikes and so it makes total sense to sell mostly the parts for those too.
It also means they don't get left sat on tons of newer parts when they go out of fashion. It's a shame though as a punter as they are sometimes brilliant.
Thanks for the positive comments on Pinnacle. I think we did ok there, did the right things. I was thinking how it's true FG/Evans now haven't done a lot with the bikes since 2020/21. The Ramin 2020 was great, geometry was sorted, but Pinnacle wasn't a name in MTB and Evans didn't sell many. Frasers Group kept ordering Arkoses and will do as long as they keep selling, even without any updates since then they're still relevant bikes I think, particularly for that market. But the fact they didn't pile in the Pinnacle orders in 20/21 like everyone else and haven't done much with own brand bikes since then .. some might say that was the smart thing to do given the state the industry is in now. They can just sell everyone else's overstocks, hoovering up bargains. I'm not sure a lack of activity in recent years is much indication of what they might do as and when the market picks up.
Sold tons of Arkoses, Neons and all the kids bikes all great and well priced. The problem is if you don't invest in brands then they slowly become obsolete. Was perusing the new websites and they seem to lack top end models of bikes, nothing over about 7k, that's obviously not cheap but bit odd I thought.
What happens with all the tooling for manufacturing megas/gigas etc. Surely a lot of money was spent on manufacturing ability and they wouldn't want to just scrap it.
Does that mean somewhere in Taiwan would would continue to churn out bikes since the kit to do so is already bought and paid for?
Are any budget in house brands producing bikes over 7k? Wouldn't exactly seem like their target market.
None in Taiwan is going to make anything unless someone pays them to. If the kit is already bought and paid for, they'll just move onto the next customer/ order, there's no value in producing someone else's old designs on the off chance someone will buy them.
the fact they didn’t pile in the Pinnacle orders in 20/21 like everyone else and haven’t done much with own brand bikes since then .. some might say that was the smart thing to do given the state the industry is in now.
I was going to say something similar, I suppose you just have to look at who's buying who's websites and brands now to see how a brief 'boom' that some exploited more than others has reshaped the bike industry. I doubt anyone would have predicted Fraser Group buying up more cycling assets back in ~2019.
I think I'll probably still skim the wares on wiggle for time to time, I never visit the Evans in town, but if anything did take my fancy I assume I could order it to that store for pick-up(?).
Some interesting snobbery on display in this thread too, basic old 7 speed bikes and spare innertubes are probably still the backbone of the bicycle retail world despite 10k ego chariots existing they're the exception not the rule.
anderzzFree Member
What happens with all the tooling for manufacturing megas/gigas etc. Surely a lot of money was spent on manufacturing ability and they wouldn’t want to just scrap it.Does that mean somewhere in Taiwan would would continue to churn out bikes since the kit to do so is already bought and paid for?
The tooling should have been owned by Hotlines. This means that if there's ever an issue with the supplier you can whip the tooling away and go elsewhere. If there are still bills to be paid at the frame builders, then I could imagine that they might try to take ownership of the tooling (although I'll let someone else find if tooling is mention in the list of assets) and could start cranking out frames again under different branding.
Does the fall of the retail giants mirror the trend in cycling? There seems to be less people who dabble these days. As a student I worked at Evans for 5 years and we had a solid base of folk on basic but functional bikes (say 800 - 1k hardtails or basic tiagra ally roadbike) but all were out regularly. I dont see that many of this type of rider these days. IMO The average rider at my local TS has a much better bike now than 15 years ago.
But these days shops tend to sell either high end bikes, or family hikes like decathlon / halfords etc. I don't think you can keep everyone happy. People after am expensive bike want the experience from a high end place and want experienced staff who are passionate. People who want kids bikes and cheap hybrids on c2w are out off by the lack of choice. That's kind of how it was before the big players tried to do everything isnt it.
Wiggle and crc catered for the experienced cyclist who knew what they wanted, and probably still can. You might not buy a bike anymore, but people will still pick up bargain conponants and clothing. And they'll pivot vitus, NP, ragley etc brands to ensure that stores like evans ( which cater for the less experienced cyclist) walks in and can see a shop floor of choice, without knowing they're all in house owned.
It feels like the industry couldn't sustain a place to keep everyone happy. But it does worry me that mtb is possibly becoming a bit elitist and quite far from its roots.
I never visit the Evans in town, but if anything did take my fancy I assume I could order it to that store for pick-up(?)
That'll be £4.99, please sir...
But it does worry me that mtb is possibly becoming a bit elitist and quite far from its roots.
roots would be what? Depending on when and where you started biking that could be fireroad clunking; roughstuff backcountry exploration; one (rigid) bike to do it all; the downhill/freeride vs XC dicotomy; "all mountain"; rigid singlespeeds making easy trails hard again?
mountain bikes are better and cheaper than ever. £500 on a halfords voodoo hardtail is a bike I would take over anything pre ~2005ish for any mountain biking.
I know there's 100 different niche pigeonholes these days but they are only a way of describing things, the bikes transcend categories better than anything in the past.