Possible demise of CRC / Wiggle

So that’s who bought the remaining stock. I got one of the fohn down jackets for £46 that are now £135. Nearly bought a gilet for £36 now they are £69

Small print from old Wiggle holding page

Returns Process
Return Form

Orders before 22 February 2024 can be returned within 60 days of your order date. Orders after this date can only be returned within 28 days of your order date. No returns will be considered after 22 April 2024.

Please do not return goods outside of these windows as we can not guarantee they will be returned to you.

Return address is : RM Cycles (wiggle returns), Unit 3a, Leigh Green Industrial Estate,
TN30 7DE

I also have the PDF of the returns form if anyone needs a copy emailed. PM me you email address.

Hope it’s not the slug that is Mike Ashley, that has bought out the remaining stock and brand names! Evans don’t refund you if you take an item back, it’s a credit note only… what did I ever think it would be with Mike Ashley’s mucky paws all over it!

Hope it’s not the slug that is Mike Ashley, that has bought out the remaining stock and brand names!

It is

Did those who put in very last minute orders get them despatched? And did you get any sort of notification of despatch?

I put a (<£50) order in on the 15th March and nothing yet. Evri deliveries to me usually take around 2 weeks (not a typo) from despatch to delivery so it could be they’ve been despatched and just not delivered. Or it could still be kicking about with the tumbleweed in what was once a busy warehouse.

I put what i considered risky orders in on 15th & 16th, one with wiggle & one with crc…both had items that were out of stock on the product page but still in my basket: both orders were fulfilled. Genuinely stunned and big thanks to crc/wiggle for that 🙏

Delivered last Wednesday/Thursday…only knew when i got the evri email. So if you’ve heard nothing, don’t assume the worst

I ordered some stuff fairly late and it arrived last Friday, so they were still shipping late last week.

I put what i considered risky orders in on 15th & 16th, one with wiggle & one with crc…both had items that were out of stock on the product page but still in my basket: both orders were fulfilled. Genuinely stunned and big thanks to crc/wiggle for that 🙏

Damit, I clicked the “removed items” prompt.

And now with predictable timing my 170mm dropper has developed sag/bounce (dunno if this is the result of being hung up on a wall for 6 months).

Did anyone over-order brand-x 170mm cartridges and now have a spare?

Evans in blue and orange are live!

Just a different frontend to the Evans website then. Few changes to menus. Whats the point.

Whats the point.

Three times as many opportunities to get to the top of Google search is the point.

Weird seeing the old orange Wiggle branding back instead of the newer green version

I like the way you can now filter cassettes by XL boys.

Not sure Ill be buying any “breaks” off them 🙂

Struggling to see the point of big Mike and son buying those businesses.  Unless it was to stop anyone else doing something constructive with them?

As shown above, apart from the homepage, it’s just Evans cycles and all that brings with it.

I can’t see me using them unless I’m absolutely desperate…

I did need some cheap 27.5 tyres. Ordered off Evans though, as CRC not taking Paypal yet and I wouldn’t trust them with card details

They’re still offloading all the 5-Tens, Christ knows how many pairs they overstocked, the prices seem to be up on where they were pre-Christmas though.

Plus of course you now have to pay postage on Wiggle/CRC, I’m sure people who’d gotten used to free delivery will appreciate an extra fiver on every order.

Three times as many opportunities to get to the top of Google search is the point.

You could also make sure your price for any one item is at a competitive price on one of the three to make sure you pick up the people searching by price and charge a higher price on the others for those in a hurry and not shopping around.

I tried returning a Wiggle order to the address listed at: https://help.wiggle.com/support/home
I.e:
Customer Returns,
Unit A,
Brook Park East,
Shirebrook.
NG20 8RY.
But it was sent straight back, saying the Frasers Group bought the brand, but not the liabilities, and that they were not going to refund me 🙁
Apparently not a lot I can do about that.  I wish they had made that clear on the web site before I went to the faff of paying for recorded deliery etc.

Apparently not a lot I can do about that

You could have sent it to the address that andy posted further up this page

Mike Ashley’s entire e-com platform (across all of his brands) seems to be built on the customer paying for delivery and returns and customer service being irrelevant. To him that makes sense. Why should he pay for postage like some other mugs (answers on a postcard please…)?

Meanwhile back in the competitive real world there are plenty of bike specialists (including lots of smaller shops now doing a good trade online – ironically kind of like CRC and Wiggle themselves started!) all offering free delivery, better range and better service.

I was a regular Chiggler. Great range, great prices, easy delivery and returns. Not any more. I never shopped at Evans for the same reasons I won’t now shop at CRC or Wiggle.

Having said that, I interviewed somebody from the Ashley empire for a job last week. They were bright and they spoke highly of how the business is doing, so maybe I am in the minority and most customers are less discerning. He probably won’t miss my money, or that of many like minded bike geeks who sadly make up the minority of the bicycle consumer market. Most people are not at the enthusiast end of the market like the STW community. Most are happy with the BSOs that Ashley’s empire now serves up.

Either way, I do feel like a chapter of my bicycle shopping has come to an end and it kind of feels like history repeating itself as other smaller challenger shops rise up to fill the gap left by CRC/Wiggle. Maybe I will start scouring the back pages of Cycling Weekly for mail order like I did 30 years ago!!!!

Well, half my last CRC order got refunded, sound of crickets when I asked about the outstanding 18 quid part of it, so I guess that’s not materialising.

Won’t be using the new Cashley version, there are other sites I trust more than anything owned by him, after getting mucked around by Evans last year.

Postage isn’t free, if you’re not paying it as an add on then you’re paying it somewhere else.

Yep.

I tend to just look at the total price, including p&p. There’s definitely a subconscious bias in there though and when p&p is clearly visiting I’m more likely to buy multiple items at once, even if it means delaying a purchase or two.

Postage isn’t free, if you’re not paying it as an add on then you’re paying it somewhere else.

When Charon comes to ferry your soul across the Styx and he says, “I’m adding £2.95 for those brake pads you ordered to bump the total above £20 you cheeky sod get away with you now. Where’s me paddle?”

There are now a load of ex crc frames on Facebook. Looks like a former employee has been enterprising. Seems like a good outcome to me and good luck to them.

– Former WiggleCRC employee here who bought up the remaining Nukeproof & Vitus frames before everything shut down.

 

I have Gigas, Megas, Megawatts, E-Sommets & Rapide FS available in various colours and sizes. Some are complete aftermarket frames, some are supplied without a shock etc.

 

Everything is brand new in the box. Pricing & details on what’s included can be seen in the first pic.

 

The frames are being stored in Northern Ireland. I’m happy to meet up locally or can post at the buyers expense.

 

Postage available for £20 if you’re in the UK (please specify if you’re in the Highlands, Channel Islands etc.) & £50 for Ireland. International postage should be possible but does get expensive.

 

No warranty given or implied. 

@nickjb link?

Put “Former WiggleCRC employee” into Facebook search bar and its the first post. Chap called Simon

https://www.facebook.com/commerce/listing/738636638420705

Came to post the same thing, prices look decent/fair too.

A £300 Vitus Rapide FS bare frame appeals, thants cheaper than you can get it from Carbonda…

Very enterprising…fair play to him (as long as legit). Makes you wonder how much he paid for them if he’s making money at those prices!

I’ve hopefully bought a Rapide FS from him. Well, I’ve paid for one. Hopefully being shipped today.

Simon, the vendor, seems very kosher with good communication and straight forward.

Bit confusing though, as latest 2024 model, in cool grey, seem to show UDH on the Vitus website, yet the one I’ve bought appears to have a frame with the older style mech hanger, which wasn’t available in cool grey.

Not sure it matters or that I care tbh, just curious.

Bit confusing though, as latest 2024 model, in cool grey, seem to show UDH on the Vitus website, yet the one I’ve bought appears to have the older style mech hanger, which wasn’t available in cool grey

Surprised at that. Interesting too as i was genuinely considering updating my non-udh version Rapide FS to the udh version at that price but if they’re non-udh then that answers that.

When you say ‘the one I’ve bought’, he sent pics of actual frame?

I’ve just noticed that the Wiggle website appears to be down. A quick look at one of the “Is it down for me” type of websites suggest that it may have been down since the 9th.

Is something afoot?

I was in a Regus office last week that is next to the Portsmouth CRC/Wiggle office.

The chap I was meeting said that the staff pulled everything left into the atrium and flogged it for £5 an item. Some very happy people went home with packed cars.

Should have arranged better timing for my meeting.

I’ve just noticed that the Wiggle website appears to be down.

Seems fine here.

I’ve just noticed that the Wiggle website appears to be down

Wiggle.com or wiggle.co.uk ?

(Stoopid browsers save typos 😉 )

Hmm, down for me on my PC with Edge, but not on my phone with Chrome. Probably my PC then.

wiggle.co.uk is the one that’s down for me, wiggle.com is working.

I don’t suppose anyone could post what frames the Facebook chap has got, and prices, as im not on facebook.

Thanks

One interesting upshot of this is that it appears to my eyes that they’ve reverted to the old CRC website – the one where you could actually sort by things (like % discount).  Doesn’t mean I’m any more likely to buy from them but at least they’ve taken on board the criticism.

I don’t suppose anyone could post what frames the Facebook chap has got, and prices, as im not on facebook.

Link should still work as i don’t use FB. I couldn’t navigate to the frame pics (which is why i didn’t see the non-udh hanger on the rapide). But anyway…

A carbon Mega frame for £500?