"They don't tell you this unless you ask, but the parts they sell are not new retail parts. Rather, they are OEM parts or take offs from bikes. They parts do look new, I can't say for sure, but in some cases they are missing hardware or other bits that come with retail parts. Warranty is another issue. I contacted them about my order, but they refused to do anything and ignored a question about a defective product. Since they are not parts meant for resale, you have to deal with CRC, which is not a great place and overseas for us US customers. Stick with others. Not worth the hassle."
"Chain reaction are knowingly selling bikes that are unsafe. Ns clash NS zircus which have unsafe forks suntour xcm . These are supposed to be an all rounder and a dirt jump bike even suntour have expressed concern and uk trading standards are investigating. I explained this to CRC they told me I was lying. I can't believe how arrogant they are they are putting people in danger."
"Never had a bad experience thus far with this retailer. I have never ordered anything over $200 USD however. I absolutely refuse to pay duty tax so I never will order anything that requires me to pay that. That is not the fault of this retailer in anyway. However, if you are in the USA then it is on you to figure out what you are going to owe to get it shipped to you.
What I have ordered from this retailer:
Ultegra Compact Crankset. Cheapest I could find. They beat the price by at least $30 USD. Free shipping. I had the crankset on my bike within 4 days of ordering it. If you can find a better deal than that then I would love to hear it...
Two Continental 4000 II road tires (700x23c). Again, by far the cheapest I could find online. Shipped DHL and I had them in my hand in 4 business days. Shipping was about $9.00 USD which was still considerably cheaper than any US retailer out there.
Simply put, I will *ALWAYS* consider this retailer when shopping for any bicycle components under $200 USD."
"son. Within 3 days of light use the crankset threaded and both pedals fell off while he was riding on the road. First we were told we must of put the wrong size pedals on, we fitted the pedals provided with the bike. We were then told we put the pedals on the wrong sides which wasn't the case. In the end chainreaction adviser claimed their products are fautless and the only way the cranks could be damaged was if they were fitted incorrectly by ourselves. Both me and my husband are keen cyclists and more then capable of basic bike maintenance. Insulted judgment could be make without even inspecting the faults. Beware ! Apparently crank sets are not under warranty with any chainreaction bikes. They refuse to except any responsibility. Was only offered a small discount on a brand new set of cranks costing around £60 in addition to the £214 already spent on the child's bike."
"** WARNING ** about FREE shipping, it's not free! At least not to Canada that is. I've ordered from CRC for years and they've always used Royal Mail to Canada as the free shipping courier. Sometimes I paid duty and taxes and other times nothing but I never paid customs brokerage fees and processing fees. My last order with CRC was just over $100 and qualified for free shipping. CRC used DHL Express as the courier without my approval. Four days later DHL knocks on my door demanding $21 for processing and COD fees or I don't get my parcel. WHAT? CRC informs me that quote "Our standard shipping courier to Canada is now DHL Express." I could have easily done a voluntary entry with CBSA here in Canada and avoided these fees. I tried complaining to CRC stating that I was a long time customer with them but CRC just replied with form letters saying that they have no control over the shipper used and the fees they charge due to CRC's automated process. That's not FREE shipping, that's robbery! This will be my last order with CRC until they offer Royal Mail again as a free shipping option.
Update: CRC now offers free untracked shipping to Canada via Canada Post. While this is some good news CRC told me that depending on the size and weight of my order free untracked can be upgraded to free tracked shipping without informing me at checkout time. CRC said that if I don't want to pay the couriers processing fees I should refuse the parcel. Great! So in the future I will keep my orders small with CRC hoping it gets shipped via free untracked and if CRC uses a courier like DHL Express without my approval I will tell the courier to return it! "
"THey claim over 100 dollars free shipping but they insist on couriers to NAmerica, it means crazy brokerage/process fees, I am not talking customs fees.
They refuse Post shipping, crazy. "
"CRC cancelled my order several days after it was placed and did not bother to notify me that they had done so. When I realized my order had been cancelled, I inquired and they told me that they could not discuss with me due to "security". No idea what is up with these guys. If the issue was my card, I have made and continue to make online purchases with the same credit card without issue. I tried to work with them to understand what is the problem, but their customer service is just terrible. Will not (try to) buy from them again."
"Good service as long as they dont send your order to the WRONG STATE. I live in salem virginia. They sent my bike to winston salem north carolina. I double and triple checked on the order to make sure i put in the right address. If you live in the uk their shipping may be better but i would strongly urge against buying from them if youre any where else."
"Horrible warranty support. Spend $3,000 USD on a new bike. Won't warranty SRAM components under warranty. Almost two weeks talking with these guys. Only resolution was telling me to buy a new part. Will never do business again and recommend everyone I know to do the same."
" hope you dont have a problem with your products I had and both times the issues were not resolved first time leather stripped away from a selle italia saddle worth 130 euro had only used it 3 times on long cycles no joy in getting it sorted second a Mavic ksyrium SLS wheel rim cracked paid 500 euro for the wheel 6 months later the wheel had cracks on the rim, search youtube for cracked ksyrium SLS, most of the drive side spokes almost ripped out of the rim could have caused serious damage to me and other road users I get the impression from them "not their problem" I think weight limits are very important, again they wriggle their way out of replacement or refund.I call this mis-selling by not advertising important product limitations such as weight limits or RWL.
aahh well live and learn again nice site good selection once nothing goes wrong with your product, wouldn't be spending to much on it :) ."
"Horrible customer service. They shipped the wrong crankset, trying to get the right one. I've been attempting to return / replace it. Completely unresponsive. I'm finding it easier to sell the wrong part on eBay and order the right one from a US based retailer. I won't order from them again!"
"I recently ordered a 2014 Orca Predator Wet Suit from Chain Reaction UK only to receive a damaged 2013 Orca wet suit. I immediatley called them to inform them of both issues. For over a week I called them daily only for them a week late tell me they were not going to replace the suit as "I cut it with my finger nail." First and foremost it doesn't have a cut at all. I took the suit to TWO highly reputable Cycle/Tri shops in my area. Both typed a letter stating the suit was NOT cut but had a manufactures defect in the neoprene, and that the suit IS not the suit represented on their web site as a 2014 ORCA PREDATOR. As such I was forced to challenge the purchase on my credit card to me made WHOLE. DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THESE GUYS AS THEY DON'T STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT!!!!"
"i made a order from them, I pay immediately, and realize i made a mistake in the order, i send a email, explain the mistake, and asking them to change the order, they don't see my mail, and at this time, the items still not arrive.
i think they theft to me. "
"I'm impressed with Chain Reaction Cycles. Ordered a Shimano Ultegra 6800 wheelset from CRC on Tuesday and received them by Saturday. I live in a town just north of Chicago, and selected their standard (free) shipping option.
The wheels were significantly less expensive than found here in the US, including from either Ebay or Amazon. They arrived in perfect condition."
"Wow only one review! Great site and a huge selection. I've ordered from Chain Reaction Cycles (CRC) three times now and I've found prices to be comparable to most US online bicycle stores but shipping to Canada is extremely fast. Three days to my door using Royal Mail compared to two weeks minimum from the US -- now that's fast! And shipping costs are about the same if not less from the UK to Canada compared to shipping from the US. Great customer support too. A item I ordered went on sale after I ordered it but before my order was processed so I asked why I was charged full price and CRC gave me a refund voucher equaling twice the difference. I will definitely order from CRC again! "