Wiggle and Chain Reaction gone into administration.

[bikingdad90]

The parent company signa sport is now in administration and if you look at subsidiaries probikeshop they’ve stopped fulfilling orders and Fahrrad.de has scaled back operations. It suggests all the eggs are in one basket now to try and save WiggleCR or else that’s a goner too in the near future.

I also ordered some items recently from chain reaction and didn’t get a single order processing, order shipped etc email from them. I suspect they are cutting as much back ad they can.

 

[Ian H]

It's a chain reaction. Proof that if you don't keep a close eye on cash-flow you will come to grief. It is going to be a rocky few months for both online and bricks & mortar retailers.

 

[roubaixtuesday]

I totally accept that the very rich can be unaffected and so sometimes high end consumer products like top end bikes could still sell

My wander around the newly opened bike porn emporium near us at the weekend, starting prices £5-10k, suggests you may have a point.

 

[Jameshow]

My wander around the newly opened bike porn emporium near us at the weekend, starting prices £5-10k, suggests you may have a point.

View attachment 712033

They were the one brand that wasn't discounted at Bournemouth bike expo....!

 

[slowmotion]

I bought a lot of stuff from Wiggle fifteen years ago but defected to Chain Reaction when their prices started to climb. It's sad news anyway.

 

[bonzobanana]

My wander around the newly opened bike porn emporium near us at the weekend, starting prices £5-10k, suggests you may have a point.

View attachment 712033

Still just a Chinese frame though. I think Pinarello are Carbotec frames and I've seen them analysed for quality and not actually that good. Something like a Giant, Merida, Look and I'm sure quite a few others are better quality frames. It's a bit like buying Nike trainers for £200 that came out of a Bangladesh factory for $2. Even if I was a billionaire there is no way I'd be buying a Pinarello.

 

[T4tomo]

Giant, Merida, Look

very odd trio for an example. Giant and Merida frames will be similar to pinarello - you do realise they are both Taiwanese companies?

 

[roubaixtuesday]

Still just a Chinese frame though. I think Pinarello are Carbotec frames and I've seen them analysed for quality and not actually that good. Something like a Giant, Merida, Look and I'm sure quite a few others are better quality frames. It's a bit like buying Nike trainers for £200 that came out of a Bangladesh factory for $2. Even if I was a billionaire there is no way I'd be buying a Pinarello.

Not sure why the Chinese-ness matters - eg iPhones are made in China too, I think?

I'm also totally uninterested in buying high end bikes of this sort; most of the "features" seem to me to be positively detrimental (single unit stem/bars, electronic shifting, hydraulics...) but it's nice to have a look nonetheless. I've what for me is a perfect day bike: 953, bespoke, external cabling.

Bikes like these are mainly about bling rather than performance IMO, in the same way that nobody buys a Lambo for racing it. Unlike a Lambo though, they don't do anyone else any harm, and are very low environmental impact relatively. Harmless fun for the rich.

 

[Jameshow]

Not sure why the Chinese-ness matters - eg iPhones are made in China too, I think?

I'm also totally uninterested in buying high end bikes of this sort; most of the "features" seem to me to be positively detrimental (single unit stem/bars, electronic shifting, hydraulics...) but it's nice to have a look nonetheless. I've what for me is a perfect day bike: 953, bespoke, external cabling.

Bikes like these are mainly about bling rather than performance IMO, in the same way that nobody buys a Lambo for racing it. Unlike a Lambo though, they don't do anyone else any harm, and are very low environmental impact relatively. Harmless fun for the rich.

Tell that to the tdf racers.

However those dentists* who buy them do so to look good otherwise a Ribble or giant would do the job!🤣

*Other professions are available lawyers, drs, vets etc....🤣🤣🤣

 

[roubaixtuesday]

Tell that to the tdf racers.

However those dentists* who buy them do so to look good otherwise a Ribble or giant would do the job!🤣

*Other professions are available lawyers, drs, vets etc....🤣🤣🤣

We are in violent agreement!

 

[chriswoody]

Fahrrad.de has scaled back operations

Do you mean outside of Germany? As far as I can see it's business as normal from them, there's nothing on their German website or German newsletters to suggest any scaling back, despite being owned by Signa Sports. I know a few years ago Bike24 was involved with Wiggle somehow, maybe Signa sports also owned them, but that mysteriously changed not long after it started. It would be a shame to see Fahrrad.de go, however, they were never the cheapest of shops, but still they have a good range of stock and some stuff you can't easily find elsewhere.

It's a shame to see established bike shops and even bike brands going to the wall, but here in Germany I've not noticed any problems overall despite our economy slowing.

 

[Jameshow]

We are in violent agreement!

I've just picked up a Raleigh carbon bike will report back compared to focus izalco pro and Cannondale supersix (MK1)

 

[markemark]

It's a chain reaction. Proof that if you don't keep a close eye on cash-flow you will come to grief. It is going to be a rocky few months for both online and bricks & mortar retailers.

Indeed. Highest rates of insolvency in the UK since 2008. Covid messed up many business models and some shopping habits have changed for good. Covid support kept many afloat. Many did or didn't adapted to the new normal which is still evolving. Add in high interest rates and Brexit and it'll be very tough for a while.

 

[chriswoody]

Do you mean outside of Germany? As far as I can see it's business as normal from them, there's nothing on their German website or German newsletters to suggest any scaling back, despite being owned by Signa Sports.

OK, I should have had a proper look at the German news, having now done so, I can see that the collapse of Signa sports has also affected companies here as well. Fahrrad.de is sadly currently up for sale, with a number of interested parties it seems. The German federal state has guaranteed the wages of staff up until the end of the year, but who knows what the outcome will be.

https://excitingcommerce.de/2023/10...tennis-point-sollen-separat-unter-den-hammer/

If you are using chrome, you can right click on the mouse and get it to translate it to English.

 

[bonzobanana]

Not sure why the Chinese-ness matters - eg iPhones are made in China too, I think?

I'm also totally uninterested in buying high end bikes of this sort; most of the "features" seem to me to be positively detrimental (single unit stem/bars, electronic shifting, hydraulics...) but it's nice to have a look nonetheless. I've what for me is a perfect day bike: 953, bespoke, external cabling.

Bikes like these are mainly about bling rather than performance IMO, in the same way that nobody buys a Lambo for racing it. Unlike a Lambo though, they don't do anyone else any harm, and are very low environmental impact relatively. Harmless fun for the rich.

The Chinese bit in itself doesn't matter as many very high quality products come from China, its the fact the product is Italian branded and sold as Italian when the guts of the product is a low cost Chinese product. I can't see Carbotec frames being sold now from Aliexpress, maybe they are still sold to retail in China itself but the price difference was unbelievable at the time, maybe £400 in China but £4000 with the Italian branding. The point is though Carbotec are a long way from being the best most consistent frame builders as shown when Pinarello frames have been examined. Sometimes premium products are very high quality and others its just a luxury or highly marketed brand perhaps linked to sponsorship and sporting events as in the case of bicycles. You can buy a bicycle linked to sporting success for £10k or a better quality bicycle for £4k where costs have been controlled and the margin is far less.