Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

LONDON (BRAIN) — U.K. online retailer Chain Reaction Cycles has announced on its website that it will stop selling Shimano products into North America starting Jan. 1, 2019. As of Wednesday afternoon Pacific time, there was no similar announcement on fellow U.K. e-commerce site this link is broken, which merged with Chain Reaction in a $400 million deal in 2016.

When shoppers in the U.S. and Canada visit the Chain Reaction site, the home page currently states: "Unfortunately from January 1, we will no longer be able to sell Shimano into your country. We're working with Shimano to be able to sell to you again in the future."

Emails to Shimano, Chain Reaction and their last known public relations agencies were not immediately returned to BRAIN.

Many North American IBDs have long criticized Shimano for not clamping down on sales by Chain Reaction and Wiggle at retail prices well below dealers' wholesale cost. As a result, many retailers have dramatically reduced their inventory of Shimano parts or stopped stocking the brand altogether.

In fall 2016, BRAIN reported that SRAM had instituted new policies that got its products off European e-commerce sites including Wiggle and Chain Reaction.

10speedsemiracer wrote:am just sitting here waiting for us to be affected in the same way, and the environment turn into what we now experience with SRAM.

RonK wrote:..................As I recall, that was announced a couple of months back.

Ross wrote: retail prices well below dealers' wholesale cost.

uad782 wrote:I contacted c r c who said it is only for four days with sales resuming on 4 Jan???

Calvin27 wrote: I don't understand why NA stuff had to affect Australia.