RIP DHB Aeron.
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SL7 Comp Rival was introduced at $4500, then bumped to $4800, then $5500, and now on sale its back to $4500.
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Yeah, Spec really pushed the prices post covid.
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Which is actually linked to Wiggle’s downfall I think. As my understanding is that during lockdown when there was a big parts supply issue, particularly Shimano, the distributors favoured bike manufacturers and shops over websites like Wiggle that just sold cheap. That’s why Wiggle stopped being a one stop shop where you could get all your bike bits and pieces because they couldn’t get stock of a lot of products, and in turn it’s also what enabled bike brands like Specialized (and they weren’t the only ones) to charge a premium for fully built bikes, because it was almost impossible to buy new groupsets unless buying a bike.
If Wiggle weren’t carrying much debt they might have weathered the storm and come out ok, but seems they and their parent company are loaded up with debt so when the inevitable downturn in cycling came they were screwed because they’ve got all that debt to service.
It seems they are done
Update: October 24, 2023
Internetstores GmbH, the European subsidiary of Signa Sport United N.V (SSU) has filed for insolvency, reports German website, Diebewertung.
In an application filed in the Stuttgart District Court, the news follows last week’s news that the company was cancelling purchase orders with suppliers as it prepared to do so.
Bikeradar is also reporting the end of production and sales at Islabikes too, the guys who run the company just don’t want to any more citing difficulties in the industry.
Honestly, seeing my kids progress to riding confidently both on an Islabike, that’s pretty upsetting. They are great products. Sorry if that is off topic.
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Ah no, that’s too sad. Islabikes are fantastic, and the finest kids bikes I’ve seen. I think the problem may be that there’s now a lot of competition from the likes of Frog with 90% of the quality at 75% of the price. We’ve had both and the Isla was definitely a cut above
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I grabbed 2 of the 20" Islabikes last year (used on Craigslist), after being fed up with Specialized’s kids bikes weighing more than my Large adult’s bikes. I need to look again for a 24" for next year.
RE: CRC/Wiggle (and also Supergo), they were the sites my riding friends used (along with ProBikeKit) to let us ride XT/Ultegra by paying Deore/Sora prices. I know their prices made it hard for local shops, but they saw us riding really good quality parts that lasted and lasted. When Shimano put effective geo blocking on their products, that ended my shopping from UK/Ireland.
Has anyone ordered from Wiggle or CRC recently (i.e. after the bankruptcy/administration was announced in October)? The website shows some low sale prices. Obviously it would not be a bargain if they take my money and don’t ship the items because they have laid off their staff.
Yep I’ve used them no issues whatsoever.
They are clearly fire-saling some lines but latest noise seems to be they are doing it in a controlled manner to reduce the stock they are holding whilst also turning a profit overall.
I think they might actually survive 
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I’ve placed several order with them since this thread started, their prices since have been extremely competitive, i placed a order this morning and it was dispatched this afternoon , have tracking id
I advised my family not to buy vouchers from them though, but I’ve bought RC903 shoes, Red crank set, shifters and to be honest, there customer service seems better than ever
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Unfortunately, I’m US-based and when I went to check out, it said that they aren’t accepting any non-UK orders.
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Yeah announced in December that they were concentrating on the UK and giving up on international sales
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Yeah I did a big trawl through during a bout of insomnia last night and seems like they’re being daring but responsible. Most things which are 60%+ discount are already fully sold out. There are a few good loss-leader headline items on incredible discounts and with good availability, but they are nearly as rare as finding a similar deal in July. Most ‘discounts’ aren’t actually any better than what you’d find with a google price comparison search.
Whether or not Wiggle/CRC have any value to investors as online discounter retailers, the Prime/Vitus/Nukeproof brands clearly have some value and so I don’t expect the entire conglomerate to disappear, even after the retail empire gets swallowed up.
My hope is for the survival of Vitus/Nukeproof/Prime/DHB after the dissolution of the retail brands. Ideally the ‘hard’ goods companies (Vitus/Nukeproof/Prime) get kept seperate from the ‘soft’ brands (dhb/fohn) as the ‘entry level’ focus in each realm seems to target a distinctly different kind of customer, even though the public focus appears to court the same market.
So far I’ve got MTB shoes, MTB trousers and a set of MTB forks for absolutely ridiculous prices!
Overall saving on those 3 items was 75%.
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Yep, same here - picked up some amazing bargains with no issues, quick delivery etc 
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I wonder if they’re close to being bought or anything like that. For a while you couldn’t get hold of them at all. A friend tried to return something, but couldn’t because the online form wasn’t working. I ordered something from CRC for a massive discount, but Evri didn’t deliver it and just returned it to sender (thanks Evri 
). I tried to get in touch, but they only had a contact form and didn’t reply to any of my three submitted forms. Then, after Christmas, they suddenly had the online chat back up and were really helpful, though they couldn’t send my parcel back out. Got a refund, but what I tried to buy is still on sale, but with much less of a discount It seems a bit as if the panic sale is over, and they’ve had a bit of positive news maybe?
It’s reasonable to suggest that the lack of communication from the administrators there has been strong interest on the business, either as a wholesale disposal or breaking up different assets.
Either way the fact that the businesses continue to trade should indicate discussions are progressing and the parties involved are serious.
Without being saddled with debt a new company could be quite attractive for any investor. Discounted stock, strong brand awareness and buying, if not at the bottom of the market, we are close to it and coming to peak trading in the northern hemisphere which means good cash generation.
UK Press is reporting that the entire Wiggle / CRC workforce is being laid off
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