So...How are things in the bike biz these days?

Since the beginning of the pandemic, more and more people have discovered the joy of cycling than ever before. It's a great way to get outside, smell the fresh air and exercise with friends and family. Unfortunately, this surge in demand could never have been predicted. Suffice it to say, the entire industry's inventory - from warehouses to showroom floors - was completely wiped out. As you can imagine, the system just wasn't designed to completely replenish all of that inventory in a few months. The ramping up of production in the bicycle industry - as with many other industries right now - has led to major shortages in the parts needed to assemble bicycles, all the way down to the raw materials. Combine this with the fact that supply chains worldwide are bursting at the seams, and well... you get a perfect storm. What does this mean for you, the consumer, and what are we doing here at Chain Reaction Bicycles? Well....

Parts & Accessories...

Because of the current lead times, we've made a great effort to place our parts and accessories orders early, and we ordered much more than we would in a pre-pandemic world. Recognizing that replenishing inventory mid season may not be possible, so we've made sure to have enough on hand to take us well into the summer. We're very well positioned for repair and replacement parts, and most other cycling necessities. We a complete selection - right now - of chains, cassettes, bar tape, tires, pedals, power meters, pumps, repair stands, DIY tools, GPS computers, etc.. for the most part we should be able to sort you out with parts and fun accessories. Don't wait until mid season when it gets busy and we start selling through this product.

Clothing, Shoes, Helmets...

Here's another area where we have already received a great deal of our spring/summer inventory. We have fresh new helmets, clothing, and sunglasses from POC. Pearl Izumi clothing - including our new custom Chain Reaction jerseys - has arrived. A fantastic selection Assos road, gravel and MTB apperal is in store today. Specialized helmets are in good supply and we've also added Lazer helmets if you're looking for a little more Euro flare. Troy Lee Designs helmets and clothing is here for MTB, casual, and gravel as well. We have a wide range of road and mountain/gravel shoes from Shimano and Specialized. (Including S-Works.) Crank Brothers is filling out the casual, mountain and flat pedal shoe selection. So get in early and grab a new kit or two while the selection is so great.

Hitch Mounted Car Racks...

We have 2, 3, and 4 bike hitch racks in stock from both Yakima and Kuat. If you need one of these for the spring, we recommend pulling the trigger sooner rather than later. We'll even store it for you until the spring.

Service & Repairs...

Currently,we are working with a turnaround of about 4-5 days without an appointment, and 1-3 days with an appointment. 

Wheels...

With fewer people able to get new bikes, we're seeing lots and lots of upgrading going into existing bikes. We have the best selection of Enve, Roval, Shimano, Mavic, Race Face, and Ibis wheels we've ever had. So many Incredible options for road, gravel, MTB and everything in between. As someone much more hip than me once said, "Refresh your ride with some pimp new sneakers today!" We've been doing lots of custom builds as well. Get in touch and let us run you through some ideas.

Your shiny new bike...

Currently we have a pretty good selection in store and online. It literally takes hundreds of parts to make up a bicycle. The parts to assemble one bicycle are purchased from no less than a dozen different suppliers. Those suppliers in turn, purchase all of their raw materials - aluminium, rubber, carbon fibre, silicon chips, etc... - from dozens of suppliers. Any one of these parts or raw materials being late or in short supply causes a domino effect on the system, drastically elongating the timeline it takes to get a bike from the factory to the showroom floor.

So, what are we doing about it? We've reconfigured our website to show bike models that we have at least one of in stock. If you see a bike in the size and build you want, order it online, call or email us to reserve it! We do have a long list of bikes on order and allocated to us, with hundreds of Gaint and Specialized bikes arriving throughout the winter and spring. Our more boutique brands like Ibis, Salsa and All City Cycles are low in supply, and we are receiving two or three bikes at a time every few weeks.

Going the full bespoke route with custom taylored titanium bike from Seven Cycles is a great way to get exactly what you want for that "forever bike". They are still able to produce a complete custom ride in 14-18 weeks. Book your consultation and fitting with us today, It's an exciting and super cool way to getting something truly unique.

Despite the difficulties in this particular area of the business, we are experts in finding creative ways of matching folks with their dream ride. If you don't see the bike you want on our site, email or give us a call, and we will resreve it for you. Currently, Road bikes are high in demand and low in supply. Gravel and mountain bikes are in store and available now. For the casual commuting and cruising around the neighbourhood cyclist, we will continue to have a great seletion throughout the Spring

In Closing...

We're doing lots of work behind the scenes to list as many of our products on our site as possible. Our Online store is open 24/7, purchase and pay online for pick up in store, or delivery. It's a rather time consuming task to get every product listed on the site. So don't hesitate to contact us directly if you don't see something you're looking for. We just likely have it in stock at the ol' bricks and mortar.

Here's wishing you all another great season of outdoor riding and fun on your bikes. Stop in to see some of the great new product, have a chat, grab a coffee and explore your cycling possibilities

Chain Reaction Bicycles Inc.

Since 1988