We realise most of you are aware of the current challenges the bicycle industry is facing, but we thought we'd lay it all out to help you better understand what's going on, and how best to get the gear you need.
Whether it was due to the COVID-19 pandemic or not, there has been an incredible uptake in outdoor sports, mountain biking being no exception. This increased level in demand was something that few predicted, and as such the industry as a whole is scrambling to keep up. Unfortunately, even at the best of times manufacturing lead times are long (several months), and now we're looking at times more in terms of years as everyone scrambles to get their extra orders in. This in turn compounds the issue.
We're also noticing this effect overspill into the apparel and protection world, so while things are slightly better on this side of things, it's by no means safe.
Eventually the manufacturing will catch up, but we don't see that happening in 2021.
The good news is, we've hired extra staff, increased our warehouse capacity and dialled in our online store ordering process to make sure you spend more time on your bike, and less time refreshing web pages to see if your favorite saddle is back in stock.
Here's our top tips for getting the gear you need:
- Use the back in stock notifications. Sign up for these on each product page and you'll be among the first to be notified when we receive them.
- Act fast. Once you get a notification, be decisive. Hundreds of people sign up for these emails.
- Panic Buy!! Just kidding, only buy what you need and don't stockpile. It just exacerbates the problem. (Remember the toilet paper situation?!)
- Order to pickup. We know this isn't possible for everyone, but if you're in the area, pickup your orders and take some of the strain off the shipping industry.
- We're testing out a pre-order system with expected delivery dates. Keep an eye out for the pre-order button, and take advantage of it if the timelines work for you.
Rest assured the entire Chromag crew is working hard to keep you folks out in the woods.
Thank you for your patience.
