Goodbye Chain Reaction Cycles: Building the Last Nukeproof Scout in the US
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- Опубликовано: 4 апр 2024
- The bike industry has seen its share of ups and downs The recent loss of Chain Reaction Cycles hits home for me as a hardtail mountain bike enthusiast. In this video, we reflect on the impact of Chain Reaction Cycles and celebrate the legacy of their iconic brands, Nukeproof, Ragley and Vitus. All three know for making aggressive high value hardtail MTBs
Despite the loss of Chain Reaction Cycles, we're excited to breathe new life into this Nukeproof Scout with some choice upgrades. We're turning this lower spec model into a trail-shredding beast.
But as we welcome the Nukeproof Scout to our fleet, and bid farewell to Chain Reaction Cycles as we knew it. The future remains uncertain for Nukeproof, Ragley, and Vitus.
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Regardless of how you feel about Chain Reaction Cycles, there's no doubt they made it easy to buy and upgrade some badass bikes. What are your thoughts?
My mate works there and he’s the best flatland bmxer in Ireland, love the place
It's sad really, as competition only benefits the consumer, and they benefited a niche consumer.
I wanted to purchase an NP Scout about 5 yrs ago, but life and finances kept that from happening. It was a killer deal in my opinion, Fox 34 Performance fork, full Shimano SLX drivetrain, w/ everything else Nukeproof's in house stuff, all for $1800. Sad to see all this happening now with the bicycle industry, but worse is when a conglomerate takes over and turns a reputable brand into a "Walmart" style bike supplier.
Got my vitus sentier with those exact parts for $1800 last year (new). My first real mtb. I love it.
When i heard CRC was going down I made sure to get 2 extra hangers smh.
As a owner of Nukeproof, Vitus and 2 Ragleys I'm really sad about CRC. 😢
Perfect bike for the people with the very modest income and salary like me...
You can only dream about some big brand giving you the bike with the same equipment, for nearly the same price..
So, I'm thankful for a Chain Reaction Cycles of this world!
I still can't afford one, but maybe one day...😊
Greetings from Croatia 😎
i've wanted a scout for good few years finally bought one in january when CRC started putting everything up on sale, went for the scout comp 275, lovely bike paid £1200 down from £1900 UK. CRC has been my online store of choice for years, shame about the current state of affairs
This is sad. My nine year old son got a Cub Scout 26 last season and loves it. Great bikes, at an amazing price point. Hopefully they can be salvaged at some point.
Subscribed to your channel long ago. I ordered the same bike in this video just before Christmas 2023 with plans to upgrade over time. Visited the site the day after Christmas and the Scout 290 Elite was marked down to 1599 so I changed my order. Could not be happier! I live 30 miles west of Grand Rapids in Muskegon MI at Pere Marquette the public beach on Lake MI and Muskegon Lake Where the Lake Express car ferry travels to and from Milwaukee. Shout out if your in the area.
You missed me by a week. I actually passed through Muskegon last weekend on the way to Petoskey. I'm hoping to get back up that way a few more times this year.
I worked in CRC's German sister company Internetstores while both companies belonged to the Austrian Signa group. Had a chance to visit their HQ in Portsmouth UK once. It's a shame to see all these brilliant people lose their jobs now. Really a bunch of great people there who took their private label bike brands seriously and had some really good bikes there.
It's sad to hear about the lost jobs. I hope all those people get back on their feet soon.
As a new subscriber, I appreciate also showing metric, enjoying your rebuilds and upgrades, learning so much.
Welcome! I'm proud to say that we have a global viewer base on this channel. I try to make sure to use metric as much as possible. Thank you for watching and commenting!
Reminds me of what happened to Performance Bike & Bike Nashbar a couple of years ago. Now they’re a shell of what they used to be.
Oh man. What a hit of nostalgia, I was a mechanic at Performance bike when that chapter 11 happened. Some of the best bike memories, bikes and people at those stores. 😭
Thanks for the video, nice build given the deal on that factory 36. As a Brit living in the US I grew up with CRC and Nukeproof, I bought a frame only scout 27.5 in early 2022 and did a parts bin build…….it’s a fantastic bike, love it , always makes me smile when I ride it. One of my all time favorite bikes.
I've never ridden a bad Nukeproof or Ragley. Such fun bikes.
Great video. I got my start on the same Race spec Scout (although the previous V2 model). Got me into the sport and have learned pumps, jumps and drops on it. Have also learned how to install a dropper, brakes, drive train and go tubeless (got a new fork but left that job to the shop). Great bike to learn home mechanics on.
I'm going to miss them. I have a Nukeproof Mega 290 from 2022. I also just bought a Kona Process X, another great bike that's future is cloudy.
I'll miss Kona, too. I always liked their bikes.
Wish I had snagged a Scout while they still shipped to the US. I grabbed a Mega 290 Elite (the bright yellow one) when they went on sale though, so can't complain too much. Great looking build, I like all the choices you made 👍
Thanks. The Mega is a solid bike. Enjoy!
I bought a Scout back in 2018, and I've loved it. I even had the foresight to order a bunch of replacement parts in case I needed them (Smart of me now that I'm seeing this).
Good call!
I bought a ragley mmmbop 2 years ago and I love it! It's so sad because it is an amazing hardtail. The last two years I've upgraded parts most recently fox 36 factory grip 2 fork. Another part i sadly will miss not being able to buy anymore is my nukeproof horizon v2 rear wheel with over 100 points of engagement.
Also glad i bought 2 spare derailleur hangers for my mmmbop just in case so the bike will last me many years to come.
I've had a Marley for almost 5 years and it was one of my favorite bikes ever. I always made it a point to keep a spare hanger too. The Horizon wheels were awesome for the money that's a big loss.
Lucky enough to pick up a Nukeproof Scout comp 275 for £700 in March on CRC’s EBay shop. Only thing wrong was a couple of small scuffs. A lot of people bought similar listings to resale unfortunately so genuine buyers who wanted one to ride missed out. Absolutely love mine and it’s capabilities as an aggressive hardtail.
The flippers always spoil it for everyone. Solid deal on that Comp!
Man I just got done in August building up my first Ragley Bluepig and I loved it so I thought I would pick up another Ragley frame, 2 days before I decided to pull the trigger they stopped selling to the US. Sad to see these 3 brands most likely vanishing from the market especially considering who bought them up.
I'm bummed. I had the Blue Pig frame in the cart for a year, and I never pulled the trigger. It's time to look for new options.
@@AdrenalineIsLife Not to rub it in but it is a great frame. I have been running mine in mullet. Climbing isn't amazing but it is super slack for a HT at 62.5 so when you point it downhill it really wants to go fast.
Wow what a deal $800 for that bike! My dream was to buy a new Nukeproof Reactor but I guess that's not going to happen now! Really liked the Ragley Mmmbop frame, would have made a great mullet, guess I'll never know now! I didn't know Chain Reaction owned them brands
Sadly, they did own them. The group that bought them has a track record of ruining much loved brands.
Nice Scout! Rode one once and definitely liked it. My first decent mountain bike was a Vitus Nucleus. I’ve also bought quite a few Brand X parts over the years which I think was their house components brand.
Oh yeah, and my Nukeproof Horizon wheels which are pretty awesome!
Thanks. I've had so many Brand X parts , several pairs of Nukeproof wheels, and built a few Ragleys. Great stuff and fairly priced. It's a sad day.
The scout is one of my favorite bikes for trail riding, I also really like the Nukeproof brand. I sold my scout in 2020 and regretted it. Recently (2024 march) I found a few for sale, and almost bought one, at Pronghorn bicycles in UT, in case someone is trying to track one down. They said they would build one up for me to basically any spec, price was reasonable and customer service was top notch (I’m not associated with them)
I ended up instead getting a used commencal Meta HT - it’s fairly close in riding style to my previous Scout. Both amazing hardtails!
Thanks for sharing! Enjoy the Commencal!
Nice and you got a good deal.
This is why i go custom build each and every time.
Custom builds are the best!
Damn $800 for a scout. I love it
I’ve been riding a Vitus Nucleus since 2021 upgrading parts via CRC and Wiggle (I actually worked at the original shop, Buttler Cycles, as part of a course I did in the 90s). I used them to upgrade the parts and finally get a Scout in last years Black Friday sales then the final parts, Nukeproof Horizon Pro boost rear wheel and then a front one this year as the final price cuts were going on. Even without the closing down sale it always made it simpler to list and buy upgrade and most of my tools are from there. Loving the Scout on the few rides and the Vitus was such a great way to get back into biking so hopefully they will not go away forever but who knows. The website looks awful now so hopefully the investors will realise they can’t just take the name and get an online presence. 😢🤘
That's cool that you worked at the original shop. It was nice while it lasted. Eventually, someone will come along to fill their space.
👌great upgrades, was thinking about the same upgrades to my ragley big al 2.0😂i can see nukeproof an ragley making a comback, but with lower quality🙄
Thanks! I'm loving it. Praying that those brands get sold to actual bike enthusiasts. 🙏
@@AdrenalineIsLife 👍yeah me too, may even swap over the parts from the ragley, to a scout frame, the big al frame is compliant though👌😎
I grew up in Michigan.....luckily not in Grand Rapids!! I had a buddy that raced for the original start-up Nukeproof at 18 yrs old in like 1994. He had a Titanium hardtail that had the worst bottom bracket flex ever. I worked in a shop, and we had multiple sets of their carbon/aluminum hubs come in where the carbon body had come unglued from the aluminum flanges. Good Times!!
Looks like those hubs weren't exactly "nuke proof". 😄
It was my dream to own a nukeproof... At least i managed to get a set of HZN V2 wheels...
I've got a set. They are great wheels!
Yeah, shame chain reaction and wiggles are now gone. I bought a nucleus, mythique, sentier vrs, ragley mmmbop and a few commencial frames from them before they want under. I love all the bikes, but believe it or not, the sentier is my favourite.
You did a great upgrade on your scout, but you didn't show us how it handles, lol
So many great bike gone. I'll do a ride video soon. The local trails have been closed. It's been a bad winter.
As someone who owns two Ragleys I am really hoping that I will be able to buy replacement mech hangers now.
I bought a couple extras long ago. In the event, shipping from the UK would go up. I There was someone on the Ragley owners Facebook group that was making hangers. You might want to check there. If I find it, I'll share the link.
@@AdrenalineIsLife Much appreciated Frank. I have one hanger but more is definitely better.
Gonna miss CRC, Ragley, Lifeline and Vitus :(
My mate gave me his old bike cheap 2017 vitus sentier 29 vr XL recently put some upgrades qnd its made into a agressive hardcore hardtail 150mm travel from a 2020 fox rhythm 34 instead of 130 rockshox sektor (still felt plush ) but the fox with 51mm offset instead of 46 increased the wheelbase made the bike very poppy feels like a longtravel enduro wierd not lost any climbing efficiency love what i upgraded sadly broke my slx lever in a crash but rest of the bike is fine its but yeah Sad to see them drop out
it is sad, my first ever custom build was parts from chain reactions, now im trying to purchase a nukeproof horizon v2 27.5 rear rim for my mullet full sus but i cant get my hands on one anywhere 😓
I too grabbed one of these just the frame and some Lyric forks off CRC. Frame is 27.5 wheel but got 29er forks so going for the Mullet setup. Anyone in the UK able to recommend a good headset for the Scout?
Did you weigh the Fox fork?
I forgot to note it in the video. The Fox 36 is about 2100 grams uncut.
I guest this is the end for Vitus as well.
Sadly
Hi man song from the UK some bad news obviously about wiggle so they were bought out find local Ashley who owns Sports Direct so they're going to be selling cheap bikes from now on which is such a shame.
the downfall of chainreaction and especially Nukeproof is a true tragedy
Same bike same deal...the drve train...I didnt care for some of the gear spacing... did a 1x12 11/51 swap,using a sunrace cassette. Nukeproof had a hub conversion kitfor microspline, but could not find one anywhere. huge improvement ! I added a 150mm dropper as well (if anyone has a good link for cable grommets that fit the frame well for the dropper cable, please post a link)
I wish that I had ordered Xd and MS freehub. I used a hole punch on the existing grommets it worked well. I also ordered some Marin grommets, but I haven't tried em yet.
@@AdrenalineIsLife Im happy with the sunrace cassette abd its made for the hg hub...
What’s the head tube angle? Thanx
64 degrees
I got one of those exact Scouts from Planet Cyclery for that price as well. It's so good, I'm stoked to have gotten lucky with it before they closed up shop 🥲
One of the best purchases I've made. It's a fantastic bike!
It really is a shame to hear such a beloved brand go down the drain like that. Hopefully it stays like it was, but i doubt it. It seems that the bikes are nukeproof, but the brand wasn't.
You didn't say how much weight you lost with the new forks....
I forgot to film the weigh-in on the Fox 36, but it is about a 400-gram difference.
there is 100% 2024 frames and bikes out there as they had a returns store on ebay called trisport resorts and during the final weeks of wind down were selling slightly damaged (just scratches ect) that they cant sell on there in 2024 colourways and models they looked sick the forest green nuke proofs in particular but they had ragleys and vitus's too
I saw some of the new Ragley colors but didn't see the Nukeproofs.
I really need a hardtail
They are a lot of fun!
I have a question
Can you please tell me if the Rose Bonero 1 is good??🙏
I'm not familiar with it but I know Rose bikes are a good value for the cost.
what is wrong with the prices in Europe, ONLY 400 DOLLARS FOR A FOX FACTORY. A fox factory is atleast 1000 dollars in europe. I saw the fox sale only available in the US, where you could grab the Kashima Transfer dropper for around 100 dollars, in Europe its 500.
They overproduced during covid, retailers over ordered, and Americans ran out of money. Those types of deals have become fewer in recent weeks. Mostly, some 27.5s with 44mm offset left. I will say, Europe is a better place to buy frames, tires and brakes.
CRC was always my go-to to buy kit etc...Gutted.....ha!
How to order from india ?
Can you even buy nukeproof anymore?
they been brought out and put back online
what I have noticed of late is that many MTBers are in their late 30s and 50s. You rarely see a kid under 18 riding bicycle for recreation anymore and they usually look like loners.
Sadly kids today are attached to their phones and tablets. In biking hotspots, you'll see more kids on bikes, but everywhere else, it's hit or miss.
😂😂 I am glad that CRC has been flushed down the toilet, they drove all the good, reliable bike shops in UK out of business, so I now chuckle that you all have to pay what your local dealer wants to charge you.😂😂😂
I'm sure they impacted shops here in the US as well. Until CRC, I have never in my life been able to buy products from Europe cheaper than here in the US. From everything I've read, the business model wasn't sustainable.
I think the main reason of this brands closing because of the overpriced cycling parts. We need suntour and other parts that are cheaper at the same time performs well
I would love to see higher end parts cheaper.
Glad I picked up ns eccentric frame before all the fall down happened
CRC were the worst place I’ve ever shopped, nightmare delivery and customer service, not surprised they went out of business. Did you read the trust pilot reviews 😂
I always found them to be pretty decent. When they first started up they provided an absolutely outstanding service in my experience. I think it’s a shame
@@tylerdurden4289 yes they were great right up until wiggle bought them….they ran that company into the ground and if you read the 1 star trust pilot reviews…1000’s of them you will see why.
You'd be surprised to learn that the actual reason was the bankruptcy of a real estate investment company in Austria
you made me so sad
400 dollars for a Fox 36 factory forks. Here in the UK they would cost around 900 dollars!
It's very unusual to find them this cheap. They've been overstocked with inventory. I expect prices will go back up when they sell through the excess.
@@AdrenalineIsLife Yea I just got a Whyte 905 V5 for 1300 dollars (half price). Preferring the 27.5 wheels. Much more suited to my ride style and trails I use. Never really took to the 29er. Great video btw.