new pedal bike (through the cycle to work scheme)

[Viney]

I have a Cannondale badboy 650 courtesy of a recent insurance claim. Its far better than by old MTB on the road. That was a non suspension bike, bike with the rigth bits it seems easier. I have actually run out of gears. I may need to get a lager chainring on the front than the stock 48t, i can only hi 34mph downhill

Our cycle to work scheme is that you pay what they deam to be the cost of depreciation over the 12 months, not the cost of the bike, then at the end of the 12 months, you purchase the bike for 5% of its value at the time of purchase. However, they may vary

We do this Scheme at my works ( i work in a Bike Shop)


Basically, You get a cheque from your employer for up to £1000, you can get a bike for more but have to add the rest of money to it.

Of this £1000 you pay get about 43% off that and the rest comes out of your wage over 12 months. Because its through your employer, to get the tax back they need to make a one off payment at the end which could be just as little as £1.

You don't have to ride it a set number of times or percentage, they used to police it alot but this put alot of people off.

You can get any bike you want, full sus, hardtail, etc.

And Halfords can get other bikes in too.


Hope this helps!

[mattSV]

Originally Posted by fizzwheel

Hopefully Mattsv will spot this thread as he got a new bike recently and he'll know the details alot better as he got his with cycle to work.

My company wont sign up to it as they say its to much of an admin overhead

You rang m'lord

I got my bike through Halfwits C2W scheme last year. I got a bike valued at over £1k that is costing me £14 per month interest free over 3 years

It depends on how your company choose to administer it I think - basically, my scheme worked something like this:-

Cost of bike £1000
Discount given by Halfwits / My company @25%
Leaves £750 to pay - from this, I do not pay any tax or NI on the repayments, which brings the balance down to about £500 (ish) - this is then repaid interest free over 3 years.

I therefore treated myself to this bad boy:-



If you are not used to riding with dropped bars, then think about a decent hybrid - basically a mountain bike frame with flat bars, slick tyres and generally higher gearing than a mtb. If you are buying via Halfords then the Boardman bikes are not too badly specced for the price - alternatively, they can also get Kona bikes. I very nearly got one of these:-


However the lure of a tarty full carbon frame with ultegra running gear got the better of me.....

MMMMMMM Planet X!


Had a couple Of On-One's over the years.

Originally Posted by fizzwheel

Hopefully Mattsv will spot this thread as he got a new bike recently and he'll know the details alot better as he got his with cycle to work.

My company wont sign up to it as they say its to much of an admin overhead

you seen his glasses!!??? he couldnt spot a barn door at 10 paces

thanks for all the help. i spoke to the personnel person at work and basically she said she'd put the application through if i put it in, as 'she certainly wasnt going to be checking'. but she did say that i may want to not claim for driving my car to work everyday.

so basically i'm off to halfords in a wee bit to check out what they would be able to source for me. i'm thinking full sus with potential for upgrading parts. or a top end hardtail. my commute at the moment is short enough for this to be fine! happy days

And another one trying to get back to cycling after almost 10 years without being on the saddle. I used to be fairly fit, then put on a load of weight, now I've lost most of it again so it's really now or never. Still have my trusty old Univega, Shimano LX / XT all over, Marzocchi Comp MX ETA forks (new in 2004, when I was trying to get back to it) but something tells me I'll need to get a new transmission kit very soon... might have to drop down a level or two, or I'll cry when I see the bill...

Wow - I can't believe someone else looked at the Kona ph.d - I nearly bought one two weeks ago at the Evans sale (for ?650!) just couldn't justify it.

I have just made my final payment on last years cycle to work bike - got a ?660 bike for around ?400. So definitely worth it. My work only allows you to do one every 3 years - really disappointing as was hoping to grab another this year.

It is a brilliant way to grab a bike - and for those worried about Halfords they can order you pretty much any bike you want, and other shops do take the vouchers - I used my in Condor in london and got ?60 of free accessories with the bike. - A mate bought a ?1k condor bike with it and loves it.

It totally depends on what you want, but please, please don't just buy a piece of halfords tat - get a decent bike and it will last you 10+ years

Originally Posted by fizzwheel

Indeed, heres mine ( again !!! )





Can be, depends on the wheel, a set of handbuilt 36 spoke wheels with good hubs can be very tough, I've got a set of handbuilts on Mavic Open4CD rims, they are twenty years old now and still as straight as the day I got them.

Also my current set of bling mavics as fitted above have done alot of miles so far on roughish country lanes and are still as true as they day I got em.

That is gorgeous. I want a Bianchi...

Although regarding the initial question, if you're going to use it dual purpose (MTB + on the road), I'd recommend a specialized rockhopper, between £500 and £1000 for different specs. I don't know too much about road bikes but I can recommend specialized as they're fantastic. I believe the entry level is the Specialized Allez, go for the triple if you're rubbish at hills, the granny wheel will make it easier. I think you can get a fairly decent road bike for £500, I wouldn't spend any less if I wanted it to last.

but you have to buy the bike from your work at the end of the 12 months (or however long the scheme is for)

edit: just noticed this point has already been covered