Cyclescheme! Yay! Boooooooo!

[Vikeonabike]

Starts again in September! Yay!

£500 Limit! B

I may be a snob, but I can't get a bike for that price that will be any good for TT's or club runs.....FFS

I was looking at £750 bracket for something to start TT's and Club runs on. My Paddywagon cost £575 and that doesn't have gears!

 

[marinyork]

Argh that's harsh, with bike inflation (some would argue to do with C2W) you can't get anywhere near as much with £500 thesedays .

 

[BSRU]

Starts again in September! Yay!

£500 Limit! B

I may be a snob, but I can't get a bike for that price that will be any good for TT's or club runs.....FFS

I was looking at £750 bracket for something to start on. My Paddywagon cost £575 and that doesn't have gears!

For mire mortals lower down the food chain, I would have difficulty justifying to the "trouble and strife" spending 500 on a bike just for commuting. She already thinks I am nutcase for cycling over 5 miles to work/home 4 times a day even though I only live just over mile away.

 

[John the Monkey]

I can see the reasoning there - it's not a bad bracket for an urban hybrid & accessories.

It's a shame that it puts Bromptons out of the reach of the multi-modal commuter though.

 

[Vikeonabike]

Only problem is that I want it to start TT's and club runs on...If I wanted another commuter it would be no problem...Genesis Day one would be sitting there waiting for me!

 

[mark barker]

Only problem is that I want it to start TT's and club runs on...If I wanted another commuter it would be no problem...Genesis Day one would be sitting there waiting for me!

LoL! Isn't that the point of the scheme though, buying a commuter bike?

I've not looked into the scheme, but couldn't you pay the extra £250 directly to the bike shop and get the bike you wanted?

 

[Norm]

Only problem is that I want it to start TT's and club runs on...If I wanted another commuter it would be no problem...Genesis Day one would be sitting there waiting for me!

TBH, this sort of thing kinda pisses me off.

If you want a bike for TTs, then buy yourself one.

If you want to take advantage of tax breaks to buy a bike for commuting, then use the Cycle To Work scheme.

If you are a policeman, then don't brag / advertise that you are intending to break tax laws.

IMO.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

Only problem is that I want it to start TT's and club runs on...If I wanted another commuter it would be no problem...Genesis Day one would be sitting there waiting for me!

Norm has a point. Buying a leisure bike with money designed to encourage people to commute by bike is one thing, but complaining that the money is not enough to fund that purchase is quite another.

 

[HLaB]

I'm sure one of these bikes can be had for sub £500, perfect for the club run ;-)

Getting back to the topic, which firms do you have to use ? if its small lbs they usually will let you personally top thing up; but if its Hellfrauds or a bigger chain I don't think you've much chance :-(

 

[fossyant]

Top it up with your own cash - most bike shops aren't worried.

 

[potsy]

Will be seeing our HR manager this week about trying to get them to start the scheme,fingers crossed.
We've about 10-15 regular cyclists now so there should be a decent take up if it does come in.

 

[Vikeonabike]

TBH, this sort of thing kinda pisses me off.

If you want a bike for TTs, then buy yourself one.

If you want to take advantage of tax breaks to buy a bike for commuting, then use the Cycle To Work scheme.

If you are a policeman, then don't brag / advertise that you are intending to break tax laws.

IMO.

Don't jump too quick there Norm...The bike will be commuted on, (dry days only though as I have the paddy wagon for the wet/winter). Doing the 15 mile into work counts as training/commuting!

If I could buy one direct I would...that cash just isn't available...

 

[dellzeqq]

given the stated aim of the scheme then £500 seems a decent limit. The big problem is that the bike shop has to take a 10% drop in price - if the price to them is £350, their gross margin falls from £150 to £100 - and the paperwork increases! Which is why some retailers don't participate.

 

[John the Monkey]

It does pretty much limit the participants to flat bar commuters though.

(Wracking my brains to think of a drop barred bike coming in under the price).

Those taking a train as well can't get the (currently) best tool for that job either.

Not sure I'd fancy a longish commute without my drops, but I may have been spoiled ;-)

 

[Bromptonaut]

You'd struggle to get a Brompton for that money. The other thing to keep in sight is that the employer owns the bike and leases it to you. You only get to own it when the employer decides to offer an option to purchase and you pay the market price for it. Latest revenue guidance is that the market price should be determined by a bike shop at the point of sale. Until that gets sorted the whole scheme is useless.

A personal 'top up' just makes it more problematic.