Decisions . . . C2W scheme or not . . . . .

[SoloCyclist]

At the end of the first year, can you not extend the plan by 36mths @ £0/mth. Then only pay the market value of the bike at 4yr old which is around 5-7% of purchase value?

 

[nigelnorris]

Only got 2300 groupset which is very basic (bottom Shimano I think), the Evans bike has Tiagra. £750 new for the Specialized sounds a lot for the groupset spec, although it does have a carbon fork (and the Specialized name )
Formby has only the 49cm and 58cm, so unless you are under 5'3 or 6'1+...?

Except that it's not £750, it's only £600 because a 2012 model can be bought using the bike scheme, in any size.

At the end of the first year, can you not extend the plan by 36mths @ £0/mth. Then only pay the market value of the bike at 4yr old which is around 5-7% of purchase value?

No, it's a 12 month rental scheme, fixed at that length.

 

[jamin100]

Only got 2300 groupset which is very basic (bottom Shimano I think), the Evans bike has Tiagra. £750 new for the Specialized sounds a lot for the groupset spec, although it does have a carbon fork (and the Specialized name )

Formby has only the 49cm and 58cm, so unless you are under 5'3 or 6'1+...?

Ah I know nothing about group sets etc.

So is the boardman actually the best choice for the money

 

[vickster]

Post the spec...looks like it has SRAM Apex - have this on my roadbike, easy enough to use (a triple could be better if lots of hills)

 

[SoloCyclist]

...No, it's a 12 month rental scheme, fixed at that length.

What's the one I'm talking about then? Because that was my plan.

Edit: http://www.uclan.ac.uk/information/services/hr/files/cyclescheme_FAQs.pdf

 

[nigelnorris]

So that you know what you're up against. I ordered mine 4th Jan. After a week or so I heard nothing back and contacted the administrators who told me they'd lost the paperwork. Filled out a new set of forms and sent them off again. Waited a week or so, still nothing, so I contacted them again to be told that BCC hadn't sorted their end of the paperwork out. So I contacted them, here's the thread [start at the bottom]:

From: <>
Date: 8 February 2012 09:01
Subject: RE: Bike scheme order
To: nigel norris


Morning Nigel
I spoke with the relevant people - yes we did unfortunately attach the wrong file when we emailed Bikes for Staff last week. However, the right file was sent through yesterday and we spoke to BfS, who confirmed they would get all the ordering done for you on the same day (ie yesterday).
Sorry about the delay and the error - I hope you receive the bike very soon and you end up pleased with the scheme - despite the slow start!



From:
Sent: 08 February 2012 07:00
To: nigel norris
Subject: RE: Bike scheme order


Hi Nigel - sorry about the delay I wanted to get all the facts before replying to you.

Looks like we've made an error here - just sent the wrong file to 'bikes for staff' by accident. I'll get back to you later. Unfortunately this is a very small team - only 2 people work on this; one is LT sick and the other also has had nearly 2 weeks off. I've been trying to keep things ticking over but I dont have payroll access. Now the right person is back we are trying to catch up.

I'll get back to you later with a proper update.
" nigel norris"
07/02/2012 19:23

​

"' nigel norris'

cc​

Subject​

RE: Bike scheme order






Hello, I sent this email to you last week and all I got was an out of office reply. This is supposed to be a three week turnaround and I'm now in week 6 with no sign of the order having yet being processed. Please can you let me know if you or your office have taken the action discussed on 31st Jan so that I can chase up the supplier and get things moving?

Regards, nigel norris

From: nigel norris
Sent: 02 February 2012 20:29
To:
Cc:
Subject: RE: Bike scheme order

Hi, I'm about to start chasing up the bike scheme again to push my order through. Before I do that can you please confirm that you have now taken the action discussed below.

Regards, nigel norris

From:
Sent: 31 January 2012 15:17
To: nigel norris
Cc:
Subject: Re: Bike scheme order


Good afternoon Nigel ,

I'm sorry to hear you've had a delay in ordering your bike. The enquiry from Bike Scheme (as to your eligibility for the scheme) only came to us on the 25th Jan. I'm afraid I dont know why our Bike Scheme partners didn't process your request as quickly as some others.

Unfortunately, we are a very small team at the BCC end and we are carrying some sick absences. This is causing a delay in the process. Contingency plans are being put in place.

I've asked a colleague who is kindly helping out, to prioritse your application.

Sorry again for the delay - this is a new initiative and I know it's been a long time coming! We hold regular meetings with our bike supplier partners and take all comments and complaints to those meetings to see how we can streamline our processes.

Do come back to me if you encounter any more delays or difficulties or if you have anything more to add.
nigel norris
31/01/2012 11:54

To​

cc​

Subject​

Bike scheme order








hi, I've tried to order a bike via the recently set up bike scheme. I
sent off the forms a month ago today. Other staff in my department
sent off their documentation 2 weeks after me, and have already
received confirmation that their bikes are ordered, the shops have
contacted them, and the money has been taken from their wages.

I've received nothing yet. I contacted the scheme administrator Rayne
Welch at The Bike Scheme who has told me that they are awaiting
confirmation of my eligibility from yourselves and gave me your
contact details.

Please can you let me know what is the status of my order, and why my
order is not being processed at the same rate as my colleagues.

Many thanks, nigel norris.


Edited by Moderating Team to remove email addresses

 

[Norm]

At the end of the first year, can you not extend the plan by 36mths @ £0/mth. Then only pay the market value of the bike at 4yr old which is around 5-7% of purchase value?

Most policies (that I've seen) don't allow this. However, if your policy does allow it, it can be a good option although it does tie you in to an employer for 4 years. I've never worked anywhere more than 2.5 years.

 

[nigelnorris]

Ah I know nothing about group sets etc.

So is the boardman actually the best choice for the money

No because you're comparing a £900 bike with a £750 bike. If you look further up the Specialized range you'll find higher priced bikes with higher specs. I think the Tricross Sport is simlilarly priced and specced if you really want to spend the £900. Like I said before you want to ask yourself if it isn't worth paying a slight premium on the price of the bike in order to get the level of after sales service that a proper bike shop can offer. And yes the base level Tricross has base level components, but they're still decent reliable parts from a big manufacturer. It's not like you're buying something on the cheap from Tesco or somewhere.

 

[cyberknight]

If you decide to go for it the boardman bikes are cracking , i love my road comp , mine was through halfords C2 W and my deductions for £800 come in at about £42 net + £70 final payment to "own " the bike .

When i tried to get other bikes from non halfords brands on the scheme it was a minefield as they could only get certain brands and it would be for a new model so no sale items.It worked out more cost effective to get the boardman as the spec was the most bang for my buck compared to other bikes.
With the apex groupset you do not need to worry about gearing as you top and bottom gears give you the range of a triple , slightly bigger jumps but you get used to it and TBH i am swapping my cassette for a closer block as i do not give the granny ass gear that it comes with .

 

[Norm]

So that you know what you're up against.

Whilst I'm not sure of the ethics of posting private emails without the consent of the sender, I am fairly confident that they wouldn't like you to be posting their email addresses on an open forum.

 

[400bhp]

Whilst I'm not sure of the ethics of posting private emails without the consent of the sender, I am fairly confident that they wouldn't like you to be posting their email addresses on an open forum.

+1

I'd get them deleted.

 

[Norm]

+1

I'd get them deleted.

I did.

 

[400bhp]

Most policies (that I've seen) don't allow this. However, if your policy does allow it, it can be a good option although it does tie you in to an employer for 4 years. I've never worked anywhere more than 2.5 years.

I'm allowed to do this thankfully. Perhaps even better is that my employer has signed over the contracts to Evans, thus breaking the link with the employer. IIRC, the term is 5 years and therefore I don't have to pay anything as a final fee. The main risk is that Evans go belly up in the next 3 years and the administrators "ask" me to pay market price for the bike.

 

[nigelnorris]

Edited: Childish and unnecessary content removed by the child that posted it.

Just ignore the later quotes and get on with helping the OP.

 

[SoloCyclist]

Most policies (that I've seen) don't allow this. However, if your policy does allow it, it can be a good option although it does tie you in to an employer for 4 years. I've never worked anywhere more than 2.5 years.

I'm sure it does. I get my 25yr badge next year so I'm reasonably confident I can last another 4yr.

Look forward to my 'I've lost my job' thread. I'm off to touch all things wood. :-)