Brand new bike (cycle to work) decision

Any of the bikes with RockShox Tora or Recon forks on should be on the short list simply because they are some of the best forks in this price bracket, you really can't go wrong with a Tora or Recon fork

Also look for a fork with adjustable rebound damping

The reason I'm mumbling on about forks is because after the frame the fork is the next most important/expensive bit of the bike

The Mongoose Tyax Super used to be a very good bit of kit for the money, not sure if that's changed in the last year or two...

cchris2lou":6zimxvii said:

as I undertand it ,the scheme is not so good now . you will have to pay quite a large amount at the end of it .

Click to expand...

Indeed, thoroughly check the £££, some places will not let you use your voucher on discounted bikes either (not sure about evans).

cchris2lou":1ue5v2v3 said:

as I undertand it ,the scheme is not so good now . you will have to pay quite a large amount at the end of it .

Click to expand...

Not necessarily, the scheme has clarified the final payment rules, meaning the employees of those companies who chose a nominal figure to transfer ownership will have to pay more, but if the company followed the guidelines it's still almost exactly the same

But you can transfer ownership of the bike back to the Cyclescheme after the term of employer ownership is over, this deposit costs IIRC 3% for bikes under £500 and 7% for bikes over £500 (refundable in certain circumstances, see below)

You then lease the bike from cyclesheme for nothing, yup no payments, you can do this for up to 3 years, after the chosen time period if you want to own the bike you then contact Cyclesheme and they transfer ownership, the deposit (3% or 7% is kept by cyclesheme), however if you wish to return the cycle your deposit is refunded.

Whichever way you do it you will save money over a new bike, or in a lot of cases sale bikes

Some companies will only let you use a voucher at full RRP's, some charge 10% admin fees (because their margin is so small, eg Pauls Cycles & OnOne)

MBR Did a review on £600 hardtails this months, and both the Specialzed Hardrock Pro Disc and the Kona Nunu got a 9/10

Magazine reviews very often have hidden agendas and are not always objective, but probably worth a look.

for £600 the spec is a bit shoddy IMHO.

dave hinde's entry level bike (yeah i know their reputation but hear me out) is built on full m590 deore with ride XC finishing kit for £650. compare that to orange's rrp on a G2 with full alivio which is £699 or the scott aspect 20 on evans website at £650 which is another deore/alivio mix (although the hinde is priced with V's not discs).

the best deal i can see on evans is the GT avalanche at £619 (admittedly its on sale from £699) which is well spec'd for the price compared to the other stuff.

Thanks for the comments so far chaps.

Any views on the Felt and Bianchi in the OP?

It's true there is a lot of information/mis-information out there about the final payments on the scheme, and I will be going through the t&t's with a fine toothed comb when they arrive. But my understanding is (as Andy says) I can transfer ownership back to the scheme, or have the 25% final fee added to my PAYE code as a BIK, so for a £600 bike the final payment would be £150, that as a BIK is £30 (20% of £150) taxed over a year, so and extra £2.50 a month (£30 / 12 months)

Just looking at this on Evans (we will be using this scheme) http://www.evanscycles.com/ride2work/tr ... ip-options

Of course I need to confirm this.

TBH all the bikes seem much of a muchness :? personally I'd pick the Kona Blast or find the £50 at stretch to the Cindercone, the Genesis looks good and the Cannondale too. Actually looking again I'd go for the Kona steely nice looking and adaptable.

Ditch evans and find a khs stockist that plays the c2w game! Alternatively I'd be trying to pickup the cindercone, shame the zen2 is only available in ditty size!

kaiser":1j1iznc0 said:

TBH all the bikes seem much of a muchness :? personally I'd pick the Kona Blast or find the £50 at stretch to the Cindercone, the Genesis looks good and the Cannondale too. Actually looking again I'd go for the Kona steely nice looking and adaptable.

Click to expand...

+1 on the Kona Steely

+2 on the kona steely - good spec and looks fun, I also think the Jamis Dakar full sus is pretty decent for the money.