New bike advice please.

[cyfa2809]

i thought c2w was in conjunction with evans only?
anyhow, my dad has just the the scheme for the second time and got a ridgeback nemesis which i must say is stunning for the price
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/ridgeback/nemesis-2009-hybrid-bike-ec001137?query=nemesis
so much nicer in the flesh and does what he wants! it rides very well to as i had a go

edit, just seen above, second hand is a good way to go

 

[legrandefromage]

Reynolds 520 is a bit scaffold like, the two frames I've had have been a bit agricultural.

Buy a Boardman

Sell the bits

make some money

 

[Easy_Rider]

i dont know what the details are of the cycle to work scheme but i can only assume its as much use as the car scrappage scheme or similar? would you be better off spendint a couple hundred pounds on a quality second hand commuter?

Basically through salary sacrifice you end up saving just over 40% on the cost of a new bike and bits paid for monthly over a year.

i thought c2w was in conjunction with evans only?
anyhow, my dad has just the the scheme for the second time and got a ridgeback nemesis which i must say is stunning for the price
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/ridgeback/nemesis-2009-hybrid-bike-ec001137?query=nemesis
so much nicer in the flesh and does what he wants! it rides very well to as i had a go

edit, just seen above, second hand is a good way to go

Was just looking at a ridgeback today looked ok for the money, but if Reynolds 520 is as bad as LGF sais i may not http://www.cheshireoakscycles.co.uk/pro ... rs_/_Audax

Reynolds 520 is a bit scaffold like, the two frames I've had have been a bit agricultural.

Buy a Boardman

Sell the bits

make some money

a: don't want to buy from halfords,
b: the scheme is not meant for that now is it the rules say you must use it for work and must account for at least 50% of your journey time http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/sustainable/c ... df/518054/
If others buy bikes on the scheme to make money or have no intention of using it for work then thats up to them and their employers. All I will say in my opinion it's tax avoidance and it's behaviour like this that usually spoils good things for the majority.

4) Scope of tax exemption
The exemption removes the tax charge that would otherwise apply to cycles and cyclists' safety equipment loaned to employees provided the following conditions are met
Ownership of the equipment is not transferred to the employee during the loan period;
Employees use the equipment mainly for qualifying journeys;
i.e. for journeys made between the employee’s home and workplace, or part of those journeys (for example, to the station), or for journeys between one workplace and another
The offer of the use of a loaned or provided cycle (i.e. one for which ownership is not transferred to the employee) is available across the whole workforce, with no groups of employees being excluded. This does not necessarily have to be through a Cycle to Work salary sacrifice arrangement.
The tax exemption only applies when an employee mainly uses the cycle and cyclists' safety equipment for qualifying journeys. A qualifying journey for an employee means a journey, or part of a journey,
between his or her home and workplace, or
between one workplace and another,
in connection with the performance of their duties of employment. So, for example, cycling to and from the station to get to work would qualify. In this case, 'mainly' means that more than 50% of use of the cycle and safety equipment must involve a qualifying journey.

Employees are not expected to keep mileage logs but employers should make clear to them that if they do not use the cycle mainly for qualifying journeys, they may lose the benefit of the tax exemption. In that event the employer would have to report the benefit in kind on form P11D, and account for Class 1A NICs, in the normal way. The employee would be liable for the tax due on the benefit in kind.

 

[brocklanders023]

I know it hurts to buy anything from Halfrauds but I think you get the largest saving on c2w by going through them. Been told at my work that you'll get near 50% through them compared to 40% from other bike shops. Also told that they can get you any bike even if they don't stock it.

 

[barry2017]

More good suggestions, what do you think of these Chris from 2 of my LBS' http://grahamweighcycles.co.uk/shop/pro ... cts_id=197
http://www.thebikefactory.co.uk/product ... ctid=50881 reynold 520 any good?
Apologies for the questions, just a bit lost on new bikes, it would also help if I knew what I wanted

I would want something with clearance for bigger tyres. It makes the bike more useful.
If you had a suitably sympathetic shop, they ought to be willing to order you a better frame and build it with cheap parts. The frame is always the important bit, parts you can improve with better ones as you wear them out.

 

[Easy_Rider]

I've just double checked and it looks like Halfords isn't in the Cycle Scheme, so i've got away with that one
This is the one we're in http://www.cyclescheme.co.uk

Chris, more good advice there, thanks.

 

[MartinYorkshire]

Whilst the C2W scheme is all well and good to spread the cost, at the end of the term I believe you need to pay the company fair market value to finalise the purchase. In reality you're only saving tax which is 20/40% depending on how much you earn. They did this with HCI for computers a few years ago, about the same time they introduced the C2W.

Its basically finance, but with a tax saving.

Please correct me if this is wrong.

 

[Easy_Rider]

For me it's around a 41% purchase price saving. How much you buy it for at the end of the lease term varies between companies. You don't have to buy it back, the company could allow you to continue to use it although it will remain their property in this case. People seem to be paying around 10% of the purchase value to buy it though. Basically lease hire.

 

[Neil G]

How about a decent 29er?

 

[cyfa2809]

the ridgeback nemesis is 6061 ali
its got alfine geared hub and my dads came with the new style deore brakes and deore groupset