My company has just started doing it for the first time. We've only got a £1000 limit but I'm tempted to see what I can get.

Anyone regretted doing it?

I have a slight niggle that the sort of bike I want is not "commute" friendly (plus I work from home so not really much of a commute involved except to cycle to the station). Plus I'd really only want a frame and forks which I would build up myself. Can Halfrauds supply just frames and forks on the scheme or have I got to do the buy and bike and sell it to do this?

full bike only and you MUST keep all of it for its entire term. You cannot go selling bits off it becuase it is not your bike until the end of the term. If you want a frame and forks, buy a frame and forks yourself rather than trying to con the tax man. Interesting that you call them Hal-FRAUDS, because that is exactly what you are suggesting you might be about to commit.

I know someone who got just a frame from his LBS and is VERY happy!

I can't imagine anyone with regrets about C2W.

You cannot just buy frame and forks on the scheme as it is just complete bikes. However if you have a friendly LBS on the scheme they may be able to work something out for you! 😉

Bregante – Chill!

Easy Bregante – I'm just regurgitating what I've read after some some research into this on other posts. Seems a hell of a lot worse goes on than I've suggested.

If you read my post correctly before getting on your high horse where I imagine you can't read the screen as well at that distance, my niggle is that I don't feel comfortable buying something which doesn't really fall under the scheme – ie. something which isn't for what it is designed, ie. I'm not comfortable commiting fraud.

Huskyboy64 – Was this through the Cycle2work scheme?

full bike only and you MUST keep all of it for its entire term. You cannot go selling bits off it becuase it is not your bike until the end of the term. If you want a frame and forks, buy a frame and forks yourself rather than trying to con the tax man. Interesting that you call them Hal-FRAUDS, because that is exactly what you are suggesting you want to commit

Oh calm down FFS!
So, what if the tyres wear out? Or the drivetrain? Or what if the saddle is too uncomfy, the seatpost a bit short, or the stem a bit long? What do you do then eh?

EDIT
Mrs PP is just about to order the 3rd C2W bike, a rigid SS. I'll be finding some suspension forks for it ASAP. On her last one, a Trek 7.2 commuter, we added rack, mudguards & panniers immediately, then fairly swiftly ditched the crap suspension seatpost, grips and pedals. Obviously we're some sort of fraudsters by doing this…..

Some people…… 🙄

…or it gets stolen…??!! or breaks???

you MUST keep all of it for its entire term

They're the rules, although I can't imagine any employer ever enforcing this. Bregante is right about it having to be a complete bike, although my LBS also said they'd be happy to do a frame plus parts.

You could always buy a <£100 piece of crap and stick your frame/fork choice on top of that. I bought a road bike last year on my LBS (which I don't regret, by the way) and topped up to the grand limit with a set of Rebas.

Are HMRC blocked from this *public* forum?

Bought a roadie (because it's road to work and i get a secondary benefit of health improving fitness, HMRC/NHS friendly) no regrets but looking forward to being at the end of the payment period. Don't think i'll do it again as i cant justify 5 bikes.

You've got zero chance of getting Halfords to bend the rules like that.

I've just ordered my 2nd bike to work bike. I kept the first one, a Tricross, for it's full term but found I was tending to do evening mountain bike rides in preference to commuting so eventually swapped it for a ti mountain bike frame (after having the bike for perhaps 18 months). While I had it perhaps 90% of it's use would have been commuting, but I doubt I used on it on average more than once a fortnight. I still don't regret using the scheme though, because if nothing else it got me a cheap Ti frame!

For various reasons I'm now commuting by bike more often (1-2 days per week) so will be getting a Roadrat via the scheme. I'm using a rigid, slick tyred Inbred at the moment but would like something a bit lighter and faster.

no regrets here.

i bought a road bike, but ironically, it's not exactly suitable for my commute to work, which includes paths strewn with broken glass, paths surfaced with rubble, some muddy singletrack, and some lovely wheelie-friendly hills.

a genesis iO iD would be perfect, maybe next time…

I bought a bike from my LBS which was a past season Giant Trance 3, but he upgraded the Forks, shifters, derallieurs and bars for me all for £1000, been very happy with it since, had it for two years now

I think I'm gonna give it a miss thinking about it. What I really want isn't really scheme worthy and even though I'd save 50% I'd end up with a hotchpotch rather than what i really want.

I haven't partaken as my employer put a "must be ridden to work at least 50% of your commutes" rule which I find too restrictive. No weather or health exclusions!

It's a pernicious evil. The other day I even found myself contemplating a Kona Humu through ours. I mean, that can't be right?!

I thought it was at least 50% of the bikes mileage – not the same as 50% of your commutes….

I got a good spec mtb on the scheme in October. Really pleased with it. Bending the rules? Well over 80% of the miles clocked up so far have been commuting to work, so it squares away for me.

For all those going on about the rules and tax fraud etc – yes it is a fairly small scale tax benefit. For those of us on PAYE – which I believe you have to be to qualify, there are precious few tax concessions. From what I've seen over my working career, the self employed and company owners / directors get away with claiming a wide range of things against tax.

ginsterdrz – Member

I haven't partaken as my employer put a "must be ridden to work at least 50% of your commutes" rule which I find too restrictive. No weather or health exclusions!

Shame, that's you employer not understanding the rules which state that 50% of the bike use must be for commuting – i.e. you should commute once for each time you "play out" on it.

and the rules state bike or cycle related equipment, some retailers will allow you to get frame only (Si @ that lovely hope valley bike shop for instance) but whether Halfords will do so is another matter

I bought a bike I didn't really need, which came out vastly more expensive on C2W than acquiring the same bike 2nd hand off here over the course of a few months would have.

I don't regret it as such, but I'm not doing it again. 🙂

just bought a £1000 hardtail which i will be using for work and play.
seemed pretty simple to do although i now have 8 bikes, greedy or an addict?

I thought it was at least 50% of the bikes mileage – not the same as 50% of your commutes….

Usage, not mileage – a one mile commute is thus the same as a 50 mile all-dayer 🙂

Wish I had the bloody choice. I'd love a new road bike for a grand, but this shitty company are too busy making people redundant. (even when they weren't they couldn't be arsed to start the scheme up) (even though we are on almost an island with one road access, which gets totally f^&*king jammed) (even though there are cycle paths leading right up to our building) (even.. I won't go on) (w@nkers)

I'm just in the process of persuading our HR people to change vendors so I can get a bike outside of Halfords (they got a third party involved who limitied use of it to that) having said that of the people who used it no one has complained or come up with regrets.

I'm thinking a Cannondale roadie, which I might not use to get to work everyday, I keep a sitty old kona single speed for that, but if I still cycle to work everyday and have done for at least the last 7 years then why should I not benefit from the scheme too!

I regretted it briefly last night when I got soaked riding to Leeds from Harrogate. Got a flipping puncture near Moor Allerton golf course too. Not a good day. Cheered up by the end as I overtook a cars going through crossgates!

I regretted it, as I have resigned from work before the end of the term, and now have to pay full price (i.e. not tax free) for the bike 🙁

This year we have managed to change the venders to cyclescheme, so you can use any local bike shop in the scheme. So a huge choice.
As for mileage, who checks. Its just a tax break to get people out riding, reduces the carbon FP and has positive health benefits.
IF they had strict rules on use and inforced them, the take up would be limited. Leaving it open ended suits the way the goverment can "do" their own stats.
No ones coming to take the bike back! If your employer wants their money back they will take it from your salary/severance/redundency. They don't want a second hand bike back to sell.

Im just about to order my 2nd C2W via the LBS. I'd have a fullsusser on it if there wasnt the £1k limit.

Dont worry about fraud, the whole shebang wasnt implemented by HMRC, it was pushed through by the Dept of Transport as part of the Governments Green Transport Plan. D.O.T. get to tick a box every time ones ordered.

i resigned and my work paid it off for me!

no regrets!

I regretted it a bit – my empoyer doesn't reclaim VAT (don't understand in's and out's) and I was in a rubbish salary band which meant I ended up paying about £850 for a £1000 bike, which whilst still a saving I would have probably been better off getting a bike in the closeouts.

Plus as the kit that came with it was a bit low rent and I have a strange compulsive habit to upgrade I then went about replacing most of the spec and spending more. Ah well.

The scheme came back up for me again last April. Not used again for above reasons.

IMO this started as a good way to encourage cycling, but has been turned into a moneyspinner for the companies running it.
Next time ill approach the bike shop for the 10% they have to give the company and pay cash

no regrets – it's a great scheme. (but then I would say that – it's my job!)

I would say it's best to play by the rules though in order to ensure the schemes longevity.

As for the OP – the scheme has to be a complete bike, so no frame and forks if you want to remain within the rules. As for usage, a trip to the station is absolutlely a qualifying journey so it sounds as though you would be fine for using the scheme free from guilt or fear!

HOpe that helps – email in profile if you need any more info.

jim

I know some people who got the bike shop to order a "bike" on paper but what the purchaser actually got was a Frame & forks of the same value as the complete bike. But this is dodgy and not to be recomended as best practise, however if you want to give it a go I'm hardly going to stop you from my keyboard am I?

For my part I got a Trek hybrid and a new ste of XT shifters for my Orange on the same deal as on paper they were upgrdes to my Trek. I actually phoned up cyle to work to ask if this was ok and the said –YES!

Haven't ridden to work yet, but do use it to go to the shops and get to other places in the evening.

My mate regrest going on teh scheme tho as he got a grands worth of road bike and has just been laid off so now has to pay it off with the lay off money- double ouch! 🙁

i bought myself a nice road bike last year – which i commutre on in the summer months.

when it came round this year i decided that i could actrually buy a second hand frame and a few bits for less than the bike i was looking at. glad i didn';t get another one.

how come folk can't surrender the lease if you're being made redundant? thats sh!tty being made to pay it off if the co rips the rug from under you…

I think its probably something to do with you retaining the bike after you are made redundant.

I've had my C2W bike (Orbea igorre CX) since the the 31st December, I usually commute into work on the road but take an offroad detour across the Quantocks on the way home. I'm not regretting my decision, but riding a CX bike offroad on the Quantocks in the dark sometimes brings a whole new meaning to the word scary 🙄

I'd quite like to see all cycling products to be sold tax-free, which may encourage more people to take up and enjoy cycling (benefiting us all). Tax-free helmets would definitely be a good move.

I just got an Iron Horse MK3 through CRC sale on C2W scheme!!! Most pleased its going to cost peanuts!!!

The scheme came in at a great time for me. At the time I had a Schwinn Meta GS which I got as a bargain from a local cycle hire firm and although this is a great bike I was looking for something with a bit more oomph. My adventures were taking me to more and more technical trails so I joined the scheme to get myself a full susser (also to use for riding to work before anyone accuses me of fraud lol and I do ride to work on it most days actually).

I ended up with a Giant Trance X5 which is nice. I've upgraded a few bits but kept the originals just in case some smart arse at my HQ wants to see it unchanged.