Evening all,

Could anyone point me in the direction of some good deals that you can buy using a cycle to work voucher?

I don’t want to add to the £1000 if I can help it, but may stretch £200-£300 on top of it made a huge difference to what I could get (that’s if you are allowed to do that?)

Also, what’s the likely difference in take home pay for someone in 40% bracket still paying student loan?

Any pointers much appreciated.

Technically you can only use C2W for bikes at rrp and you can’t top it up.

In practice, various outlets will work round it for you.

I have no further knowledge, as my C2W scheme is the HMRC scheme, and I was already on an (unrelated) warning when I bought my £1000 (rrp) bike!

I’m on the lower tax band, so can’t help you on the other aspect.

Thanks for that, I’d heard as much about topping up.

Only at rrp… That’s a bit pants! can anyone recommend a shop that’s good at being helpful in these matters?

Which c2w scheme – not all shops except the vouchers and it varies what you’re ‘allowed’ to do between the schemes.

I’ll find out, I think it is c2w but don’t quote me on that. Just text a mate who used it last year.

I would guess an lbs would be more flexible, but you may struggle using the scheme with an lbs, potential abuse of the scheme obviously.

I would just think of it an an interest free loan, and any tax relief is a plus, with that I mind I wouldn’t buy a bike any more expensive than you think you need anyway.. You don’t have to use the full thousand pounds if money is tight..

The RRP thing isn’t true, though it is the case in many shops. Most will let you do a discounted bike on C2W if you agree to pay a 10% surcharge which will cover the amount the scheme provider takes from them.

if you agree to pay a 10% surcharge which will cover the amount the scheme provider takes from them.

And there’s the rub….

For most bike shops, they make less money selling a bike on C2W or other schemes than selling direct, so there’s a lot less impetus to “do a deal” on it. For example, my LBS offers 10% of the value of any new bike in free bits. No questions asked, everyone gets it. Unless it’s on a cycle scheme.

Oh, and best road bike for around £1k is the Giant Defy. The 2016 ones look as good as ever!

It’s this scheme apparently

http://www.computershare-salaryextras.com/bike

I’ll have a look at the giant, thanks

It’s the Evans scheme – you can get discounted bikes from them. I got a cannondale bad boy ultra rrp£1400 c2w £999.99 in the sale.

Ah great, there’s a massive Evans a few miles away.

Thanks for the help, I’ll have a look what they have got

I asked in work about the cycle to work schemes available.

Apparently there is a three week window in late March when I can rock up and order the bike of my dreams.

It would be a damn sight cheaper for me to buy a bike in the sale over the late summer. Work scheme kicked into touch.

Best of luck – buy a cx bike IMHO. Norco threshold FTW 😉

Why the three week window?

I also got a reduced bike from Evans. It was actually reduced between ordering it and collecting it and they let me have the reduced price 🙂 As I already had a voucher for the full amount it meant buying more accessories to use it up rather than paying less, but I wasn’t complaining.

Funnily enough it was a Norco Threshold.

That is just how their scheme works – we get windows each year when we can change details,such as pension contributions, buying company shares etc. They’ve tied the cycle to work scheme into this 3 week slot.

Pretty poor really – coordinating the approval process from SWMBO with a particular 3 week period is going to need some major planning, never mind sourcing a bike…

Most Evans scheme bikes sold tend to be the bikes that are exclusively imported and sold by Evans.

Good business sense there. Make sure the punter on the lower margin sale buys the bike with the biggest margins.

Just had a look, any thoughts on a carbon Bianchi with 105? Would need to top up a touch if theyle let me

I verge on 40% and got a bike through cyclescheme (£965) which is costing me about £67 a month out my wages before tax.

I got the Arkose 4 (£1250) from Evans on C2W last year.

Obviously they allowed me to top up with cash money in that particular store (Fenchurch Street), but I have heard of other branches where they don’t.

I am still enjoying the bike – I have swapped out the BB & Cranks for 105 and have got another set of wheels so I can easily switch between road and gravel tyres.

I think it costs about £80 a month before tax, but there is a calculator on the Evans site to tell you how much it will cost.