I just got my final settlement letter for my current cycle to work bike . I got a GT Aggressor xcr last year and have been really pleased with it. Its been well used and starting to need peripheries like bikes do (Bottom bracket , new rear cassette and chain). Im wondering Is it worth taking advantage of the scheme and getting another bike as Ive not really missed the payments .
I would just be replacing like for like i.e. £800 hardtail for £800 – £1000 hardtail. I cant see the point of going down the £1000 full suss avenue as Its likely to be lower specced than my current hardtail.

Any ideas or great deals out there , or should I just plug away with the bike Ive got.

Same dilemma here Stanfree, I am thinking of getting another Cross bike .
I justify it by kidding myself on that it will be the perfect commuter/Winter bike.
🙄

It might be worth getting one of the decent spec Boardman hardtails, selling your old bike and using the cash to get something like a Cotic Soul and transferring the components over.

I cycle to work every day, it's really not very hard.

I'm thinking the same, got me a nice sensible Trek FX commuter bike last time, is it worth getting an proper MTB HT now too?

My only concern is that what with all the ConDem cuts will we find the scheme suddenly wound up and all of us having to settle in one fell swoop?

They might just close the scheme to new applications but I would be astonished if they tried to make everyone pay up in one go. Osbourne mentioned several times in the budget that they aren't going to overspend on administration where there isn't big money to be recovered.

Your GT is pretty sweet. Stick with it.

Sadly we are considering an admin fee for c2w next year… the 20% vat will erode the margin further…

Your probably right Mark (TBC), Its probably pointless changing just for cosmetic looks as the specs are all pretty similiar . Thats said the Cubes on your website look really nice as do the Revolution triads at EBC.

Epic Steve thats not a bad Idea about swapping parts over and I always fancied a On One or Cotic Soul. My ideal bike would be a Spesh FSR but Ill stay away from FS's till Im getting old and decrepit.

Thanks for the Idea's folks.

Sadly we are considering an admin fee for c2w next year… the 20% vat will erode the margin further…

Out of interest how much admin is involved for the bike shop – I figured that CycleScheme (or whom ever) did all the admin. I'm guessing that's not the case – do they just act as a middle man then?

they do do all the admin, but they charge the bike shops a fee for processing every individual cycle scheme – 10% of the total value iirc.

Yep its 10% to the scheme. Plus about 5 days waiting time til payment comes through.

On a low margin item like a …. bike for instance … it is noticed.

If they do all the admin then, what will the admin fee cover? Why not just put the price up?