Hi all,

I ‘need’ a new commuting bike and thought i’d do it via the cycle to work scheme, annoyingly the scheme that my employer has signed up to is ‘cycle solutions’ which seems to have a fairly limited range shops compared to the scheme i used a eight years ago at a previous employer.

This is annoying because I think the Pinnacle Arkose would be fairly perfect for what I want, but as it’s an Evan’s brand it’s off the cards. So what bike is like an Arkose but available from independent bike shops?

Must haves:
Discs
Rack mounts
700cc wheels
Be no more than 1000 quid
Not be a specialised

Advice welcome!

Edit: can be up to 1100 quid if a brand that ‘Cycle solutions’ sell, they seem to be wheelies in disguise so that means Giant, Genesis, Kona, Merdia, GT, Cube, etc https://www.cyclesolutions.co.uk/road-bikes/c6

Boardman CX Team? You can arrange for it to be delivered to a LBS.

Orro Terra?
Genesis Croix de Fer?
Keep Pedalling did a sub £1k Surly Straggler build iirc

GT Grade gets good reviews
Genesis Croix der Fer (I’m sure one flavour is under £1k).
Most of the big brands will have an “adventure road” bike in the stable somewhere.

Can’t recommend anything personally as I’ve got an Arkose 😛

Buy it on 12 months credit if that’s what you want?

Well it’s not about not having the cash, it’s more that it’s tax efficient! That’s how I’m justifying it to myself anyway

Well it’s not about not having the cash, it’s more that it’s tax efficient! That’s how I’m justifying it to myself anyway

I bought a bike on c2w 2 years ago. Fancied a new one this year and had a look at the boardman cx team as I wanted something around £1k but had to have hydro discs.

While I was looking the cx team was reduced to £800, with british cycling discount, discounted halfords gift card through my employee benefits and quidco I got it for £613.

If I were you I’d wait until halfords have a sale and join britsh cycling 🙂

It’s a great bike and its comparable to the arkose, boardman is faster and a bit more fun to ride.

Kona Rove AL?

Some very silly deals last year, they were down below £500 at one point.
Not seen a bad review.

I bought a bike on c2w 2 years ago. Fancied a new one this year and had a look at the boardman cx team as I wanted something around £1k but had to have hydro discs.

While I was looking the cx team was reduced to £800, with british cycling discount, discounted halfords gift card through my employee benefits and quidco I got it for £613.

If I were you I’d wait until halfords have a sale and join britsh cycling

It’s a great bike and its comparable to the arkose, boardman is faster and a bit more fun to ride.

Still not quite better than the cycle to work tho (600 vs 613) 😉

Still I take the point! I will investigate the boardman ordering via a bike shop thing.

Hmmm, boardman don’t do the right scheme. GT Grade looked good but no rack or mudguard mounts 🙁

Giant Revolt 2? Hard to make out from the pic on their site, but I think I can make out guard and rack mounts

marin four corners seems to tick all those boxes

To be honest, for the fairly small saving you make on a £1k bike, i’d just get the bike I wanted rather than using the C2W scheme.
The C2W scheme is only good value if you’re getting something you actually want out of it.

I had the same issue earlier this year, except i wanted a winter bike/commuter to save my nice road bike.

My company use cycle solutions and after looking through everything and comparing spec’s etc i went to Evans and purchased a bike outright

Far easier, far more relable and i got exactly what i wanted, well that would be a lie, i ended up spending more money and got a much nicer and better bike

When i used cycle solutions before (at another company) they were utterly useless and it was torture getting the bike from them. I almost told them where to stick it and come and collect the bike. It doesn’t help that they are usually miles away so you can’t just pop in with a problem like i can with Evans or my LBS

hi alpkit also accept cyclesolutions vouchers there is a extra charge depending on bike but a camino al comes in around £800 + alpkits charge

To be honest, for the fairly small saving you make on a £1k bike, i’d just get the bike I wanted rather than using the C2W scheme.

Wouldn’t you save nearly 40% on it? I know there is a final payment as well, but that seems to be 7% if you extend the period (for no additonal cost) at the end of the year. I’m not actually that bothered on the bike, I just want one that ticks my boxes (discs + rack for my panniers + big wheels). At the moment I commute on a 1997 Raleigh Mtrax!

hi alpkit also accept cyclesolutions vouchers there is a extra charge depending on bike but a camino al comes in around £800 + alpkits charge

Interesting – any ideas on what they weigh? The website says “TBC”!

Giant Revolt could be a good shout.

You are unlikely to save anywhere near 40% on the ctw scheme these days,even if you are a higher rate tax payer.By the time you factor in having to pay RRP and the final payment it’s usually no better than just buying on a 0% cc deal.
Stick yer number in here
On a £1000 bike for a year earning 25k you’d save £70 😕

To be honest, for the fairly small saving you make on a £1k bike, i’d just get the bike I wanted rather than using the C2W scheme.

A basic rate tax payer would repay £680 by salary sacrifice and then have a £70 final payment. A £250 saving. (Higher rate would repay £580, plus the £70, a £350 saving).

There are bikes around that get reduced by more than 25% but how many of them are the bike you are really looking for, how many will offer interest free credit (in effect). And how many would get a 35% discount?

I’ve always been puzzled by some of the negativity I’ve read about C2W.

To be honest, for the fairly small saving you make on a £1k bike, i’d just get the bike I wanted rather than using the C2W scheme.

Wouldn’t you save nearly 40% on it? I know there is a final payment as well, but that seems to be 7% if you extend the period (for no additonal cost) at the end of the year. I’m not actually that bothered on the bike, I just want one that ticks my boxes (discs + rack for my panniers + big wheels). At the moment I commute on a 1997 Raleigh Mtrax!

Yes i would have technically, but i would have also not got anywhere the bike i wanted, had to be drop bars with proper disc bakes and guard mounts, surprisingly very few fitted the budget at the time, most would have meant big comprimises of the upgrade to proper disc brakes straight away, meaning more expense….

Then there was the inflexibility of using cycle solutions and i gave up. Yes i could have saved money, but it wasn’t work the hassle and compamise for me in the end. Plus also i do get 10% off at evans where i got my bike from

This year bikes have gone up in price a lot and are a lot less value for money i think

A £250 saving.

Exactly my argument, but thanks for doing my maths for me.

If you don’t really care, and just want a bike – great.
If you can get the bike you want – great.
If you want a specific bike, then i’m not going to get a different one just because I can save £250 on it. Especially when that £250 also incurs the price of having to jump through C2W hoops to get it.

A basic rate tax payer would repay £680 by salary sacrifice and then have a £70 final payment. A £250 saving. (Higher rate would repay £580, plus the £70, a £350 saving).

There are bikes around that get reduced by more than 25% but how many of them are the bike you are really looking for, how many will offer interest free credit (in effect). And how many would get a 35% discount?

I’ve always been puzzled by some of the negativity I’ve read about C2W

Exactly my argument, but thanks for doing my maths for me.

If you don’t really care, and just want a bike – great.
If you can get the bike you want – great.
If you want a specific bike, then i’m not going to get a different one just because I can save £250 on it. Especially when that £250 also incurs the price of having to jump through C2W hoops to get it.

And the cost of hydrolic disc brakes at the time was £400, so not a saving, really…. plus all the other downgraded equipment. I would have spent probably around the same monies either way, with having to upgrade the bike to start with.

Iwas looking at £1,100 (factor in the discount on that) bikes + £400 on brakes and that was only 105, through C2W.
I ended up with carbon framed ultegra hydrolic disc’ed bike for around £1,400, granted its a budget carbon frame, but its still better than my ability

Hmmm, kind of see what you mean. But i’m yet to establish I can’t get the bike I ‘want’ (since my requirement is so vauge!). The Arkose just seemed to tick the boxes, and it’s not on sale at the moment so something of a moot point.

So far I have on the list:

– Alpkit al camino
– Giant Revolt (has rack mounts but they’re in a funny position)
– GT Grade? (they seem to have dropped rack mounts as a far as I can see?)

The Croix de Fer seems to weigh a *lot* and be a bit overpriced for what you get. So that’s out.

Raleigh Mustang – not sure on rack mounts though

In these days of the weak pound and consequent rising bike prices, I think you are going to struggle. I too was looking at the Arkose X 2017 for a while, but travelling from Southampton to Reading to test ride one put me off (since then a branch has opened near Fareham).

I ended up getting one of the final few 58cm Cube Attain GTC Pro Disc 2016s for £900 from Rutland in their 10% May Day bank hol weekend promo, because although it’s limited to 32mm tyres, I decided that it was too good a spec to miss out on for that price and otherwise I might not ending up buying a bike for ~5 years.

How about building up your own from a PX bundle (I know, QC issues etc.)?
http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/ZX302FULLM/planet-x-the-full-monty-alloy-gravel-frame,-carbon-fork–and-fittings-bundle
http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/BNSTELVIO/stelvio-frame-bundle
http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/ZX301LONB/planet-x-london-road-frameset-and-fittings-bundle

I’d be tempted by the Full Monty with http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/WPFURSPOD/fulcrum-racing-sport-disc-clincher-wheelset (my Cube comes with the thru axle version), then TRP Hylex hydraulics with a bar-end shifter like the Arkose X, with groupset of your choice.

Or wait a bit longer for reductions on 2017 bikes. 😉

Almost every bike company offers what you are after I think.

I ended up on a Marin, but it was reduced from £1000 to £680 (so I’ve only paid £490 for it!). My other choices were a Giant TCX, a Norco (unfortunately Evans only) or a Pinnacle.

If I were buying another bike like this now it’d be a Mango Point AR, but I doubt you can get that on Cycle Solutions.

The Scott Speedster 20 is a great looking bike, with mounts and discs. That’s £1100 but you can get it from Wheelies/Cycle Solutions.

My commuter bike has drops, rack and guard mounts, space for big tyres, hydro discs

Ooops, its an Arkose 😀

I bought mine cash and used some tesco vouchers

Oh, and Genesis Croix de Fers weigh about as much as one of the smaller planets.

mango point AR?

I got a GT Grade from Cycle Solutions last year, has no rack mounts only mudguard eyelets. I just started using a Carradice SQR mount to get around this. It’s a good bike but I want something that can take large tyre’s….like an Akrose!

Merlin Axe7 Pro 105 Road Disc Bike – 2017

Merlin Axe7 Pro 105 Road Disc Bike – 2017

Aghhhh, another perfect bike that doesn’t take cycle solutions!

mango point AR?

Grrr. This cycle solutions scheme really is sh*t.

Scott Speedster 20

Doesn’t have rack mounts 🙁