Can the hive mine help me identify candidates for a new bike? This will replace a 2011 Giant Anthem X1, which has been great, but I bought a Kona King Kahuna 29er CF hardtail last year and I have unscientifically decided that 29ers are the way forward for me. Criteria are as follows:

1) Must be a FS 29er (27.5 isn’t a big enough difference to 26 to be worth changing for)
2) Must be available on cycle scheme, and absolute max value is £3000 (and I’m happy to spend that)
3) Would prefer a CF frame, but not a deal breaker.
4) In the balance between weight and travel, I’d rather have short travel and less weight, but if I see something I like, that could change. Absolute max 30lbs, but the closer to 25lbs the better. 100mm travel is fine, more is better, but not at the expense of excessive weight.
5) Must have a tubeless wheelset (or be sufficiently awesome otherwise, that it is worth the time and money to upgrade after purchase).

90% of my riding is XC i.e. quick blasts in the Chilterns, but I like to have a FS for trips to the Lakes/Peaks/Trail centres. I’m looking at things like the Specialized Camber Comp Carbon, and The Whyte M-109 CS. What else is out there?

Huge difference between 25lbs and 30lbs.

Not CF, but ticks your other boxes, and could be built for your upper budget somewhere between the two weights – Pyga One Ten. 110mm rear travel, pair it with a 120mm fork, and great fun to ride too.

Whyte T129, under budget and a fantastic ride! Try one and you will be sold, love mine so much selling all my other bikes lol

Check out the camber evo as well as the normal one, I can’t see past the stumpy 29er though, a great bike and a proper all rounder.

Yeah if you don’t need the travel the Camber Evo is the tits. Nothing else like it on the market.

Trek fuel ex 9.7, Carbon, light, 29er, 120mm travel. If you do what someone I know did and swap out the front with pikes you’ll have a do it all bike.

His is around the 25 is lb mark and is very nice with kinda normal, functional, Slx/xt.

For 2015 the alloy camber evo is £2000, the carbon evo is £4500, so doesn’t fit my budget that well. The std camber carbon is a better match at £2800.

http://www.bikescene.co.uk/Specialized-Camber-Expert-Carbon-Evo-6637-0-0.html

Thank me and Rene59 in advance for the recommendation if you like 🙂

It’s an absolute weapon of a bike. Keeps up with 150mm 650b’s on the downs and leaves them for dead on the climbs.

The brakes are a bit crap but they’ll be fine in the UK until you can get something else on it.

Nice but over budget by £500 so no go (on cycle scheme), I need a L or XL

Thanks for the above. Any other ideas?

How are you going to get 3000 on cycle scheme?

Orange Segment? Currently doing it for me. Not XC light, but good compromise on weight over travel and geometry. Reckon it would be a very quick and stable bike.

Have you done your sums to see if you can get a better deal in the sales or finance discount than the cycles scheme which is not so good nowadays and is only a tax saving on £1k of the total value.

http://www.rockymountainuk.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=8
http://www.rockymountainuk.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=12
Rocky Element or Instinct 950? CF front triangle. On sale (25% off) in your budget so maybe better value than the £3k cyclescheme deal in the end.
Tried the element and it’s nice, mate has the 999 Instinct and it’s very nice.

Ghost 29er

Carbon frame
27lbs
Full XT
Under budget – room for upgrades and kit – dropper, helmet….
And they awsome – what’s not to love

http://www.globalbike.co.uk/ghost-amr-lector-2977.html

How are you going to get 3000 on cycle scheme?

Company I work for offers a £3000 limit. I used this amount last time I bought a bike on the scheme. I know some other companies offer a lower limit (which may explain your question?).

Have you done your sums to see if you can get a better deal in the sales or finance discount than the cycles scheme which is not so good nowadays and is only a tax saving on £1k of the total value.

I’m aware the savings are not as good as when I used it last time (in 2010), but I’ve not seen anything in the sales (that I’ve wanted) offering a bigger saving yet.

If your company has a £3000 limit (they must have a Consumer Credit Licence in order to do so) then you will get tax savings on all of that and you won’t find many sale bikes to compete with that, on top of the (effective) 0% finance you’ll also get.

I’m guessing you know this OP so it’s more aimed at clearing up some of the other confusion on this thread.

Just double checking the tax calculator on the cycle scheme website, and I should save 42% on a £3000 bike using the scheme. Plus I pay in 12 installments direct from my salary, which further softens the financial blow.

, and I should save 42% on a £3000 bike using the scheme.

I’m sorry to say but at this point the scheme is a farce and becomes another bit of middle income bribery. (Not trying to knock you angeldust but you have to admit it’s a little cheeky to be skipping on a decent amount of tax)

Orange Segment? Currently doing it for me.

Have you ridden one?

They should probably abolish the cycle to work for higher incomes, the savings look very unfair for people that aren’t paying 40% tax already.

I’m sorry to say but at this point the scheme is a farce and becomes another bit of middle income bribery. (Not trying to knock you angeldust but you have to admit it’s a little cheeky to be skipping on a decent amount of tax)

Well I’m lucky to have access to the scheme, but anyone using the scheme is not doing anything illegal, and it (potentially) takes one more commuting car off the road.

Is it ethically sound? Debatable. I can’t say I feel guilty about using it. I’m a high rate taxpayer and, unlike some people, never take anything ‘extra’ back from the state. My company also offer tax free childcare (which I don’t use) – Do you have an ethical problem with that?

Are you just a bit jealous you don’t have access to these schemes? 😉

Have to say I agree with angeldust on this. The scheme is open to all employers, and if offered by an employer, has to be available to everyone within the organisation. If you take it up, you save tax and NI on whatever salary sacrifice you agree with your employer in return for use of the bike. Obviously that tax saving will be at whatever your marginal tax rate is.

Someone in the higher tax brackets pays significantly more into the pot than the rest of us, and will save more as a result. If their employer is prepared to use their own CCL to allow purchases over £1, that’s a nice perk of the job. Especially if they decide to buy a £3k bike to ride to work on…

There are plenty of other tax loopholes which are far more dodgy IMHO.

Are you just a bit jealous you don’t have access to these schemes?

Nope, not jealous just one of those tax breaks for those that really don’t need it.

and it (potentially) takes one more commuting car off the road.

The £1k scheme does the same

You’re companies scheme sounds great..

I’m very jealous 🙂

It is a shame the scheme does not work better at the lower tax rate, a cash buy with discount can work out better VFM

Another alternative is to convince your employer to run the scheme in-house (as we do)
This allows your employer to buy bikes at a discount or those not traditionally in the scheme (canyon..ect)

We do have a 1k cap (no CCL) unless your willing to purchase with fewer payments then we have a 5k cap (this is allowed without a CCL)

I just got a 3k canyon, 4 payments over 12 month, with a nice discount 🙂

The £1k scheme does the same

Fair point. I’m guessing that you would feel too guilty to use the £3K scheme if it was available to you? I’m not rich enough to feel any guilt! None of us need a £3K+ bike, but if I can get one at a (legally) honest discount I’m going to. Apologies if I’m wrong, but still sounds like jealousy.

Right, enough about tax and ethics, can we get back to bike suggestions (a much more interesting topic) 🙂

Your company scheme sounds interesting Womp. I work for a huge multinational company so won’t be able to change their scheme, so will have to work within the current rules.

I bet it’s a great bike, but the Orange Segment doesn’t appeal much. Probably because I used to have an Orange 5. Was a great bike, but not the best at climbing, and I’d like something different.

I don’t know what’s available on the cycle to work thing but you should have a serious look at the Orbea Occam 29’er. They really are good. I have had three now, a full carbon, an aluminum and now another carbon one. They are fast but also fun and the frames seem to stand up to the abuse and last really well. My lasts two have been 100mm at the back and 120mm at the front, that works really well.

I have this one with Mavic wheels and a few changes http://www.orbea.com/es-es/bicicletas/occam-29-m30/

tax breaks for those that really don’t need it

Do you mean a tax break for everyone, that you think should be denied to higher rate tax payers?

Do you mean a tax break for everyone, that you think should be denied to higher rate tax payers?

Yes, I’d rather give the tax breaks to those on low incomes and use the money to fund services than subsidise somebody £1300 on a £3000 bike.

A Pal has the Whyte and it seems a very good bike, only weakspot seems to be the wheelset/rims as he’s already pancaked one and both (new plus old) are a bit ‘wavy’. Rims are narrow too – probably worth budgetting for new wheels at some point; but this seems to be a standard 29er ‘weakpoint’, on complete bikes anyway.

But, this is riding only in Scotland so for less rocks they maybe fine.

Not sure the Segment really fufills the OP requirments (though again I think it looks really interesting.. for my riding), would have thought the Gyro was a better “XC” bet, but even that’s hardly a lightweight (CF alternative) option.
Personnally the Whyte M109 looks a great bike bike & a quick demo ride suggested it would be a speed demon of a bike. B r was you m8’s the carbon wheelset? As I’d have thought he’d kill rather than pancaked a carbon wheel..

Seriously can’t go wrong with a Whyte M-109. I’ve had one for a year and a half and love it. It has done everything asked of it – XC races, enduro and mostly proper natural (slightly crazy but I’m no hero) trails. PLUS it turns corners which most 29ers don’t!!

PLUS it turns corners which most 29ers don’t!!

I reckon you need some help with cornering then….. I put the element round everything, sideways, 2 wheel drifting and popping over drops and more. It wasn’t bad for a steep angled 100mm XC bike and it certainly went round corners

PLUS it turns corners which most 29ers don’t!!

I beg to differ.

I have a Five29, considered by most to be a barge, and it corners pretty damn well. I have absoltuely no probelm turning sharp corners with it, alpine switchbacks etc.

I haven’t noticed much difference in handling between my 29er hardtail, and my other 26er bikes to be honest.

subsidise somebody £1300

You can’t subsidise somebody with their own money.

Certainly, on strava routes locally, my five29 is a lot faster than me on my old five26 – routes are generally quite mountainous (I live in scotland) and have plenty of ups and downs. I can’t quite work out why it;s s such as fast bike.

I’m selling a hardly used red Orange Five29 Pro dirt cheap in the classified section if you’re interested (incorrect birthday present + I’m lucky to have lots of bikes).