Are there some cheeky options on the big killer loop, around the top of Hagg Farm? I finished with a boring bridleway down to Ladybower the last time after seeing a nice footpath…

BTW its sod all to do with what your accountant will allow as HMRC can challenge and claim back any underpaid tax plus interest.

Most accountants want to get the books to a defensible version of a true and fair view by working with their client and building a long term relationship. It’s in nobodies interest to have a note against something like that because it is only going to cause hassle down the line.

Fair play to you for giving some very good advice instead of the usual negativity about buying a bike through a business.

They are hopeless, good luck.

If there is a big proportion of business use it’ll come down to what the accountant is prepared to sign off on. They will take into consideration all kinds of things when they decide what is material and what is not so you might be best to talk to the accountant before laying out any money.

Sorry zilog. I suppose it is actually a little bit unfair if you can’t get the same C2W benefit as a salaried employee,

disappointing, was hoping someone finally had a solution for OP’s annual “how can I get the taxman to buy me a bike” thread

The tax man won’t buy you a bike.

If you set up a limited company and buy bikes for you and your staff, following the government guidelines, the only thing you need to worry about is being admonished by the professional argumenteers/amateur tax collectors on here.

Yes yes, I’m a chartered accountant, no need for the high horse routine.

Sorry that is correct, I have a limited company so I’m not used to the distinctions with sole traders etc.

HMRC will go from is it wholly and exclusively for business use. If no then disallow the percentage that isn’t on you capital allowances and running costs.
Next problem is the £3000 carbon, light as a feather road bike wholly and exlusively for business use compared to a Halfords special. Probably not. Safety equipment, lights etc you probably get away with easier than an expensive bike.

That kind of treatment of an asset doesn’t apply with Cycle to Work.

The next problem isn’t a problem because it doesn’t apply to bikes under Cycle to Work, but you are entitled to spend whatever you want in your business as long as it is treated properly in the books.

No you don’t need to go that far just let them know the option is there to sort something out for them, if they want to be a bit more active etc.

Government Guidlines

A lot of the advice that gets given on here is based on confusion between the government guidelines and the restrictions put in place by the official scheme providers. The schemes also do their best to make sure that it all sounds too confusing to do it on your own.

Add in the fact that most accountants don’t understand the distinction between the government guidelines and the scheme guidelines, and there are a lot of confused people around.

You can set up your Cycle to Work scheme whatever way you want, providing it is available to all your employees.
OP wants a bike for himself, though

Yes you can still do that.

You can set up your Cycle to Work scheme whatever way you want, providing it is available to all your employees. This means that you don’t necessarily have to pay any BIK or salary sacrifice for the bike at all, but you might have to facilitate a similar set-up for an employee.

Fortunately none of you short-travel try-hards are under any obligation to buy this.

This thread is now utterly impenetrable.

I might stick with the hardtail for a while.

If you have a specific question just ask and you will get an answer. Or just get in touch with Mojo they will make sure you get the right bike for you.

They are even more useless on the road bike because there is no suspension or big tyres to smooth out the bumps. You can tighten the bolts as much as you like and they will still bounce out.

The Fabric ones are a waste of money. I had two, one disappeared into a hedge on a rough descent, the remaining one has come off the bike three or four times.

There were a lot of happy customers and staff on the Trans Savoie last year, I didn’t notice anybody being oppressed.

Most UK tour operators used to employ all of their seasonal staff through the UK, I don’t know if they have been forced to change that arrangement.

I just got a RipCurl Flashbomb 6/4, it is awesome.

That looks great Phil, the raw frames are nice. My black one is a bit brown after 18 months, the MucOff wasn’t really lifting it over the winter. My G13 is in Low with standard bushings and a -2 headset, I like it that but I would like to try a 29er with 36s and an X2.

When do the issues usually come available online? I am keen to see this route out of Issue 112.

I did Helvellyn by Rich’s route but came down through a quarry after Sticks Pass, Seldom Seen looks like a better idea.

The Three Passes out of Stavely is a good route.

From what I’ve read on here the geometron may work better with a lower position?

I think that has a lot to do with personal preference and body shape. You want to be able to put a lot of weight over the front and get it back off again.

Chainline what angleset did you put in the G13?

I decided to keep mine standard at first but I feel like the balance will be closer to the 27.5 with a bit more length in the front.

Also I tried faster tyres with a semi slick on the back. I know they’re a popular choice and they roll well but I just don’t get on with them in the corners.

They look like they’ll be fast. The folded metal doesn’t photograph well, all the recent Orange bikes have looked really good in real life.

So what if they have priced in some margin for the shops, there is nothing stopping anybody shopping around and doing their own build, or even maybe walking into the shop and talking to them about a deal.

Just drop Mojo a line and tell them exactly what you are interested in and how/when you would like to demo. They are very straightforward and easy to deal with.

I ended up getting frame, forks, headset both times. I would suggest getting both ends of the bike set up by Mojo.

Thanks Shandy for the chat on Saturday and the chance to see your geometron. Its likely I will transfer my current groupset over from my stumpy initially and try a 11-46 cassette.
I have a set of carbon roval rims that I was going to get rebuild with hope evo 4 boost hubs – anyone any thoughts on these or any better options.

No bother, its a shame mine wasn’t even close to fitting or you could’ve had a lap on it. Swapping all that stuff over sounds like the way to go. Make sure you get the DFender as well, well worth the outlay.

I ended up bumping into Bestie at the weekend.

If you’re reading this and still weighing up your options on the 29er I have found XT 30t, 11-46 works for me on 27.5 and 29, although it’ll obviously be heavy for less range compared to Eagle.

The other thing I didnt mention is I went for carbon wheels on the 29er. I think they pickup and track noticeably better than the Flows on the 27.5 bike. Fair enough the Flows haven’t had an easy life but if I had to choose between a better groupset and the carbon wheels I would go for the wheels every time.

If its a Float the Fox website has very specific guidelines for base settings and how to adjust them for different psi.

I got the climb switch added after taking a hammering on some very long climbs in the Alps on dual-plys. At home I only really use it for very long steady climbs and I do plenty of rides where I never touch it.

If it was going to be my only bike I would probably go for a G13 with 36s and an X2.

If you’re set on the Geometron then I would say go for the slacker head angle. I would love to try the big 29er.

I have a Longest 155mm frame out of the first batch and an L G13, I’m 190cm tall. There is no reason why you have to go for the longest frame possible or run a low front end.

What board and length are you looking at and where are you on the reccomended weight range for it.

There are a lot of shapes and flex profiles about.

I have both. The Session is smaller and lighter and will last a full uplift day on one charge. I rarely use the screen on the Hero now that I am used to mounting it. You need 1 or 2 spare batteries to get it to last as long as the Session. The Session is also a lot more resistant to cold draining the batteries. The chesty is quite hard to set up so that it won’t bounce on rough tracks so usually helmet mount is best and the Session is lighter.

The Hero is good for hand-held stuff and I use it as much with the family as I do biking. I am going to start using the time lapse and other features to get the most out of it. If it was just for biking I would be happy with the Session.

Isn’t this all a bit advertisy now?

No.

I did it last year. I have had my ACL done so I know what it’s like and you will really struggle six months after the op. It is a great experience but your body will take an absolute hammering and unless you are ridiculously fit the knee will give out or worse you will damage it again and be back to square one.

They are very good. I had one that cost me €60 and lasted about 10 years before the zip went.

Hallam Internet in Nottingham are very good.

I just used a bolt from the spares box, I think its a common bolt size.

There are good PCP deals out there but the main purpose is to keep people in newer cars without them really understanding how much they’re paying overall.