Cycle to work £1000

mfin

A friend of mine is getting a bike on Cycle to Work Scheme ...had an eye on the Boardman Pro Hardtail 09 when it comes in stock BUT... does anyone know where some good places are to get maybe an 08 fullsuss on a good deal for £1000 or under that would be a good alternative buy? I had thought stumpjumper comps might come down to that sort of money in the clearances? Any pointers from anyone whos thinking of similar ways to get a good bike? Anyone know which of the main shop chains are cycle to work partners too?
JeJames / CRC / Evans / Rutland / PaulsCycles / etc etc ???

littleandy0410

Think the Cycle To Work scheme is RRP only.


.....Although, don't quote me on that, as my work (RAF) don't offer the C2W scheme.

heez29

mfin wrote:

A friend of mine is getting a bike on Cycle to Work Scheme ...had an eye on the Boardman Pro Hardtail 09 when it comes in stock BUT... does anyone know where some good places are to get maybe an 08 fullsuss on a good deal for £1000 or under that would be a good alternative buy? I had thought stumpjumper comps might come down to that sort of money in the clearances? Any pointers from anyone whos thinking of similar ways to get a good bike? Anyone know which of the main shop chains are cycle to work partners too?
JeJames / CRC / Evans / Rutland / PaulsCycles / etc etc ???

We have three or four Pro HTs in stock in S, M, L. He'll struggle with an 08 full sus last i knew all of them were gone.

Try the boardman Team FS, ace for the money! and the comp gets a good write-up so the frame design cant be that shoddy!

AntG

It depends which of the schemes your company is in as well.

My company is signed up to Halfords Cycle2Work - I understood Halfords were the only stockists of the Boardman bikes, so am I right in saying that's the scheme your friend's company uses? I don't think Halfords are part of the general cycle to work scheme which is (if I'm not mistaken) for local bike shops.

If yes, maybe the following will help - if not ignore everything below!!!

I spoke to Halfords about two weeks ago to clarify what you can and can't do through the scheme with them - for example you have to buy a whole bike and not just a frame (though the best thing to do is call the number or email them - details on the website).

I understand they can get bikes from manufacturers they don't normally sell in store, but these will of course come from trade suppliers so I imagine full RRP will apply.

(I enquired about Giant Trance 2 (2008), but was told they could only source 2009 models)

I would suggest the Specialized Pitch Comp (which seems to be retailing at around £980) and the Giant Trance X5 (which is also under a grand) are two possible alternatives that you could ask Halfords to source, though I have seen various makes quoted on other forums in terms of what Halfords may be able to get hold of.

The Boardman Team FS recommended above is on my list as it does seem great value if bought through the Cycle2Work scheme.

canada16

Focus superbud expert at wiggle looks ok.

Thats the 2009 model, it comes in at 970 something.

I have had the Focus superbud 2008 for over a year and I love it.

Oh its FS

heez29

AntG wrote:

It depends which of the schemes your company is in as well.

My company is signed up to Halfords Cycle2Work - I understood Halfords were the only stockists of the Boardman bikes, so am I right in saying that's the scheme your friend's company uses? I don't think Halfords are part of the general cycle to work scheme which is (if I'm not mistaken) for local bike shops.

If yes, maybe the following will help - if not ignore everything below!!!

I spoke to Halfords about two weeks ago to clarify what you can and can't do through the scheme with them - for example you have to buy a whole bike and not just a frame (though the best thing to do is call the number or email them - details on the website).

I understand they can get bikes from manufacturers they don't normally sell in store, but these will of course come from trade suppliers so I imagine full RRP will apply.

(I enquired about Giant Trance 2 (2008), but was told they could only source 2009 models)

I would suggest the Specialized Pitch Comp (which seems to be retailing at around £980) and the Giant Trance X5 (which is also under a grand) are two possible alternatives that you could ask Halfords to source, though I have seen various makes quoted on other forums in terms of what Halfords may be able to get hold of.

The Boardman Team FS recommended above is on my list as it does seem great value if bought through the Cycle2Work scheme.

Wiggle have pulled out BTW. Well halfords has pulled wiggle out, i had a customer who was just gonna get one through them (well obviously going through emailing business services etc). he was told... NO! i think halfords has noticed a too much of a loss through them i think.

We had a pitch ordered in, looked nice but i wasnt overly impressed. depends on the type of bike he wants. i noticed it was very heavy and the basic brakes, drivetrain etc put me off. The colour of the grips aswell, totally mingin! looked a good ride though, but needs a couple of upgrades personally!

AntG

Guessing you work for Halfords??!

Any thoughts on the Giant Trance X3 v Boardman FS Comp?

mfin

So Halfords have a different system? This is interesting, the company hasn't signed up to anything yet but the ears are 'ready to bend' and its agreed in principal with the boss being a small firm.

So it seems that if its boardman stuff thats wanted then the company have to go for the Halfords scheme and if not the the Cycle to Work Scheme deals with everyone else like the local bike shops yeah?

Its a bit of an odd position cos as far as I can see at the moment the Boardman range is pretty much unbeatable with the Pro HT and Team FS both coming in at a touch under the grand that we need to keep the purchase too.

Sound about right?? ....well, of course people will argue the toss over the boardman choice but still I think that HT Pro is one hell of a bike for a grand.

heez29

AntG wrote:

Guessing you work for Halfords??!

Any thoughts on the Giant Trance X3 v Boardman FS Comp?

Yes i do lol

X3 all the way if you can get one sourced (the only problem) as it is the 08 i think your on about.

If its the X5 then its a tough choice! similar in spec maybe you could say that your getting a better shock in teh boardman but its not by much, brakes are slightly better with the levers. Try and get a sit on both and youll get a rough understanding of whats better for you. The Team and Comp boardmans are more upright and less xcish with the longer forks so theyre not like their HT counterparts.

timmys

As you (generally) have to pay full RRP on these schemes then if you want a full suss then you are pretty limited. Spec FSRxc Comp might be your best bet. It's certainly what I did anyway and I'm very happy with it

llamafarmer

Met a guy with a Boardman Team HT at the weekend, it's a sweet looking bike.