CTW vouchers

Speed_King

As great as this scheme is guys its a shame most firms stick to one or a couple of comanies you can go to mine for example. I work at My local Co-op and the are linked to Halfords so obviously i am tempted by the team/pro carbon ( go by the bike not the retailer!!!) not sure though as i like the Ltd edition HT Pro too !

See spec: http://www.boardmanbikes.com/mtbht/ht_LTD.html

Should i go for the team or spend £500 pound of my own money on top and go Pro??

take into acount i can always upgrade the Ritchey pro stuff on a team carbon ?

Joycie

Also consider that you can get a lot of different brands from Halfords that they don't stock in the shop (I was told I could get Giant, GT, Bianchi, Cannondale, Trek, Specialized and have eventually opted for the Kona...)

Speed_King

you sure about the trek and speciallized and cannondale thought they was excluded from halfords

juankerr

Nah, Halfords can order other makes in. They use Leisure Lakes as one supplier so have a look there for an idea of what you can get. e.g. Trek, Spesh , Cannondale.

Having said that the Boardmans are a bargain. However, you may not be able to add your own cash to the £1000. You used to be able with Halfords, but this year, I think it is strickly forbidden. It is for my scheme at least.

Heckler1974

Be careful though with brands they don't stock, some manufacturers only allow authorised shops to build and sell their bikes (Specialized springs to mind) so they would consider buying through a third party shop as being a second hand purchase and the warrenty would be void.

Joycie

The company I work for is very large so I'm not sure if that means we get a better choice with Halfords. The last two years I've gone for Specialized through them and this year I'm going for a Kona which they "supply to order".

I queried the warranty issue, given that the bikes would effectively be second-hand, and was told that Halfords would give the same guarantees as a normal warranty if anything went wrong in the first year.

As for adding to the voucher value though I don't think Hlafords will let you do it. Certain other bike shops can accept Halfords vouchers and some of them let you add to it but Halfords won't as it causes legal ownership issues since you are effectively leasing the bike and so it can't be part-owned. This year I just went for the maximum value allowed in my scheme (only £1,000)

conceptual_primate

My company is also through Halfords - but it is Hallfords Business Services, rather than the Retail chain. I ordered a Focus Cayo 2008 which they, in turn, then sourced from Wiggle for me.

Before ordering I phoned up and when I gave the make/model they were able to confirm if they could supply it. Give them a call - even if you don't have a model in mind, they may be able to give you a idea of how many bikes/brands they can supply, or which suppliers they use.

Also, you also get a Halfords voucher for the VAT amount of the purchase, so the more you spend the more you get Although this is supposed to be for accessories, the assistant told me, when I picked my bike up, that I was free to spend on any item instore (bike related or not). That's maybe down to the discretion/leniency of the store though.

Heckler1974

Joycie wrote:

I queried the warranty issue, given that the bikes would effectively be second-hand, and was told that Halfords would give the same guarantees as a normal warranty if anything went wrong in the first year.

Hmmm a year warranty from Halfords or a lifetime warranty (for the frame) from Specialized......... :?

gregster10217

I've just got my Ltd.. Ed Boardman Team Carbon and I am delighted with it, but struggling to get out on it at the moment with work and crappy weather.
When I was going through the options, I looked at various models and Trek and Specialized were both definitely available. Just be aware that Trek bikes have to be collected from a stockist and cannot be shipped to Halfords (Trek do not allow it).
I asked Halfords if they could tell me what shops they used in my area and they told me and I was then able to speak to them and arrange to have a look/test the bikes I liked.
From memory, Planet X, Ribble and Cube were a few of the brands that were not available, but just e-mail/call Halfords and give them brands you're interested in and they'll tell you if they can be sourced.
I have to say that Halfords were very easy to deal with, very helpful at store level and knew what they were doing at Maidstone - bike set up/build were spot on.
Good luck with your choice, it's a mine field!

harpo

Heckler1974 wrote:

Joycie wrote:

I queried the warranty issue, given that the bikes would effectively be second-hand, and was told that Halfords would give the same guarantees as a normal warranty if anything went wrong in the first year.

Hmmm a year warranty from Halfords or a lifetime warranty (for the frame) from Specialized......... :?

Having just had a brand new replacement frame from Specialized I can vouch for their lifetime guarantee. Suppose it depends how long you intend to keep the bike for or if you care about the risk.