Cycle 2 work £1k best buy???
glen4
Posts: 250
Work have just introduced the C2W scheme, and I have up to £1000 to spend. I have two top end MTB, and am fairly fit, looking to up my fitness by introducing some road work. Question is, what is the best bang for my buck, so to speak? In other words what you spend your £1k on?
thanks for your input......
thanks for your input......
2009 Cove Handjob
2009 Cove Hummer
2009 Cove Hummer
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Comments
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Boardman carbon (if you like SRAM) or Ribble carbon (if you don't).0
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The search function!!
There are loads and loads of threads asking exactly the same question...0 -
Planet x or Boardman, saves you trawling through other threads and trying to use th pointless search function
winter beast: http://i497.photobucket.com/albums/rr34 ... uff016.jpg
Summer beast; http://i497.photobucket.com/albums/rr34 ... uff015.jpg0 -
CAAD90
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winter beast: http://i497.photobucket.com/albums/rr34 ... uff016.jpg
Summer beast; http://i497.photobucket.com/albums/rr34 ... uff015.jpg0 -
My new bike I got on C2W, very happy with it.
CAAD9 is also very good from what I have read. If I didnt already have my Alu bike I would bet the CAAD9 (Might got one next years scheme.0 -
a white one of those sold on ebay recently for £1275. you could buy a black one and save some money.0
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+1 for the Boardman
2013 Focus Izalco Pro 2.0 UDi2
1999 Sunn Vertik II MTB - old skool !0 -
Curse my crappy company for not being interested in cycle to work.0
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last year I got an Orbea Onix from Epic cycles with Ultegra/105 mix, upgraded to Easton EA50 Wheels and am well chuffed with it (£1249). The base 105 setup cost was £1100. I think they do a 9sp Tiagra setup for around a grand if you can get the last model 08/09 as they bought a new model out in 09 which I have to say is a sweet looking bike and has good write ups, probably just falls out of your budget.
If it were me I'd go Ribble, I'm sure on the Ribble sportive you can get a Sora Setup for like £870 or something ridiculous like that and it has had such great reviews. The frame is unbranded but a lot of people think it is the Pedalforce frame which got great reviews. Go to the www.ribblecycles.co.uk website and play with the bike builder. Personally I'd go to the 105 setup but again it breaks your budget.
I also checked out:
Planet-X (just didn't fancy it from reviews)
Boardman (had wheel problems and didn't do company scheme, just their own)
Specialized Roubais (08) (was a tad over my budget)
Scott CR1 (£1299 epic cycles)
Just a thought but maybe you'd be better going Aluminium frame, carbon forks and seat post, and getting a better wheels and groupset for your money.Addicted to glucose tablets!0 -
I just ordered a Specialized Sequoia Elite 2009 for my partner under C2W from here. Technical spec can be found here on the Specialized USA website. Excellent value for a 105 equipped road bike that has relaxed geometry, takes full mudguards and rack. She already has a 2004 version that has been used as her only road bike including several light tours. I do not understand why Specialized have stopped selling them in Europe. It makes an excellent year-round commuter. One UK dealer tried to tell me it was replaced by the Tricross but that is a very different bike.0
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Are there any rider weight limits you need to consider when buying a carbon road bike?
I'm a 14 clem mountain biker who is considering the boardman carbon givem my weight is this wise? Or should I stick to the Alu "team"? As far as I can see is pretty much the same bike with an alu frame.0 -
Gypsum_Fantastic wrote:Are there any rider weight limits you need to consider when buying a carbon road bike?
I'm a 14 clem mountain biker who is considering the boardman carbon givem my weight is this wise? Or should I stick to the Alu "team"? As far as I can see is pretty much the same bike with an alu frame.
im 15 stone and ride the team carbon, you will be fine0 -
it is identical but alu frame. even so you will still be on carbon forks. very good bikes though. for only a bit of weight penalty which isnt that bad the comp is very good.Gypsum_Fantastic wrote:Are there any rider weight limits you need to consider when buying a carbon road bike?
I'm a 14 clem mountain biker who is considering the boardman carbon givem my weight is this wise? Or should I stick to the Alu "team"? As far as I can see is pretty much the same bike with an alu frame.0 -
Evans are dodgy dealers in my view, look at this bike:
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/ral ... e-ec018983
Someone tell me how a cheap no-name Asia sourced Alu framed bike with 105 from Raleigh no less, who's name in the sport is about as good as Tyler Hamilton's is in cycling or Harold Shipman in elderly care, can cost £1300 full retail?
I'm sure a bike like this has no real concept of full retail, it's only notional. So Evans appeals to the deal hounds to just knock it into CTW scheme range.
I'd avoid at all costs. Get a Voodoo Limba at Halfords for £450 instead. Some guys have them of for half price. Much better frame.
When a cyclist has a disagreement with a car; it's not who's right, it's who's left.0 -
Don't really think it's fair to just blame Evans;
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Ralei ... 360045524/
Blatently some obvious marketing lpoy(from Raleigh) to pull in the 'bargain' hunters :roll:winter beast: http://i497.photobucket.com/albums/rr34 ... uff016.jpg
Summer beast; http://i497.photobucket.com/albums/rr34 ... uff015.jpg0 -
a little harsh, so I guess you have a similar opinion ofFransJacques wrote:from Raleigh no less, who's name in the sport is about as good as Tyler Hamilton's is in cycling or Harold Shipman in elderly care,
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FransJacques wrote:a cheap no-name Asia sourced Alu frame
No name? It says Raleigh on the side of it!0 -
bails87 wrote:FransJacques wrote:a cheap no-name Asia sourced Alu frame
No name? It says Raleigh on the side of it!
With carbon seat/chainstays too. Not necessarily el-cheapo...0 -
Go for the best of both worlds. You can use it on road, off road and the ideal commuting bike. The Ridley Crossbow
http://www.airevalleycycles.com/product ... 0s200p47740 -
mmmmm, thanks guys, am seriously considering the Ridley Crossbow, my trip to work has a towpath, and a fairly smooth bridleway I can use, so it may just be the ideal choice2009 Cove Handjob
2009 Cove Hummer0 -
I had to choose between the Crossbow or the Merida 3 (comes with Tiagra for £750) and went for the Merida - could not justify the £150 extra, however I tried. The bloke in the LBS did say that they will be going up in the New Year, because they were going to have to upgrade to 105. Price would then be £1000+. I don't know if he was playing mindgames with me, and trying to get me to go for the Crossbow. This was about November time. The Merida is a lovely bike though - if you were considering the Cross bike route. The finish quality on the Crossbow is superb though, got to be said.
http://www.factorydirectbikes.com/bikes ... ss-3_2010/0 -
Right, whoever posted that pic of the Boardman Carbon is in trouble.
My C2W money was going to be spent on another MTB this year and the Giant roadie was getting a new set of wheels to compensate than I see I could get that for a grand (still just about hanging on to the original idea but it's a close call!).
Shame I can't get two C2W bikes, maybe if I got a part time job.....Current steed is a '07 Carrera Banshee X
+ cheap road/commuting bike0 -
No-one interested in the Kinesis range? The mags say lots of good things about them.0
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STEFANOS4784 wrote:Don't really think it's fair to just blame Evans;
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Ralei ... 360045524/
Blatently some obvious marketing lpoy(from Raleigh) to pull in the 'bargain' hunters :roll:
What am I missing? There's nothing wrong with that bike for 600 quid?0 -
Tom_d100 wrote:STEFANOS4784 wrote:Don't really think it's fair to just blame Evans;
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Ralei ... 360045524/
Blatently some obvious marketing lpoy(from Raleigh) to pull in the 'bargain' hunters :roll:
What am I missing? There's nothing wrong with that bike for 600 quid?
The fact it's discontinued doesn't help!
That's the issue, they advertise stuff at cheap prices but show them as discontinued...0 -
My employers (one of the big London Universities) has signed up to the Cyclescheme C2W scheme, meaning that I've got a fixed limit of £1,000 and I've not got the choice of either Focus or Boardman bikes.
Why why why? Typically, the two best brands for sub £1k road bikes (so I keep reading anyway) arent available to me. So in that case, what would you suggest I go for?
Am fairly fit, can do 40-50 miles comfortably on my MTB, but am a whimp on the hills, so would think I would need to go for a triple. Any suggestions? Is there any way I can go for something a bit better, use the voucher up to £1k and then add my own cash to make up the difference?
(Also, I presume that once I've paid up my MTB after the 1st year, I wont have any trouble getting another voucher for another bike?)
Any advice gratefully received!0 -
Have a link, which points out and explains about the £1000 limit. You are not able to add additional funds - to go above the £1000 package, they would have signed upto a more extensive scheme. (edit)
http://www.thebikelist.co.uk/buy/help/cycle-scheme/0 -
A few clarifications:
Your employer can offer beyond £1k if they have their own consumer credit licence.
You topping up beyond £1k with your own money is not against any rules but it presents an ambiguity over who owns what (because the bike is the property of the employer until they sell it to you). So employers generally prohibit this, but LBS's seem happy to allow it. The employer doesn't know and doesn't care.
Cyclescheme don't deal with Halfords or Wiggle, as you know. Planet-X will do Cyclescheme but you pay a fee (I got my first C2W bike from them before they introduced the fee, I topped up over the £1k to pay for delivery and bottle cages, no problem to anyone).
My second C"W bike is from Condor who also accept Cyclescheme, but make a £50 charge. I also topped up and got the bike without wheels or a seat - again no problem.
I work for a Uni too.0
