More bike advice please

Constant headwind

Hello all,

I'm new to this forum and pretty new to cycle commuting. I'm currently using a GT aggressor hard tail mb with crossroads tyres on for my 27 mile round trip commute.

Obviously I'm looking for a more suitable bike for this. I have a bit of a conundrum though. My employer are starting a cycle to work scheme with Halfords soon so I've been looking at a Boardman pro LTD hybrid. I also really like the Giant Rapid 1 though, which is not available from Halfords as far as I know. I have read that there is less financial advantage to be gained using the cycle to wrk scheme now anyway and the Rapid is available from cycle surgery for £695 for the 2010 model.

I don't know whether to wait for the respective 2011 models to be released, use the c2w scheme or just fork up the cash myself when I have it?

Anyone have any experience of these bikes? Is there one that's clearly better than the other?

Thanks in advance for your help.

biondino

Obvious but necessary question - why do you want a hybrid? That kind of commuting distance would reward a road bike unless there's a substantial amount of off-road-ness (more than a gravelly or bumpy towpath).

iainmoss

+1=
For that sort of distance you will appreciate a road bike with drop bars, maybe a triple chainset if your route is hilly. I'm speaking from my own experience.

I recommend getting a rear rack if you need to carry a significant load like lunch, clothes etc. Look for the necessary braze-ons. These won't be on race bikes but there are plenty of slightly more relaxed road bikes that will be potentially ideal for you. Don't forget mudguards too; they may not be cool but you'll appreciate them in winter.

With regards to the Cycle to Work scheme, I used it with some success a few years ago but then I was in charge! However, as you mention the rules are/have changed in that the Fair Market Value of the bike (once your repayment term is ended) are in effect being lifted. This means you'll have to pay more (after the change) to obtain legal title to the bike, otherwise the bike will remain property of your employer or the financial lender your employer may have appointed. [This is my understanding of the matter, and should not be relied upon!]

iainmoss

P.S. if the your Cycle to Work scheme is too restrictive with regards to bikes available I'd ditch it in favour of an open market. The end of the year is approaching and there will be deals aplenty.

waddlie

I've already convinced two forum member to buy Giant Rapids this week... can I make it a third?

If the posts above convince you that drop bars and a triple chainset are what you want, the Giant Defy 3 triple is £625. The Defy 2 with a compact chainset is £825. The Defy is similar to the Rapid, only with drop bars and slightly different geometry.

If you're sure you want a flatbar then I certainly wouldn't talk you out of a Rapid - I love mine to bits. However, the easiest gear is 34/25 which is pretty stiff compared to your MTB which probably runs to 22/32 or similar. If you have steep hills the compact chainset on the Rapid 1 will kick your arse.

Bike specs on a like-for-like basis dropped spectacularly last year (eg My 09 Rockhopper was £850 with clipless pedals; the same model this year is £950 with cheap cages) and I have a feeling things will be similar this year so I wouldn't recommend waiting for 2011 models. As discussed elsewhere on the forum, the CycleSurgery deals on 2010 Rapids are very good and seem to be going like hot-cakes...

Constant headwind

Thanks for the replies.

My reasoning for wanting a hybrid is mostly cosmetic, I just like the look of them. My only cycling is commuting, I'm not likely to become a weekend club member or anything like that, I'm used to the riding position on flat bars and don't find it uncomfortable or tiring so I haven't considered drop bars as a requirement up to now.

Regarding the triple chainset, I do have a few hills, one steepish on my journey but I never use the small chainring on my GT, so again, two chainrings seems adequate.

Your continued advice is appreciated though.

Thanks.

nich

My brother has the Boardman pro LTD hybrid.

I've not ridden it, but mighty impressed with how light it is. Pretty sure his is a compact though not a triple.

Back then I still preferred my heavier road bike over it, however after several months of commuting I find I'm missing the ole disc brakes, so would probably go for something like the Boardman these days.

I wouldn't wait for 2011, but I guess it's a personal choice. A lot of the time they just change colour schemes. Sometimes they change components, but I don't mind having out-dated stuff. After several months of use it's all the same anyway, and then it's more down to how well you maintain it and look after it

Constant headwind

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Focus_Cayo_105_Compact_2010/5360045299/#buyitem

Am now a little tempted by this too. Full Catbon! Going to be a tough choice. Still not sure I'm committed enough for a full roadie.

Chicken Leg Wobbler

You gonna shave yer legs n wear lycra..?

nich

Constant headwind wrote:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Focus_Cayo_105_Compact_2010/5360045299/#buyitem

Am now a little tempted by this too. Full Catbon! Going to be a tough choice. Still not sure I'm committed enough for a full roadie.

Oh dear, now you're into big money bikes

Another popular option around this price range is the CAAD9

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/ ... 0-uk-35778

And the deal of the month is probably the Planet X SL

http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/CBP ... n-sram-red

If you put your sensible hat on for a mo though - do you want to commute on a grand bike all year round (bad weather etc)? You could always return to your mtb for horrible weather

Constant headwind

nich wrote:

Constant headwind wrote:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Focus_Cayo_105_Compact_2010/5360045299/#buyitem

Am now a little tempted by this too. Full Catbon! Going to be a tough choice. Still not sure I'm committed enough for a full roadie.

Oh dear, now you're into big money bikes

Another popular option around this price range is the CAAD9

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/ ... 0-uk-35778

And the deal of the month is probably the Planet X SL

http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/CBP ... n-sram-red

If you put your sensible hat on for a mo though - do you want to commute on a grand bike all year round (bad weather etc)? You could always return to your mtb for horrible weather

Am loving the Planet X in white. Will have to have a long think. I just can't imagine myself on a full Roadie.

sc999cs

Halfords can obtain lots of different models, look at their cycle 2 work page at the bottom of the page to see the selection available. Also available are Giant and Tifosi (which aren't listed). Don't feel limited by what is in store. If you fancy a particular bike phone up the helpline (number on the leaflet available in store) and ask if they can get it.

hstiles

It's a shame that the price for the Boardman team carbon is now over the £999.99 mark, meaning it's above the usual threshold for the cycle 2 work scheme.

I have a Voodoo Limba that I picked up from Halfords cheap and serves me very well for my daily 20-25 miles of commuting. I have road tyres on it at the moment with a set of cyclocross tubes and tyres hanging up in the shed for mud related fun at the weekends.

There's also the Boardman Pro CX.

Best thing to do would be find a large Halfords store and pop in and look at the bikes.

SimonLyons

I have done the crap bike(~40lb) ->hybrid(~32lb) ->versatile roadbike(~20lb) (+rack + mudguards) upgrade.

My advice would be to miss out the hybrid part.
I am not a member of a club. 80%+ of my miles are commuting.

trex_hunter

hstiles
Even if the boardman is above the £999.99 mark for c2w scheme, try speaking to the retailers, sometimes they do agree to split the price to two parts: 999.99 on the c2w scheme and you pay the rest.

With regards to the financial advantages of c2w scheme, they are no where as big as they used to be in the past. The new guidelines state that for a bike that costed > £500, the fair market value would be £25% of the original price after 1 year. Now if you were saving 40%, that is now a mere 15%. Even worse, if you are on the NHS (which cannot claim VAT), yours savings drop from 35% to 10%. Have I got the maths right?
Details can be found on Evans cycles guide:
https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http ... nce_V2.pdf

sc999cs

trex_hunter wrote:

hstiles
Even if the boardman is above the £999.99 mark for c2w scheme, try speaking to the retailers, sometimes they do agree to split the price to two parts: 999.99 on the c2w scheme and you pay the rest.

With regards to the financial advantages of c2w scheme, they are no where as big as they used to be in the past. The new guidelines state that for a bike that costed > £500, the fair market value would be £25% of the original price after 1 year. Now if you were saving 40%, that is now a mere 15%. Even worse, if you are on the NHS (which cannot claim VAT), yours savings drop from 35% to 10%. Have I got the maths right?
Details can be found on Evans cycles guide:
https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http ... nce_V2.pdf

Interesting bit in theGuardian about the changes:

I asked HMRC for confirmation. It said: "The statutory exemption for cycles loaned to employees is not subject to any time limit and will continue to apply as long as the conditions about use and availability are satisfied … HMRC sees no difficulty in the employee being offered the opportunity to buy the bike at a later date than had originally been expected, and using the market value percentage that applies at that later date." After three years, a £500 bike's fair market value is 12% of the original price, falling to 2% after five years, says HMRC.

trex_hunter

sc999cs
Good point Steve.
I forgot to explain the reasoning behind the 12 month above: it's simply because most salary sacrifices are set for either 12 or 18 month.
Also note that a bike's fair market value after 6 years is negligible!
I'm still p*ssed at the fact that the new savings are miserable, and I can't use the loophole of "loaning the bike for free" as my contract rotates between different NHS Trusts meaning I won't be working for the same employer beyond 12 months. Maybe I'm better off buying the bike myself!
Constant headwind
Any idea how long is the salary sacrifice set to be?

The Rookie

sc999cs wrote:

Interesting bit in theGuardian about the changes:

Not 'changes' at all of course, merely reminding people how the scheme has meant to have been run all the time, and due to the flagrant abuse of the scheme they are now clamping down.

Simon

sc999cs

trex_hunter wrote:

Maybe I'm better off buying the bike myself!

Even if the savings are negligible, because I have to pay back the tax savings in the form of my final payment, I'm looking at the cycle 2 work scheme as a form of interest free credit for a bike I couldn't afford to buy outright.

I cycle commute every day so I feel that I'm using the scheme as it was intended. What really gets me is that if I maintain and look after the bike I have to pay more at the end of the scheme than if I trash the bike.