Best time to buy?

Schmy

I'm planning on getting my first road bike and wondered when the best time is in terms of deals?

My initial plan was to ride my MTB through Autumn/Winter then get a road bike in the (possibly?) January sales. However I've noticed a lot of end of season sales at the moment. Are these like the perpetual DFS sofa sales i.e. they're are pretty much on all the time?

I notice lots of models with 2011 in the name. Do the retailers look to flog off the "defunct" models once the new and improved 2012 arrives?

If I wait until next year I'll get some SPD pedals and shoes for my MTB. I'd rather not splash out on two pairs of shoes so what would be the recommendation for a shoe that's good for MTB and road?

coman1985

i dont know much about the deals but depends on what bike store your buying from...

If your paye then speaking to your employer to do the cycle to work scheme as that may give you an additional 40% saving so there claiming google a cycle to work scheme calculator and it will tell you more.

i do know halford slashed there prices on a carrera virtuoso and the new 2011 model was £100 more and there pretty much the same bike but 2011 model looks so much better. So yes the older models will go down in price but it will be the same next year and year after so just buy what makes you feel good and comfortable and do the cycle to work scheme best discount you will get.

anto164

Best time of the year? NOW!

Eurobike is this week, so all the new 2012 bikes will be landing starting the end of the week onwards.

Shops want rid of the 'old' stock for the new stuff (Even though 70pc of the time, it's identical just with a different paint job) so are currently offering bigger discount.

Only issue is that shops have been doing this for the past month, so selection may be limited now, as a lot of the 2011 bikes have been snapped up already.

Schmy

Thanks for the info

Regarding the Cycle to Work scheme, just how... erm... flexible is it? I live 45 miles from my office and will never be commuting by bike. The .gov site says the bike should "mainly" be used for commuting i.e. <50% personal use.

How regulated is it?

coman1985

i dont know how regulated it is to be honest i guess they cant regulate it but i suppose if someone told the inland revenue of foul play then they will probably throw there toys out of there pram.

but i wouldnt reccomend it if that is one of the clauses i havent used it myself so i didnt really go to the ins and outs of it... sorry

Kerguelen

As far as I know it is not regulated at all. The taxman will not be standing at the end of your road with a clipboard to see how often you use it to ride to work... probably...

There can be pitfalls though. The terms of the agreement that covers how much you have to pay at the end of the lease period has already been changed during the lifetime of the scheme and VAT has been levied where it was not previously. Who's to say the terms of the agreement won't be changed again?

Another thing to be aware of is that if you quit your job or are dismissed, the remainder of the purchase price becomes due immediately.

I'm on the verge of resigning from my job for something better, and I also prefer the certainty of knowing that I own the bike once I sign on the dotted line - so the scheme doesn't work for me.

garrynolan

Hi, re: your 2nd question. I have Shimano M520 pedals (cheap, very reliable and double-sided for ease of use). I also have Shimano MO86 shoes - a bit blingy but they look good on MTB or road. Again, inexpensive, comfortable and easy to use. Got mine from chainreactioncycles - lots of similar ones on their site but some are stupidly expensive! Good luck. G.

Zendog1

I'd think twice about the IR in your circ's.

The way they work is compliance visits every now and again (how often depends on the size / rep of the employer) - we used to get one a year.

They tend to home in a few topics each time. So all they need to do is ask for a list of home address and distances to work for all CTW bikes and you would be in the clag with them and your employer. Tax works the other way round to normal law - you are gulity until proved innocent.

carl_p

Schmy wrote:

I notice lots of models with 2011 in the name. Do the retailers look to flog off the "defunct" models once the new and improved 2012 arrives?

New and improved can mean a 15% increase on 'last year's' price and often a lower spec as well.

Schmy

garrynolan wrote:

Hi, re: your 2nd question. I have Shimano M520 pedals (cheap, very reliable and double-sided for ease of use). I also have Shimano MO86 shoes - a bit blingy but they look good on MTB or road. Again, inexpensive, comfortable and easy to use. Got mine from chainreactioncycles - lots of similar ones on their site but some are stupidly expensive! Good luck. G.

Thanks for that and thanks for the tip on chainreactioncycles. A new one on me and the prices look good.


Regarding the C2W thing I've looked into it this evening and I don't really think it's worth the risk. Maximum is £1k and that's a £400 saving. At the end of the year I'd have to buy it for "market value" and even if we fudged an 85% depreciation to £150 I'd be paying out £780 (inc VAT).

Going back to the original question are there deals to be had around January when the weather is bad and stock is costing money?

Hierotochan

Now is pretty good, plus you'll have some time (before the winter kicks in properly) to get out rather than leaving it until Jan.

The stock isn't really "costing" them anything as they have been selling the 2011 & will be selling the same 2012 models until this time next year, plus the longer you leave it the less you can guarantee you'll be able to find your size in one of those bargains!

There are some goodies to be had though, saw this the other day: http://www.evanscycles.com/products/eddy-merckx/emx-1-veloce-2011-road-bike-ec029760?query=emx1
Bargain!

RoadyForever

Now is pretty good, I got 25% off last week (£1900 => £1400). The only real difference between most 2011 and 2012 bikes is the colour scheme and more cost cutting each year.

sloppyschleckonds

9am

zedcor

SloppySchleckonds wrote:

9am

???

warrerj

Schmy wrote:

garrynolan wrote:

Hi, re: your 2nd question. I have Shimano M520 pedals (cheap, very reliable and double-sided for ease of use). I also have Shimano MO86 shoes - a bit blingy but they look good on MTB or road. Again, inexpensive, comfortable and easy to use. Got mine from chainreactioncycles - lots of similar ones on their site but some are stupidly expensive! Good luck. G.

Thanks for that and thanks for the tip on chainreactioncycles. A new one on me and the prices look good.


Regarding the C2W thing I've looked into it this evening and I don't really think it's worth the risk. Maximum is £1k and that's a £400 saving. At the end of the year I'd have to buy it for "market value" and even if we fudged an 85% depreciation to £150 I'd be paying out £780 (inc VAT).

Going back to the original question are there deals to be had around January when the weather is bad and stock is costing money?

You won't even save that much. As of Jan 2012 HMRC will add VAT to payments so there's an extra 20%. They also tightened up on min. fair market value so anything over £500 will have a fiar market value of 25% after 12 months. So in effect you'll save next to nothing over 12 months. What you really get is 0% credit for 12 months.

llywmog

more on cycle to work. when i did it a few years back, i was only allowed by my employer to buy from tredz and the discount had to be on retail price, not sale. was also annoyed that i could not add my own cash to the £1000 to get higher spec.