Another What-Bike-or-talk-me-out-of-it thread

poptart242
poptart242 Posts: 531
edited October 2016 in Road buying advice
OK, so I'm in a quandry. I know I'm N+1-ing but I can't help it!

I've £2.5k to play with (self-imposed limit) on a bike to work scheme.

Sale bikes are open to me because my employer self-administers and pays the retailer up front without a cut, so maybe I've room to haggle with an LBS.
I currently ride a previous generation Supersix Evo 105, with a few upgrades to make it my own (doval rings, carbon post, Ultegra rear mech, Mavic Cosmics).
I have a CXer for commuting and wet duties, so the 'six is my fun bike - chain gangs, fast club rides, long days out and possible racing next season.
If I got a new one I could sell the Cannondale, or keep it in Majorca at my parent's house (I'm out there at least a couple of times per year).

Basically, can I get a better bike for the money? I'm really thinking the Scott Foil 20 (full Ultegra) in 2016 livery looks brilliant value at £2k.

Am I being stupid?

Comments

  • bbrap
    bbrap Posts: 610
    Far from it. If spending the money on something you want does not compromise anything else, why not. You are only on this planet for a brief period, enjoy it while you can.
    Rose Xeon CDX 3100, Ultegra Di2 disc (nice weather)
    Ribble Gran Fondo, Campagnolo Centaur (winter bike)
    Van Raam 'O' Pair
    Land Rover (really nasty weather :lol: )
  • iPete
    iPete Posts: 6,076
    If serious about racing next year, keep the Dale. Race what you can afford to replace, etc.

    Personally don't see the point, unless there is a weakness in the current bike? I'd spend the money on a powermeter/coach/other. It really depends on what 2.5k is worth to you.
  • Bobbinogs
    Bobbinogs Posts: 4,841
    Yepp, don't get the point of the purchase. I am all for N+1 but the +1 has to be different in some way, like an Allez owner buying a Venge for sunny days or a Venge owner buying an Allez for racing...or someone with a really racy setup bike buying something more relaxed with mudguards, etc. Just replacing the SS for another very similar bike just means you get, err, two very similar bikes.

    As above, if you really want the Foil on the CTW scheme then you may want to consider selling the SS and spending the money elsewhere, like training or powermeter, or perhaps some bling deep section wheels, etc.
  • cruff
    cruff Posts: 1,518
    iPete wrote:
    If serious about racing next year, keep the Dale. Race what you can afford to replace, etc.

    Personally don't see the point, unless there is a weakness in the current bike? I'd spend the money on a powermeter/coach/other. It really depends on what 2.5k is worth to you.
    This

    I've seen enough things at crits in my first year as a fat old chopper to make me think twice about racing on anything 'nice'. My bike is an entry level Venge, which I'd hate to get trashed, but could just about live with the cost of replacing the frame - but I've seen 4th cats riding 8 grand's worth of Vias - more money than sense.

    A power meter is the best thing you can buy for racing - after buying one and using it extensively for the last six months, I know exactly what my weaknesses are and plan on working on them over the next few months. Other than that, if you're dead set on buying 'things', some nice light, aero wheels (won't make a massive difference but certainly feel nice racing on them) and a bike fit
    Fat chopper. Some racing. Some testing. Some crashing.
    Specialising in Git Daaahns and Cafs. Norvern Munkey/Transplanted Laaandoner.
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,310
    The way the pound is going, you might as well buy it now, as next year for the same money you'll get aluminium with Sora groupset
    left the forum March 2023
  • poptart242
    poptart242 Posts: 531
    Good points all. I must admit a race frame and a nice frame is an excellent point, because lots of the racing will be crit-style. And wet summer club runs I doubt I'd want to take my CX, so in a way of sorts it makes sense... but I'll see how I feel about all of that when I have the Scott, and I'll no doubt sell and buy some nice hoops as Bobbinogs suggests.

    I'll be training with power meter this winter regardless so it's not an either/or, which is nice.
  • Ascot17
    Ascot17 Posts: 97
    How are you managing to get to this sort of value on a B2W scheme?

    I thought that the limit was £1000? Even if your employer self-administers the scheme, isn't the tax break limit imposed by HMRC?
  • poptart242
    poptart242 Posts: 531
    If your employer has a consumer credit license the limit goes up to £5k, I believe. I'm unsure on the tax side. And since it's self-administered, there's no middleman fee going to Cyclescheme or the like.

    I'll admit all of the above should be taken with a pinch of salt, since I'm just the beneficiary of the above, I haven't looked into the ins and outs. Tax wise it's top line, and it'll be over either 18 months or 2 years so I suppose that'll help limits on tax benefit.
  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    Well bugger me; after years of saying they wouldn't do it, my employer is finally offering a cycle to work scheme!

    Trouble is, I already have 2 bikes, and I rarely cycle to work.

    Still, it's hard to resist the possibility of getting a £1000 bike for less than £600....
  • poptart242
    poptart242 Posts: 531
    Get it done!

    The N+1 rule of course starts with "while the minimum number of bikes one owns should be three..."
  • ilovegrace
    ilovegrace Posts: 677
    On the CTW scheme,subject , how am I going to get a bike for £1150 when my company nor I have this credit thing.
    I would pay the £150 outright , whats the crack here?
    Any advise is gratefully received.
    thanks
    ILG
  • BenderRodriguez
    BenderRodriguez Posts: 907
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    The way the pound is going, you might as well buy it now, as next year for the same money you'll get aluminium with Sora groupset
    :D:D:D
    "an original thinker… the intellectual heir of Galileo and Einstein… suspicious of orthodoxy - any orthodoxy… He relishes all forms of ontological argument": jane90.
  • jdee84
    jdee84 Posts: 288
    ilovegrace wrote:
    On the CTW scheme,subject , how am I going to get a bike for £1150 when my company nor I have this credit thing.
    I would pay the £150 outright , whats the crack here?
    Any advise is gratefully received.
    thanks
    ILG



    Craic*
  • ilovegrace
    ilovegrace Posts: 677
    jdee84 wrote:
    ilovegrace wrote:
    On the CTW scheme,subject , how am I going to get a bike for £1150 when my company nor I have this credit thing.
    I would pay the £150 outright , whats the crack here?
    Any advise is gratefully received.
    thanks
    ILG



    Craic*
    How remiss of me, sorry for the mistake
    regards
    ILG
  • mrb123
    mrb123 Posts: 4,787
    jdee84 wrote:
    ilovegrace wrote:
    On the CTW scheme,subject , how am I going to get a bike for £1150 when my company nor I have this credit thing.
    I would pay the £150 outright , whats the crack here?
    Any advise is gratefully received.
    thanks
    ILG



    Craic*

    Actually, this depends where you are in the world. Craic is the correct term when used in the context of Ireland, but in the vernacular of Cumbria and the North East, crack is the correct spelling, for example...
    http://www.cumbriacrack.com/
    http://www.thecrackmagazine.com/
    http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.p ... he%20crack
  • poptart242
    poptart242 Posts: 531
    Scottish here, craic. But fortunately we know what ILG meant so we can all move on with our lives.

    You can usually pay the extra amount direct to the retailer ILG - they then write the invoice to your work as the £1k. Bear in mind you'll only receive tax benefits on the £1k though, not the full amount.

    In other news, bought the Scott. It arrives next week!

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