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Cycle2Work Suggestions

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  • May 5, 2016 at 8:05 am #25687
    JLammy

    Hi guys,

    I am currently wanting to sign up for the Cycle2Work scheme with my employer and I would like to have some recommendations on which road bike I should choose to go for, once I get my collection letter. I’ve only had MTBs in the past, so this will be my first ever road bike.

    The cycle to work is around 13 miles within London.

    I will be going for the maximum amount of £1000.

    I believe there is an option to obtain the bike from independent retailers, other than Halfords. However, I’ve been told that there are some benefits to getting the bike through Halfords:

    The following benefits will also be available to you (restricted to purchasing bikes from Halfords rather than independent retailers)
     

    •    7.5% free accessories (based on the value of the Letter of Collection) if you select any of the 32 bike brands stocked and sourced through Halfords stores. The accessories voucher forms a part of the Letter of Collection and needs to be redeemed at the same time as the Letter of Collection.

    •    20% loyalty card sent a month after the election window which give you 20% off cycle safety accessories for the length of the hire term.

    •    Free 6 week Service on all bikes supplied through the scheme.

    •    Free 1 year bike care providing over £100 worth of annual service and repair benefits:

    Comprehensive 25 point annual service (normally £29.99) including wheels and tyres; brakes; gears; drive chain and frame
    Free professional maintenance and repairs throughout the year by fully trained cycle mechanics – paying only for the parts used
    Free labour charges for parts and accessory fitting

    ————–

    More than happy to go for a bike through an independent retailer if the bike is better value for money – I’ll be more than happy to just spend the ~£75 on accessories from my own wallet.

    Any help or advice is much appreciated! J

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  • May 14, 2016 at 12:24 pm #871193
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    JLammy
    Jacobi wrote:
     

    Ok, I didn’t know that. I don’t know how the C2W system works.

    I would suggest maybe looking at the German brands like Cube and Canyon. You’ll get quality bikes with better specs for your money. Whatever you go for I hope you get years of pleasure out of it. Good luck.

     

    Had a look at Cube bikes (I had a Cube MTB a few years back which I ordered direct form Germany as it was cheaper – can’t do this, as I’ll be using the C2W voucher)

     

    Another bike to throw into the question is:

    Cube Attain SL for £999
    http://www.cyclesurgery.com/cube-attain-sl-2016//bikes-components-bikewear/fcp-product/64006?listing=true

    or, if a shop would allow me to pay the extra:

    Cube Attain SL Disc for £1199 – I like the fact it has hydraulic discshttp://www.cyclesurgery.com/cube-attain-sl-disc-2016//bikes-components-bikewear/fcp-product/64007?listing=true

    How do these compare to the bikes mentioned above? 

    Really hoping to buy within the next 2 weeks, as my voucher will be coming soon.

    May 11, 2016 at 7:23 am #871191
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    Jacobi
    JLammy wrote:
    Jacobi wrote:
    A lot of bike shops will soon be selling off 2016 stock at reduced prices. Leave it until June, shop around for a bargain – get higher specs for your money. 

     

    The problem with waiting is that I’ll be receiving my C2W voucher at the end of pay, and if I wait until end of June, I’ll effectively be throwing away £83.33 (I think it’s ~£50 after tax savings)

     

     

    Ok, I didn’t know that. I don’t know how the C2W system works.

    I would suggest maybe looking at the German brands like Cube and Canyon. You’ll get quality bikes with better specs for your money. Whatever you go for I hope you get years of pleasure out of it. Good luck.

    May 10, 2016 at 5:25 pm #871189
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    JLammy
    Jacobi wrote:
    A lot of bike shops will soon be selling off 2016 stock at reduced prices. Leave it until June, shop around for a bargain – get higher specs for your money. 

     

    The problem with waiting is that I’ll be receiving my C2W voucher at the end of pay, and if I wait until end of June, I’ll effectively be throwing away £83.33 (I think it’s ~£50 after tax savings)

     

    May 9, 2016 at 7:31 am #871187
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    Jacobi

    A lot of bike shops will soon

    A lot of bike shops will soon be selling off 2016 stock at reduced prices. Leave it until June, shop around for a bargain – get higher specs for your money. 

    May 9, 2016 at 6:24 am #871185
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    bendertherobot
    JLammy wrote:
    Will definitely go and try them out if I could. It’s a matter of finding a store which stocks most/all of them.

    Yep, the Defy 1 has disc brakes. I’m quite surprised that these road bikes don’t have hydraulic disc brakes. The MTBs I had 2-3 years ago at a similar price range had hydraulic brakes. 

     

    Thanks for the suggestions so far. I am definitely tempted by the Giant on the basis of looks and the disc brakes, however, the fact that the Boardman and the Dolan bikes have carbon frames is hard to ignore.

    It’ll be fine. Carbon is just a medium, what matters is how you make it. Obviously there will be some perceived difference in ride between a Defy and Defy Advanced. But the GIant may be better than the others even in good old alloy. Also you’ll be commuting to the odd dent or scratch will show up whic is fine with alloy.

    May 8, 2016 at 9:15 pm #871183
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    JLammy

    Will definitely go and try

    Will definitely go and try them out if I could. It’s a matter of finding a store which stocks most/all of them.

    Yep, the Defy 1 has disc brakes. I’m quite surprised that these road bikes don’t have hydraulic disc brakes. The MTBs I had 2-3 years ago at a similar price range had hydraulic brakes. 

     

    Thanks for the suggestions so far. I am definitely tempted by the Giant on the basis of looks and the disc brakes, however, the fact that the Boardman and the Dolan bikes have carbon frames is hard to ignore.

    May 8, 2016 at 8:47 pm #871181
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    StraelGuy

    You’ll love it bender, I have

    You’ll love it bender, I have the 2015 defy Advanced 2 and it’s an absolute corker. TheSpyres are pretty good, powerful and dead easy to maintain. I may replace them with hydraulics someday but I’m in no hurry.

    May 8, 2016 at 8:24 pm #871179
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    bendertherobot

    Is the Defy 1 a disc? If so

    Is the Defy 1 a disc? If so that’s just what I’ve ordered on C2W as well. Top looking bike, will be great. Spyres are good brakes. Wheels could stand an upgrade in due course but not urgent.

    May 8, 2016 at 8:12 pm #871177
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    Jack Osbourne snr

    Nixster wrote:

    Nixster wrote:
    No-one cares what groupset their bike has when their back is killing them.

    No one cares about back pain when they’re riding Campagnolo. 🙂

    May 8, 2016 at 7:30 pm #871175
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    Nixster

    If it were my money, the

    If it were my money, the Giant, the Boardman or the Cannondale – there’s a reason these brands sell in great quantities, they are great bikes.

    The Giant has quite an upright position, the Boardman quite stretched out and the Cannondale somewhere in between.  Try them and buy the one you find most comfortable.  No-one cares what groupset their bike has when their back is killing them.

    May 8, 2016 at 7:25 pm #871173
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    StraelGuy

    I may be a tad biased here

    I may be a tad biased here but I’d go for the Giant yes. Tredz is showing it at £899 by the way.

    May 8, 2016 at 6:27 pm #871171
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    JLammy

    I’ve finally filtered it down

    I’ve finally filtered it down to these 6 bikes. Now I need someone to help me choose decide…

    Road bikes:

    – Giant Defy 1 2016 (Shimano 105): £999 from Tredz
    – Merida Reacto 400 2016 (Shimano 105): £999 from Tredz
    – Dolan l’Etape (Shimano 105): £849.99 
    – Dolan l’Etape (Ultegra 6800): £1049.99
    – Boardman Team Carbon 2016: £999

    CX bikes:

    – Cannondale CaadX 105 2016: £899.99 from Tredz

    May 8, 2016 at 10:24 am #871169
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    Jack Osbourne snr

    I will second tje comments of
    I will second tje comments of alotronic and arfa.

    If you’re planning to commute year round, I strongly recommend disc brakes.

    Rim brakes are less reliable in the wet and you’d be amazed at how abrasive city road muck is. It eats rims in a way that rural road slime doesn’t get close to.

    I know you’re in London and although it rains less there than in my part of the world, stopping in the wet is still a consideration.

    I ride a Boardman CX and after a couple of modifications think it’s pretty much ideal for my 14 mile commute across Glasgow.

    I carry a laptop, paperwork and a full change of clothes both ways and on 35mm Vittoria Hyper slicks, the ride is fast and comfortable. (The tyres were 9.99 from Planet x a while back).

    I did use a hybrid before that, but switched to the CX for the option of a lower position into the wind… Which is most days on the way home. If wind is less of an issue on your commute a hybrid is a perfectly viable option.

    For comparison, I occasionally use a vintage race bike if the weather is good and I have been able to leave the laptop overnight. As fun as it is, the ride is much more challenging as a (my) race bike doesn’t handle well when carrying loads other than me. I wouldn’t do it in the wet.

    May 7, 2016 at 7:25 pm #871167
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    JLammy

    Thanks for all of the replies

    Thanks for all of the replies and advice so far. I’ll definitely look into CX bikes as well as hub gears, locks etc. Very helpful advice so far!

    I’m thankful that my employer is a fairly big company, so the office has a massive basement dedicated for cyclist facilities, showers etc. with security guards – although I think I’ll still lock up the bike with a lock of some sort. It will be year-around commuting, so I guess i’ll be spending a little extra on mudguards and wintery stuff.

     

    So it turns out that there are a few places that accepts the ‪Halfords vouchers…

    Tredz (Filted on £900-£1000):

    ‪http://www.tredz.co.uk/road-bikes/price/900-1000

     

    Wheelbase (Filtered on £900-£1000):

    ‪http://www.wheelbase.co.uk/bikes-frames … .8-1004.01

     

    Dolan Bikes:

    ‪http://www.dolan-bikes.com/road/road-bi … arbon.html

     

    How good are the Dolan L’etape carbon road bikes?

     

    May 7, 2016 at 5:41 pm #871165
    0
    arfa

    You might be surprised by how

    You might be surprised by how much wear and tear you get with caliper brakes commuting year round in London. You have lots of braking and I’ve never got more than 5,000 miles out of caliper braked rims commuting. The OP has 13 miles a day, that’ll soon clock up. Conversley my disk braked wheels are as good as new after 10,000 miles.  Not having to replace wheels is quite a significant saving in my book.

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