Cycle to work scheme

[williaa68]

I am about to start a new job in January which for the first time gives me access to the cycle to work scheme. There are various levels - £500, £750 and a maximum of £1,000. There isn't a huge amount of information on the company benefits website but it seems I get a voucher which i then use in any participating retailer. Assuming I go for the max, and it seems silly not to given the tax break, any suggestions on a good commuting bike? I would, to be honest, probably only use it for commuting occasionally but would also want it for weekends etc to go out with my (much fitter) wife. Due to a still dodgy back I think i would prefer straight to drop bars. All thought welcome, and appreciated.

[AndyWoodall]

In the never ending quest to add bikes to the fleet for spurious reasons I've long had my eye on this as a commuter bike (I use a road bike or an MTB so difficult to justify this to be honest!)...

https://www.cotic.co.uk/product/roadrat

Great UK support, really nice attention to detail, have a search for a local dealer as I don't think they do Cycle work direct from them but a local bike shop will.

[anonymous-user]

Good to factor in lights/mudguards/lock/helmet, all of which can be purchased via the scheme, out of the £1k

[williaa68]

AndyWoodall said:

In the never ending quest to add bikes to the fleet for spurious reasons I've long had my eye on this as a commuter bike (I use a road bike or an MTB so difficult to justify this to be honest!)...

https://www.cotic.co.uk/product/roadrat

Great UK support, really nice attention to detail, have a search for a local dealer as I don't think they do Cycle work direct from them but a local bike shop will.

That's very helpful thank you. I will go into soho bikes and have a look.

[AndyWoodall]

williaa68 said:

That's very helpful thank you. I will go into soho bikes and have a look.

No worries, never ridden one but every other Cotic I've ridden has been excellent and this looks no different.

See if Marius is in, he's a mechanic but I think he sells sometimes and he rides a Cotic daily, good shop.

[sjg]

There's a few different schemes - employers can handle it all themselves but it's usually passed off to a third party to do it all.

If you do fancy a Cotic, Freedom Bikes in Brighton got me a Cotic Escapade via the Halfords scheme, and I think they work with most of the other schemes too.

[Stiggolas]

I've just got a Genesis Croix de Fer 20 on the cycle to work scheme. Managed to get a 2015 model for £750 rather than £1200 for the new version. So far it has done a couple of 75 mile rides and a 95 miler. It's the most comfortable bike I've owned since I was a kid (51 now). The only drawbacks are the tyres which are Continental CX tyres - crap in the winter, averaged a puncture every 10 miles for the first 50 miles...changed to Schwalbe Marathon Mondials, much better and no more flats. The other drawback is its weight (11.5kg before mudguards / rack etc) but it feels bombproof on and off road. It's a keeper

[AC43]

You might want to put a fair whack aside for gear. A Gore shell, for example, is a great bit of kit but not cheap - £160 pull price, £100 or so on a CTW voucher. 2 x lights at £20-ish each. Mudguards, decent lock, etc. Overboots. Leaving you, say, £800-£850 for the bike itself.

Plenty of threads on what to wear to commute (me; a couple of pairs of cheap shorts, several cheap base layers, Gore Shell, overboots, gloves, head warmer).