£1000 to spend on C2W scheme... Bike advice please..

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vickster

Legendary Member
Totally annoyed my employer doesnt do any tax free bike schemes, its the local council and all they drone on about is make the place greener, save energy blah blah and they cant even encourage their employees to use bikes instead of cars ;(
You might well find that a reduced older model on an interest free credit card works out cheaper - you can pay off at own pace (clearing by end of term), there's no balloon payment and you aren't beholden to the employer in any way
 

bpsmith

Veteran
You might well find that a reduced older model on an interest free credit card works out cheaper - you can pay off at own pace (clearing by end of term), there's no balloon payment and you aren't beholden to the employer in any way

I did the C2W thing last year and thought exactly the same part way through. The key is buying at the right time in order to get the discount to match the C2W. Even with paying the tax on the balloon payment, the saving is at least 25%, depending on tax bracket, and whether your bike falls above or below £500.

I would want to save a significant saving to buy an older model compared to C2W brand new model. 35% or more, which is hard to find on popular sizes and models.
 

vickster

Legendary Member
Personally, I wouldn't want to commit myself to an employer for 12 months, nor be beholden to a specific supplier / bike. Also I hate paying full price for things if they could be bought for less elsewhere, even if there is a saving which you don't really see from salary sacrifice! Some retailers also whack 10-12% on the price to cover their C2W costs

That said, I doubt I'll ever buy another new bike ready built
 

bpsmith

Veteran
My C2W was by Halfords. They don't charge any additional fees. The only proviso being that you pay the RRP on any bike they source for you. If there is a sale on bikes they stock, then you get the discount in store though.

For the Defy 1 that I bought, 2013 models were sold out and nobody had the 2014 model on sale as was only a week old when I ordered. Was therefore a no brainer for me. Not many of the new bikes have 25% off, or anything at all most of the time, so works very well with the right provider.

I take @vickster 's point about not buying ready built in fairness.
 
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