CTW Query

[J4CKO]

My scheme for my first bike is up at Christmas, I will then start a second straight away, trouble is I cant decide between MTB or Road bike, I have aHybrid and have recently re-commisioned my hack bike (1990 Diamon Back Topanga, remember the seat stem thread , finally got it out, or my dad did with a cold chisel)

Anyway, was thinking, rather than getting one or he other at up to a grand could I not get a reasonable Hardtail and Road bike for about £500 each, is this allowed and would that allow me to get a reasonable bike from each type, I am not after ultimate performance but to be able to go out with different sets of mates who have different bike preferences, a hybrid doesnt really work for either situation !

So, if its possible, can anyone recommend what to go for at that kind of budget, prefer the less racy style of road bike, Allez, that kind of thing.

 

[TheDoctor]

Hmmm. Strictly speaking, I don't think you're allowed to get two bikes. IIRC, you're supposed to use the bike to commute to work at least 50% of the time, and if you have two, then obviously that ain't gonna happen.

The Spesh Allez always gets good review, if that helps...

 

[levad]

Hmmm. Strictly speaking, I don't think you're allowed to get two bikes. IIRC, you're supposed to use the bike to commute to work at least 50% of the time, and if you have two, then obviously that ain't gonna happen.

The Spesh Allez always gets good review, if that helps...

Unless you commute by bike every day (and work an even number of days in the year!).

 

[ELL]

The cycle shop may sell you 2 bikes but if the tax man looks into it he may see it as tax fraud. I think a lot of people get too greedy when it comes to CTW and just want everything. IMO get a bike that you want and don't try and beet the system its not worth it

 

[BentMikey]

One way to do it might be to get one bike this year, and the other a year later, depending on the length of your CTW scheme?

 

[nigelnorris]

I don't believe that anyone has ever been charged with fraud in relation to a cycle scheme, would be good to see evidence if anyone disagrees. There are no CTW police, if you can find a shop that will sell you two bikes then you'll have no problem.

In most cases the process is so complicated, an employer joins a third party scheme and orders the voucher from them and passes it on to the employee, the individual take the voucher to the shop and gets a bike, the shop sends the voucher to the third party, goodness knows what they do with it or the details of the goods but I bet the employer never sees it. In fact I think that all an employer knows is the value of the vouchers, nothing about the bike(s) at all. Or cares probably. And although the third party knows what you spent it on they have no knowledge of you or the company or the suitability of what you bought or whether it is being used. Or cares.

When looking to buy my bike I saw in the literature somewhere a side note that two bikes is allowed so that for example people can have one for each end of a train journey. Can't find it atm I'll come back with a link.

 

[nigelnorris]

Here it is

http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/sustainable/cycling/cycletoworkschemeimplementat5732?page=1#a1003

"It is possible to loan two cycles to one employee if, for example, that employee needed a cycle at either end of a train journey between their home and place of work."

Like I said above I don't believe you have any need to justify your purchases, but if you wanted to and were to tell them for instance that you want a mountain bike for winter and a road bike for summer I'm sure that would suffice.

 

[SavageHoutkop]

It's not that you need to cycle to work 50% of the time; it's that the bike you buy needs to be used more than 50% of the times you use it to cycle to work, IIRC...

 

[J4CKO]

I cycle to work most of the time on the first bike I got via CTW, unlike all my colleagues that got bike, one lady bought a grands worth of Orange P7 that has been used twice and now lives in a spare bedroom so I am using the scheme in the spirit it is intended and realistically its an agreement where I can spend a grand on a bike and not be taxed on it, surely whether that is one bike or two it doesnt really matter but obviously I wouldnt want to cause any problems, its maybe taking the pee a little bit but compared to the rest who spend a grand on a bike and never/hardly use it, it isnt !

 

[BrumJim]

I'll give you a review on commuting on a Spec Allez some time next week. Hopefully. Not got mine yet - still being built in the shop.