Cycle to work Scheme

[bainbridge]

The flex benefits package with my employer closes today, so I need to decide if I want to join the scheme. Bike prices seem to have shot up, a few "best bikes for £1500" or "best bikes for £2000" articles written this year have live links to the bikes for sale and the prices are way over the figures quoted in the articles. Furthermore, availability is almost non existent, wiggle, CRC, tredz have basically nothing in stock in common frame sizes and when I looked at a build from Ribble they quoted and end of December supply date.

So, if I were to join, I'd potentially get a 2020 model a few days before 2021. Apparently the supply issue isn't going to get better any time soon, it's going to be like this for the next couple of years. I don't have a road bike, and after doing a 48 mile road ride on Sunday (tour de Bristol) riding a steel tourer with front and rear racks and 45mm tyres, I want one. The cruising speed of my tourer is much slower.

Just venting really

 

[bainbridge]

I would say bite the bullet still and buy the bike you want, even if paying over the odds. On Cycle2Work, I would recommend you also take into consideration any loss of pension in the total paid.

Good point about pension contributions. There's lots of 0% finance options from retailers with no money taken before delivery, or a small deposit. I wonder if, while waiting for a build, the company moves onto 21MY would they supply a newer bike? I might ask