Cycle to work scheme friendly bike for light commuting

[Summi]

Hiya - this seems to be a great place for getting helpful information, so I hope somebody will be able to advise. I am a 36 year old, reasonably fit mother of a toddler (18m), and I am intrigued by the idea of having some "help" up the hills, against the wind and when cycling with my daughter in the baby seat. I used to cycle everywhere in my flat, sunny and well-equipped-for-bikes German hometown, but now have been defeated by the geographical nature of the northeast of Scotland, at least for everyday use. I am looking for something suitable for my height (1.65m or about 5'5" or so), weight normal . A crossbar frame and LCD display with speedometer would be nice, suspension fork really not necessary as they aren't going to be great at that price anyway, and for offroad stuff I've got a nice Trex mountain bike. The bike would mostly be used for the 6 mile round-trip into town, over moderate hills (steep enough to be a nuisance, and a continuous slog on the way home), sometimes to work, sometimes for shopping. What is out there that fits the bill?
I have had a look at Ezee Sprint Primo, Ebco UCR30 and Kudos Tourer - the main thing is whether the frame will be too big for me? Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[Alan Quay]

My advice is forget the cycle to work scheme. It's debatable whether it will save you money, but it will certainty limit your choice.

 

[amigafan2003]

My advice is forget the cycle to work scheme. It's debatable whether it will save you money, but it will certainty limit your choice.

It saved me a bomb.

Just looked through my docs - bought a Trek FX 7.6 bike in June 2012 - £900 rrp reduced to £800.

My gross salary sacrifice amount was £66.67 a month, which amounted to a net monthly payment of £38.67. Over the 12 months I paid £464 in total.

June 2013 I made an "extended hire deposit" payment of £56 to cyclescheme and if at the end of three years (from last June) I choose to keep the bike (which I will), cyclescheme keep the "extended hire deposit".

So, I've paid £521 for an £900 rrp bike (or 42% off if you prefer), with the added benefit of having an interest free and credit check free loan in the interim.

Sounds like a pretty good deal to me.



As far as an ebike on the cyclescheme goes - I'd get a good base bike on the scheme then buy a kit yourself and convert it - you'll end up with a much better bike in the end.

Example - just don't get carried away with changing it all the time like I did - but I am a tinkerer!

 

[Alan Quay]

The problem is that many of the best value pedelecs are not available on the scheme.

Are Kudos or Woosh involved? (I don't know the answer BTW).

 

[dread]

i also bought bike through the scheme..excellent saving as above. purchased through Ebikes in stoke- good range of bikes..plenty of other cycle 2 work partners out there too

 

[RobF]

I have had a look at Ezee Sprint Primo, Ebco UCR30 and Kudos Tourer - the main thing is whether the frame will be too big for me? Thanks in advance for your help!

You are reasonably fit and light, so you ought to fly on any of the bikes on your shortlist.

However, you mention carrying a child which will obviously add to the weight of your rig.

The Ezee is reckoned to have the pokier motor of the three, so that would be my choice.

Service from Ezee is known to be good, as it is from Kudos - the guys who run the UK importers both post on here regularly and are accessible.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Pay cash or get a loan from the bank then you can buy the bike of your choice. You'll save more money by buying a cheaper bike like a Woosh, which will give you a suitable bike at a price you can afford.

You should choose the bike first, and then find the most appropriate way to pay. If the bike you want is on the Cycle to Work scheme, good luck to you, but to me, it seems more hassle than it's worth.

A Woosh Big Bear LS will make your commute a breeze.

 

[RobF]

. If the bike you want is on the Cycle to Work scheme, good luck to you, but to me, it seems more hassle than it's worth.

The worth of the scheme appears to depend on how the employer/scheme operator finalises it.

Amigafan's 'final hire deposit' looks good value.

Some users are faced with buying the bike after X number of years - if they want to keep it.

The Inland Revenue is realistic, I've heard of them asking for 20 per cent of the purchase price to take into account depreciation.

But that final payment of nearly £200 wipes out much of the tax saving.

Practically, I think a lot of employers can't be bothered/forget all about it once the final monthly salary sacrifice has been made.

Great, but strictly speaking the user has a bike they don't own and a liability, albeit one which will almost certainly never be chased.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

What happens if you want a better bike after six months?

 

[RobF]

What happens if you want a better bike after six months?

You order it, wait six months - this is the bike industry - by which time you can start another scheme.

 

[Summi]

Thank you so much for your comments so far! I'll definitely go with the cycle to work scheme as I like not having to pay in a onner - and saving quite a bit.
Is there anybody out there my size who has tried any of the bikes on my shortlist?
And can anybody advise on adapters for babyseats for bikes with rear-mounted batteries?

 

[RobF]

Some baby seats clamp to the seat tube of the frame.

The seat sits quite high, so I expect there would be enough clearance for a carrier mounted battery.

That type flexes a bit as you ride along, giving the child a nice, compliant ride.

A seat that clamps directly to the carrier may also fit, although some batteries leave little clearance around the bars of the carrier, making it difficult to mount the clamps.

Trial and error at the bike shop is the answer.

 

[Kudoscycles]

Summi,some of our dealers offer the cycle to work scheme,but it can be expensive to operate ( the cycle to work scheme company charge 10 per cent plus vat on the purchase price of the bike) and it's a real pain to get all the vouchers/paperwork done.
You are right on the lower limit for the Kudos Tourer,if you have long legs it may be ok,it's usually a 5'5" to 5'10" bike.
What about the Kudos Cobra? Good value at £835.00,it can be fitted with a rear rack to take a child's seat and is a nicely balanced bike to ride with the battery on the down tube. Putting a child's seat on a bike with a rear hub,rear battery and child does make it a bit back end heavy.
Depends how much you want to spend but the new KTM Macina bikes with crank drive and down tube mounted battery make ideal child carrying bikes,average of £2k though,available in 46 or 48 frame sizes.
The new KTM Macina Fun 9 in a small frame size would be a nice bike,it already has a substantial rear rack,Bosch crank drive and down tube mounted battery,all road mods like lights and mudguards,priced £1899.00
KudosDave