Cycle to work scheme

Apparently I am limited to Evans in the Bike to Work Scheme to which our company is signed up.

My problem is that I would have liked to have customised my own Single Speed bike, and had spoken to Foffa about this. (I know there is some disdain for them on here but they are very local to me and it seems to be generally accepted now that they have improved). However, Evans won't entertain the idea of working with Foffa at all.

I have spoken to a few other LBS's and some seem happy to try and work with Foffa in perhaps customising a bike themselves for me and then selling through Evans (with some sort of commission for Evans). I am yet to speak to Evans about whether any other company might be possible.

My questions are thus:

1. Does anyone else have any experience of buying a bike from another LBS through Evans on the Bike to Work scheme?
   
2. If I am limited to Evans, which Single Speed would be your recommendation? I have a budget of £1,000 to include helmet, locks, etc.
   
3. It does sound very much like Bike to Work / Cyclescheme is not the 'no-brainer' we're led to believe. What would be your advice alternatively?
   
   
   

Links here:
http://www.evanscycles.com/categories/bikes/single-speed-fixed-gear-bikes?utm_source=78888&utm_medium=Awin&utm_campaign=Affiliate
http://www.evanscycles.com/categories/bikes/track-bikes

Thanks.

Generally because of the 10-15% that Evans add to bikes bought from other shops through their scheme, it's not worth doing... To buy a foffa bike that's doubly true.

1. Does anyone else have any experience of buying a bike from another LBS through Evans on the Bike to Work scheme?
   
   

Yes I bought 2 bikes under C2W from Condor and Tokyo Fixed

1. If I am limited to Evans, which Single Speed would be your recommendation? I have a budget of £1,000 to include helmet, locks, etc.
   
   

Have you tried Tokyo Fixed and Condor?

1. It does sound very much like Bike to Work / Cyclescheme is not the 'no-brainer' we're led to believe. What would be your advice alternatively?
   
   

If you are looking for short term employment commitment I'd recommend you go Evans/CS + Price match + 0% 12 mnths Finance.

1. It does sound very much like Bike to Work / Cyclescheme is not the 'no-brainer' we're led to believe. What would be your advice alternatively?
   
   
   

Your problem is your employer not the scheme. You need to give them a slap.

Thanks people!

amey - sadly my company is not signed to the C2W scheme, but the Bike to Work one. This is specific to Evans only.

Mirius - I know. I tried. They slapped me back. I work for a company with 6,000+ people and they said that with Cycle to Work if every person signing up chose a different LBS they'd be shovelling invoices out by the truckload. This way (Bike to Work / Evans) they only have to deal with one provider.

I popped into Evans this morning and the guy there suggested three bikes on the Evans Single Speed roster...

Cinelli Mystic Rats 2012
Globe Roll 2
Cooper Sebring 2012

He'd also mentioned the Paddy Wagon but I had said I preferred not to use drop bars.

Thoughts?

hey first post, just moved to london...wondering if anyone is familiar with the Bike for the NHS scheme if its any different and exp from it...emailed the helpdesk but no luck so far...

thanks

^^ I would still strongly suggest you go for a custom build with OTP frame from one of these stores;

http://www.brixtoncycles.co.uk/ for Surly Steamroller
http://www.condorcycles.com/ for Potenza or Pista
http://www.pearsoncycles.co.uk/ for Now You See Me

All those stores have Bike to Work scheme, if they are too far it's worth giving them a call, I have no experience with Pearson but the rest 2 are pretty good with customer service.

Edit: Cyclesurgery does some Pearson frames and will custom build it for you, I have seen Pearson Touche frame in my local cycle surgery

Lardboy is right, there is no rule about how much the monthly payments have to be, nor is there a rule about not giving the VAT back to employees:

Officially the company buys the bike, and then rents you the bike they bought at what ever rate they like (I'm aware of a local council who operate a combination of cycle to work and bike allowance which effectively means employees pay 1p a month for 24 months and then get given the option to buy the bike).

You are right they can not mention before the end of the scheme purchasing the bike, or it becomes hire purchase which is subject to income tax as normal.

The period can be as long as the company/scheme admin likes and then if the company offers the bike to the employee there are specific rules on it's value (relative to age and original cost).

But the schemes run by benefit's companies are more heavily regulated by the tax man, who gives large fines (big enough to cripple the smaller companies) if they think a company is taking the piss. Admin fees are charged by some schemes to employees, and sometimes to shops, but that's not important to the tax man and is not part of the rules of the scheme. A lot of companies that run their own schemes do not charge any admin fee.

A credit license is required if a company want to operate a scheme with a bike value of over £1000.

You clearly haven't read the relevant documentation recently. Since January this year, employers are not allowed to pass on the VAT they can claim back.

They would be recovering the full amount by charging 75% of the full amount over the year and then retaining ownership of a bike worth, according to HMRC, £250 after that time. The accountants should be happy with that.

If they then sell you the bike for £250 at the end of the year, they will have loaned out £1,000 and got back £1,000. If they are charging more than £750 over the 12 months, they are making a profit out of you.

In theory yes but that arrangement can't be made explicit in the contract/agreement, as it then becomes a hire-purchase and liable for tax/etc again.

You clearly haven't read the relevant documentation recently. Since January this year, employers are not allowed to pass on the VAT they can claim back.

if they explicitly charge you a share of the bike each money then yes they can't pass on the vat saving.

But they can rent the bike to you at what ever cost they want. Ergo, if they didn't explicitly state you were paying 1/12 back a month and said instead that someone with an £800 bike has to rent for £50 a month for at least a year.

But that would make it hard for companies to endemnify themselves in the way they want too.

Has anyone else had difficulties getting a voucher for a bike over £1000? I was under the impression it was pretty standard to ask for the thousand and just pay the difference to the shop.

According to the scheme. No. You can't unless your company has a credit licence.

You are supposed to be renting a bike from your company so topping up the difference suggests a purchase scheme not rental.

Some local bike shops may be willing to put a different bike on the receipt, but they would get fined if found out.

ah, thanks. That rental/purchase difference explains it better than just saying 'the limit is 1,000 and we're not going to budge'. Bum.

You aren't renting the bike, though it might seem like that. The company are lending you a bike for free, though at the same time they have reduced your salary by an agreed amount. It might seem a small difference but it is important. How much your salary is reduced is entirely down to your company and indeed they don't have to reduce it at all - but not many companies are going to be that generous I suspect.

And yes I would expect a company to only charge you the £750 in the year not the £1,000 if they put a £250 residual into it. But there can be no agreement that you can buy the bike, there is no issue with them only charging £750.

hey first post, just moved to london...wondering if anyone is familiar with the Bike for the NHS scheme if its any different and exp from it...emailed the helpdesk but no luck so far...

thanks
http://www.sustainabletravelsolutions.co.uk/purchase-scheme/

Although they do electric bicycles, they also supply all bikes and products in the Giant range.

With their leased bikes the options include:

• Lights, panniers, odometer, lock and insurance.
  
• Optional comprehensive support package (repair/replace).
  
• On-site maintenance and servicing and call-out response.
  
  

Apparently they have a tailored employee bike purchase scheme.

And no, I don't work for the company, but one more car offa the road is a bonus...

I've only had a quick scan so apologies if this has already been covered but with Cyclescheme, at the end of the year Cyclescheme then take over the bike and you enter into an extended use period for, I think, a further 3 years. On a grand bike this cost about £70.

At the end of this period (i.e. when the bike's 4 year's old) you can buy the bike from the scheme. Obviously the residual value is significantly lower at the end of this period and the bike can be purchased for a peppercorn amount.

There's no commitment to still be with the same employer during this time, although you are still meant to own the bike and commute on it ...

what happens if the bike is stolen within the time of rental?

It's your job to insure it.

Howdy

My work is in the process of running cycle to work again and the company they use is Cycle Solutions

http://cyclesolutions-shop.co.uk/c1/bikes.aspx

I don't have the greatest knowledge and hit with a big list im a bit flabbergasted, my ride is about 9kms going from Willesden to Mayfair.

and i have a 1k to spend, i was recommended the Cinelli Gazzetta by my brother who knows more then I, which i like the look of. Just wanted to know what you folks had to suggest

Cheers

You should have used the search. You may also want to include information about what kind of bicycle you're actually looking for...

i used search but i only found a 1 thing for the cycle solution site and it was dated back years ago.

im looking for a bike to get me to work and home, to be honest i havent owned to many bikes,something fun and fast that i can ride to work everyday.

what kind of information would you be asking for?

You should have used the search.

This.

Road bike recommendations.
Which track bike?
Best sub-grand bikes.

all three of your links arent helpful your first link is dated 5 years ago, the time and effort it took to be rude dude you could have just politely answered my question, im not asking much just some recommendations on some good fun fast bikes to use to ride to work. whatever you would honestly recommend.

im stuck to the Cycle Solution site

For fucks sake...
The first thread was last posted in 2 days ago, not five years ago.
The second thread is still good and relatively up to date.
The third link takes you to at least 10 lists of what people consider to be the best sub-grand bike.

I wasn't being rude either, I was being helpful. So take the self-entitled rod out of your arse and look for yourself.

Welcome to the forum btw. :)

Tenners repped.
OP - use the search, and the information given to you, be warned, you may have to read more than a couple of lines of text and use your brain.

I'd buy a Kona jumpbike, if someone wants to give me a deal on a bike I'd use it for something completely impractical for commuting but heaps of fun.

ok excuse intial post, what i should be asking and what i thought i was asking was would anyone with time enough to look on the Cycle Solution site and recommend a bike they would honestly ride to commute to work

and thats all im asking, using the search is so vague and there is so much information to filter through.

this is far more direct and to my point. honestly who cares if its another thread it cost you nothing and you dont have to read