how much research to do when buying a bike

fguihen

In ireland, we have the great bike2work scheme, but it limits us to bricks and mortar retailers.

I have my bike, done research and got the best bike i could for the 1000 quid bike2work limit.

I would have much preferred to get a Canyon, but its not on the scheme, so what can you do.

Comparing what i got with what i could have got though i see loads of differences in things like:

Derailleur
shifters
axel
crankset
casette
handlebars etc etc etc. the list goes on.

My question is, for an ameteur, someone who has no idea of parts and is not in the cycling game long enough to know good from bad, how much difference will parts make, on a bike in the 1000 - 1500 range to a beginner.

I know the better parts are obviously "better", but are they noticeably different ? How much detail does a beginner/amateur really need to go into?

Dr_Colossus

The cycle to work scheme allows you to buy a bike anywhere in the EU provided your employer co-operates and doesn't restrict you to a single store or forces you to purchase through a middle man like bike2work who take a cut of the purchase price of the bike. Companies operating through these middle men effectively force their employees to overpay for their bike since if they were purchasing direct you'd have alot better bargaining power with the store since they wouldn't have to pay these Bike2Work companies in the region of 10%.

€1,000 is alot of money in anyone's terms so I don't agree with the whole CTW scheme in that it gives the employer all the power and leaves the tax paying employee at their mercy. Alot of employers for instance don't even offer the CTW scheme to their employees and there's effectively nothing the employee can do apart from looking for a new more considerate employer.

I spent alot of time researching my bike purchase and had alot of hassle with my employer over the CTW scheme who would only allow me to purchase from the CycleSuperStore. The prices and range of products were rather appalling in comparison to other bricks and mortar retailers and especially in comparison to online retailers since sterling was so weak back in November when I was going to purchase. Anyway given the restrictive policy I refused to overpay for my bike so eventually purchased a second hand bike.

comad

You're not limited to the "bricks and mortar" retailers and no bike is "not on the scheme".

I did a massive amount of research when getting my bike. I concetrated on getting the best frame I could. I can always upgrade wheels and the groupset but the frame will always be the main thing.

Arguments will go on all day about whats best. Get the bike you like and enjoy riding the most

Lumen

For €1000 I would expect a full groupset or mix of adjacent groupset components, e.g. Tiagra, 105, Rival, Veloce.

So that's the shifters, derailleurs, brakes, crankset, BB and chain sorted.

Wheel differences are arguably important, mostly for reliability and servicability but to a lesser degree weight.

Handlebars - they're all the same basic construction, so it's just width and shape to worry about. If buying from a shop I'd want the correct width for my build. Shape is personal preference.

Seatpost & stem - they just hold other components on.

Saddle is a personal choice.

Headset is not something most people worrry about.

Tyres are important - crap tyres are puncture prone and feel worse to ride.

Clipless pedals are usually extra.

fguihen

I appreciate that the bikeToWork scheme has its drawbacks, but fact is that the bike i got has a retail price of over 850 euros, and i only pay 500. thats a huge discount.

I would love to have gotten the canyon, but as my company wont cover it, i would have to fork out 1500, all of my own money.

I know the canyon is a better bike, and although the bike i got is lesser, its still not bad, and i also have 1000 euro in my pocket that i wouldnt have if the scheme didnt exist.

Dr_Colossus

fguihen wrote: »

I appreciate that the bikeToWork scheme has its drawbacks, but fact is that the bike i got has a retail price of over 850 euros, and i only pay 500. thats a huge discount.

I would love to have gotten the canyon, but as my company wont cover it, i would have to fork out 1500, all of my own money.

I know the canyon is a better bike, and although the bike i got is lesser, its still not bad, and i also have 1000 euro in my pocket that i wouldnt have if the scheme didnt exist.

That's not the way to look at it, granted paying 500 for an 850 euro bike is a good deal but the difference is a tax free credit rather than a discount on the retail price of the bike. If your company were flexible and allowed you to negotiate the price directly with the shop and then issue you a cheque for it's value you'd have probably gotten the bike for €765 and end up paying €400 provided you're on the top rate of tax. Alternatively you could have bought pedals, shoes and additional items bringing the total sale up to €850 and paying the same 500 after tax.

Alternatively you could have gone to Canyon and paid €1,500 for the more expensive variety and this would have cost you in the region of €1,020 once the tax credit was taken into account.

Your employer by going through the Bike2Work scheme are doing you a disservice and you're effectively paying for their cut since the shop can't offer you the discount they would a cash purchaser. However it's not as bad as some employers who don't let their employees participate in the scheme at all.