[El Mocho]

Only just getting into this cycling thing so my knowledge is pretty poor so thought I would ask some advice.

Gonna be selling my wifes car and buying a bike with some of the money. It will be a bit of a compramise, I would like to get a racer for me to use but she will be using the same bike (we are the same height) to ride to work on occasion (only about 1 mile) and probably on family bike rides (I'll be carrying the kid on the other bike) trips to the shops etc especially when I have gone away in the van so she has no other transport...

I think we will have to get a hybrid type thing.

Now I know the guys at J E James are a bit of a cock but poped in as I was passing and had a look at this:

http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/giant-escape-m-zero-gents-city-bike-id42909.html

I would prefer to go slightly more roadie but this does seem quite a good deal. I think it is unlikely I will get to spend more than around 500 in total and we need panniers and bags and mud guards for the commute (and a helmet for Kath)

Would it be better to get something without disk brakes as we would get a better/lighter frame and bike - it is going to be used mostly on roads/ old railway lines around the peak but no real off roading.

I would be prepared to get something second hand but as I said I know pretty much FA and am also a dwarf.

cheers

[BB]

Have a look at the Bordman hybrids that Halfords sell. They're really quite nice.

Bordman hybrids

If your place of work runs a cycle to work scheme then you can get them minus the tax too. Worth looking into.

[Mike Tyson]

I'm gonna big up the Boardman bikes as well. I've got one of the full suspension MTBs but it is great and I would certainly recommend them for build quality and value for money. 

[El Mocho]

They do look nice, I guess half the issue will be finding something we both find comfy. Hopefully both of us will have a look today (taking May to works as it is pissing it down here)

re cycle to work: as a self employed 'professional climber' I could buy the bike as a training aid and count it as an expense (however I earn so little through climbing I don't pay much tax anyhow, about £1.50 last year!)

My wife is running the local pre school so if we wanted she could probably set up a cycle to work scheme (how tricky is it to set up?) but again is self employed and if the bike is for her comumute could prob claim it as an expense (she will earn way more than me and prob actually pay some tax) is it only the tax you save through the cycle scheme? If so it would prob be easier to just buy the bike and claim the tax back...

[slackline]

Government line on Cycle2work

You don't save any VAT on the price of the bike, what you do save though is paying income tax on your earnings that are used to pay for the bike as (traditionally) your employers purchase the bike on your behalf and you then salary sacrafice the a proportion of the cost of the bike each month prior to having income tax and NI deducted from your earnings.

More info on Cyclescheme.  The irony is that those who earn more benefit the most from such schemes (took ages to get it set up here at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals because amongst other monumental administrative cock-ups they had to ensure that anyone who was on minimal wage was not taken below the official bread line if they chose to participate in the scheme).

[El Mocho]

Neither of us vat registered so we can't claim that back, it would just be against income tax if I (or wife) buy it as an expense so prob as easy to do that...