Are bikes cheaper in the UK allowing for a 26% saving for the bike to work scheme?

funkyr

I'm looking to get an entry level Giant or Specialized (eg Giant FCR 4 or Specialized Sirrus).

Allowing for the bike to work scheme, in my case 26% saving, would bikes be cheaper locally in Dublin or in the UK (eg Belfast)?

Lumen

Don't really understand the question, since UK-bought bikes are allowed under CTW.

BostonB

Perhaps if your company limits you to certain stores, but you want a specific bike the shop doesn't do?

funkyr

Lumen wrote: »

Don't really understand the question, since UK-bought bikes are allowed under CTW.

Sorry should have made it clearer, my employer only allows me to buy bikes from these stores:

http://www.raleightowork.ie/shops.html

http://www.biketowork.ie/site/bike-shops/

So I can buy a bike in Ireland under the CTW scheme, but if I buy it in Belfast/UK then I cant get the 26% discount. Was wondering if bikes would be cheaper in my case in the UK.

seamus

funkyr wrote: »

Sorry should have made it clearer, my employer only allows me to buy bikes from these stores:

http://www.raleightowork.ie/shops.html

http://www.biketowork.ie/site/bike-shops/

So I can buy a bike in Ireland under the CTW scheme, but if I buy it in Belfast/UK then I cant get the 26% discount. Was wondering if bikes would be cheaper in my case in the UK.

Just work it out. Have a look at chainreactioncycles.com (they're based in the North) and work out what the bike would cost. Compare that to the CTW scheme.

Jawgap

Like for like bikes are generally cheaper in the UK, but the differential has reduced recently with the strengthening of sterling.

I got mine in the UK (Newry) under the C2W scheme and it still qualifies, although I notice from the list there doesn't seem to be much in the way of UK shops on it.

Any reason why your employer is limiting you to these shops? There's nothing in the scheme to require that the bike is bought in Ireland - it can be sourced from anywhere in the UK.

Your other alternative is to find a bike you like in your local or chosen bike shop, get a price for it online and then ask the shop if they can match it - they mightn't be able to come down to the online price, but they may knock something off.

Worldwide Cycles I hear are pretty good for matching online prices - plus instead of having the thing built by some anonymous individual you get to talk to the guy who is going to do it and you'll have the shop available if anything goes wrong- that may be worth paying a little extra.

blorg

Biketowork.ie take a 10% cut so it is unlikely that bike shops will reduce from RRP. Unfortunate but what can you do.

@OP- just compare the prices. If you are lower tax bracket you may indeed be better off just buying from the UK, depending on the bike you are looking for, sales, etc. 26% may not be enough of a discount.

liamtinney

Giant bikes should and will be the same or cheaper in the south when the new 2010 bikes come into stock, they have started to filter through already.

rubadub

Any reason why your employer is limiting you to these shops?

The reason companies want you to get it from certain shops is so they have to set up only a few new accounts on the system (and no doubt big brown envelopes are changing hands) so it would be worth asking if they will set up another supplier, esp. if you can find several other people interested in the same shop. If they still refuse I would offer to pay the costs of admin for setting it up, if its worth it.

This topic has come up before, and no matter what people say it would certainly not take my company "5-10 minutes" to do everything involved in this scheme. Maybe somepeople have superhuman speedreaders in accounts, but I live in the real world. To even read up and understand what they are getting into would cost a lot in admin.

penexpers

rubadub wrote: »

The reason companies want you to get it from certain shops is so they have to set up only a few new accounts on the system (and no doubt big brown envelopes are changing hands) so it would be worth asking if they will set up another supplier, esp. if you can find several other people interested in the same shop. If they still refuse I would offer to pay the costs of admin for setting it up, if its worth it.

This topic has come up before, and no matter what people say it would certainly not take my company "5-10 minutes" to do everything involved in this scheme. Maybe somepeople have superhuman speedreaders in accounts, but I live in the real world. To even read up and understand what they are getting into would cost a lot in admin.

Well, the added advantage of using bike2work.ie or raleightowork.ie is that the employer can hand all the administration work over to the scheme and the employer only has to set bike2work.ie/raleightowork.ie as a supplier. So the employers PRSI saving they make is basically free money.

Blowfish

Being in the same boat and having looked into it, if you compare like with like you probably will save a bit going through the scheme, but it wont be a lot.

One issue with it though is that brick and mortar shops tend to stick with the more well known brands, which will quite often be more expensive than an equivalently specced but lesser known brand. In my case, it's looking likely that the scheme wont be worth it, but it does seem like you've a larger selection to choose from so it could be ok.