How did you pay for your bike?

[steve-a]

I am looking for a bike at the moment and if the right bikes comes in at the right price point I will be going the hybrid route, stick a decent deposit down on the CC (you get the full protection) and then finance the remaining costs over a year or so. I'll cancel my PT sessions at the gym to pay for it so should not be any additional outgoings.

 

[EebStrider]

Interesting thread. I just put the bike on my credit card, to get the full protection, then pay the balance in full when the statement comes. Getting cashback on card purchases is an added bonus.

 

[Akiwi]

My Analog eMTB was stolen in Switzerland, and I got €1000 from the insurance company. So I used that to help finance my first bike.
The second one and one for my wife was after we fot a nice Tax return.

 

[grimmprincess]

Paid cash....but now I'm broke and on baked beans for a few weeks. I'm hoping the farts will extend my battery range.

 

[>moto<]

Edit: okey i have my house on finance deal but that is a different storie , dont think nobody can cash upp like 2-3 million in cash directly

Nice flex

 

[GMLS]

You can get 0% credit cards on purchases for up to two years. If you buy the bike via this route you get the consumer rights protection here in the UK and have two years to 1) Save up the money 2) Invest in the stock market 3) Offset your mortgage 4) Earn more money 5) get a divorce etc

Yup. Did this in October. 18mths interest free with no fee on new Santander credit card as as I did not take out LBS 0% finance offer got 10% off.Made 9% on the money I've invested so far

 

[R120]

Can you actually buy a bike over 5k in cash, i.e with notes, or does that fall into the realm of money laundering checks? I am not familiar with the laws, but I recall working at a firm 2 decades ago where anything in hard cash over 5k kicked in money laundering protocols (in the UK)

 

[InRustWeTrust]

Nice flex

it was not to brag or flex, it was just a point that you usually do not buy a house or apartment and pay directly as it usually costs a lot of money.

and yes do not intend to post on a forum what my house costs but it was just an example.

 

[Deleted member 7464]

You can get 0% credit cards on purchases for up to two years. If you buy the bike via this route you get the consumer rights protection here in the UK and have two years to 1) Save up the money 2) Invest in the stock market 3) Offset your mortgage 4) Earn more money 5) get a divorce etc

Unless you invest in the new mine near my home then you loose everything ??

 

[Jimbo Vills]

Unless you invest in the new mine near my home then you loose everything ??

Potash?

We was working on that sinking the shafts. Had lads up there working 24/7. Was a great project for them and to be involved with.

Unfortunately a few of them invested their hard earned in the dream and lost a fair bit. As I know a lot of locals did too ?

 

[StevoKickstart]

Unless you invest in the new mine near my home then you loose everything ??

Not a Lithium mine then I assume??

 

[>moto<]

I've been pumping more and more cash into the stock market over the last 6 months. I've gone from using it as a long term growth tool to actively trading. I'm still being fairly conservative but have averaged a few thousand profit per month for the last few months...helped by a bullish market of course.

 

[Marley]

The health benefits alone make purchasing a bike a wise investment.
My 1st all rigid Trek in 1982 - $310
My last 2014 Cannondale carbon Scalpel - $6800.....and my latest Trek Rail won't be the last.

Crossed paths with a stock broker in 1983 and ended up marrying her.
She's an aggressive girl but so were my funds.

Simple math here regarding financing.
If a given interest rate on a loan is 50% lower than an investment return, I always finance and let the cash keep working.

This women got in my head. ?

 

[Howz]

Cycle to work scheme over 12 months, although a Levo HT, so not the most expensive bike in the world, it also helps that the owner of the LBS is a friend of the family which resulted in a heavy discount

 

[thebarber]

I got mine by belittling ppl and making them feel inferior, insulting them, showing them the mirror just to rub it in.
The funny bit is when they say "yeah! Champion thanks", then they make another appointment for a couple of weeks later.....
?'I luv my job'?

 

[>moto<]

Simple math here regarding financing.
If a given interest rate on a loan is 50% lower than an investment return, I always finance and let the cash keep working.

Agreed. Until recently though loan % rates haven't been all that fantastic, so your investment strategy had better be. It's also dependent on the fact that your investment decisions actually pay off, which isn't always the case. You can make more money if you take on more risk.

My mortgage rate is now 2%, the thought has crossed my mind to borrow from my mortgage and buy some stocks!

 

[paul100]

I got mine through the GCI green commute initiative. Paying for it over 12 months through salary sacrifice so in effect getting a good discount of about 40%

 

[Gary]

Can you actually buy a bike over 5k in cash, i.e with notes

Yes

 

[James_C]

cycle scheme.

Paid 2900 for a levo comp taking into account the tax savings etc. Like Jimbo was hoping to be able to buy a new one with the 2nd hand value after 2 ish years.

Then specialised put the prices up... a comp is now 6300 RRP, my scheme is limited to 5K so maybe I will keep mine longer after all!

 

[R120]

An alloy comp now £6300?!!

 

[R120]

Just checked and it really is that price now, wasn’t it a 5k bike like a year ago?

 

[flash]

Hardtails are just a different flavour of riding, with normal MTB's my favourite bikes are actually hardtails, and for most local riding the most fun.

I would say you need the skills to pay the bills though to ride one aggressively down any enduroish type terrain.

Main problem with EMTB hardtails is the geometry is more commuter than committed, my E-Sentier is about as aggressive an EMTB hardtails as you can get and the geo is still way off what I would ideally want.

also full suspension EMTBS do a great job of hiding the weight, whereas with a hardtail EMTB you really notice the extra weight IMO, my hardtail is prob 2kg lighter than my FS but feels heavier to ride, though due to the short reach its much easier to wheel/manual for all of the couple of meters I can manage to do! You also feel like you have taken a proper beating after 2 hours riding hard on it.

I upped my Merida e-hardtail from 100mm to 140mm. I deliberately bought a larger size so the seat is more forward on the rails to make up for it a bit. Also allowed for a shorter stem. Wheels went from 29 to 27.5. It's an incredibly capable bike now. Head angle is moderate (about 66 degrees) so more of an aggressive trail bike than a downhill weapon. But I'd ride it on anything I'd take my full sus on. The front end is fantastic and the short chain stay means it flies around corners.

Definitely more work as your legs become the rear suspension. You know you have legs after a big ride. A big tyre (2.6) helps as does lower pressures. Climbs fire roads like a drag car. I do feel the weight difference. I think it feels lighter than my full sus bike on the trail but the weight difference is bigger than yours. About 4.5kg. Except for the fork componentry is almost identical.

I have a 160mm Lyrik not being used at home. Maybe a 1 degree angled headset and go even bigger?

Gordon

 

[R120]

My E- Sentier weighs a tad over 20kg, I think it’s pushed about as far as you can go modification wise with an EMTB hard tail out of what’s on the market to start with, only original parts are the wheels motor and battery - it’s running 150mm up front. It’s my upper body and core that gives up before the legs!

 

[NULevo]

An alloy comp now £6300?!!

Just checked and it really is that price now, wasn’t it a 5k bike like a year ago?

Good grief, I think your right, the Comp Carbon was £6k. I appreciate the new ones have better specs, 12 speed, 36 forks...but aside from a 700wh battery the new price is insane.

Oh, and back then, you could get some good discounts too.

Ah, the good old days.......

 

[Jimbo Vills]

cycle scheme.

Paid 2900 for a levo comp taking into account the tax savings etc. Like Jimbo was hoping to be able to buy a new one with the 2nd hand value after 2 ish years.

Then specialised put the prices up... a comp is now 6300 RRP, my scheme is limited to 5K so maybe I will keep mine longer after all!

there’s other bikes than Levo’s tho buddy ??

 

[Jimbo Vills]

Just checked and it really is that price now, wasn’t it a 5k bike like a year ago?

I paid £5.5k for mine April last year.

 

[R120]

I wonder if Specilized are hit worse than others at the moment with having to put prices up because their ebikes are so proprietary with the custom brose system they use.

I know a lot of people have issue with the fact they are highly priced anyway, but I get it with the fact they have gone down such a custom route and the extra cost to develop that, but maybe that choice is causing pretty big issues in their supply chain right now

 

[Jimbo Vills]

I wonder if Specilized are hit worse than others at the moment with having to put prices up because their ebikes are so proprietary with the custom brose system they use.

I know a lot of people have issue with the fact they are highly priced anyway, but I get it with the fact they have gone down such a custom route and the extra cost to develop that, but maybe that choice is causing pretty big issues in their supply chain right now

I think you are probable right, but more so than other supply chains I don’t know?

as for price, they have a huge market share so I’m guessing until that share starts shrinking they will continue to charge more than other brands for like for like bikes?

I went with the levo as was my first eMTB. And I love it. But if I get another or replace i think I’ll try another brand tbh.

 

[NULevo]

I think you are probable right, but more so than other supply chains I don’t know?

as for price, they have a huge market share so I’m guessing until that share starts shrinking they will continue to charge more than other brands for like for like bikes?

I went with the levo as was my first eMTB. And I love it. But if I get another or replace i think I’ll try another brand tbh.

I too went for a Levo as my first eMTB (2019 Comp Carbon), I absolutely love it and can't see me changing it for the foreseeable future. I might upgrade parts and get a 700Wh battery, but at the moment it does everything I need, I'm probably 'over biked' as it is.

As someone has already said, Specialized are like the Apple of bikes, and I tend to agree. Yes, you pay a premium, probably for the same reasons you do with Apple products.

I bought my Levo outright with a good discount (card, paid off in full at the end of the month), there's no way I could afford to buy a new one at the retail price if I was buying a new bike today.

 

[Tim1023]

As someone has already said, Specialized are like the Apple of bikes, and I tend to agree. Yes, you pay a premium, probably for the same reasons you do with Apple products.

You just destroyed my world - I'm an iSheep. Fuuuuuuuuuuuck!