bob_e70

I am looking to buy a bike using the cycle-to-work scheme to commute around 10 miles EW on mainly road, with some v.slightly uneven surfaces. I am looking to spend around £600 and so far the Merida Speeder T3 has caught my eye.

So my question is, is the T3 the right bike for my needs? Is there a better alternative for my money (I see that Giant have some good options in this price bracket)?

Any help would be great!

contango 

I'd suggest reading the terms and conditions of the cycle to work scheme before you commit. From what I gather (which may be wrong, hence my suggestion to read it!) you pay to lease the bike and never actually own it unless you make an optional final payment. It may work out for you; you may be better off just buying the thing outright. Might be worth juggling the numbers and considering the total cost even if you have to put it on a credit card and pay it off over a few months.

A lot will depend on what sort of bike you're comfortable with and what else you might want to do with it. Think about whether you'll want a flat handlebar or drop bars, whether you might want to ride some trails at the weekend, go on long touring rides or whatever else. If you can think ahead and get it right you may save yourself the cost of buying another bike later - it would be a shame to buy a bike that's great on-road but useless off-road only to realise there are some great trails where you live that you'd like to ride, or to buy a mountain bike now only to find your passion is for riding ever-further.

When you refer to "v. slightly uneven surfaces" are you talking about the usual state of England's roads with potholes and speedbumps and gravel patches, or compressed gravel paths, or dirt paths?

If you're commuting you may want to be able to put panniers on the bike so you're not having to deal with a backpack.

djb

I might suggest looking into the Brit CTC bike forums, at least there you will get relevant info on what models are available in the UK (often different than here in N America)

bob_e70

I noticed the final payment section and it did put me off of the scheme. I have asked a number of co-workers that have been through the scheme and 3 years down the road they have not been asked to make any final payment... certainly something to think about though. Thanks.

Having considered the handlebars, i think the flat handlebar will be adequate. Many weekends will involve slow rides with my girlfriend, so drop bars may appear antisocial

You hit the nail on the head - typical British roads. Although, it would be nice to have the capability of riding a dry dirt track if need be, but that would be rare.

bob_e70

I will give them a go aswell... thanks!

contango 

It may be the company rents it through a salary sacrifice scheme to the point it's depreciated to nothing, then simply writes it off as an asset or regards the last "rental" payment to be a purchase for its depreciated value. Worth checking into though, especially if you want to keep the bike when you leave the company. It would be a shame to make all the payments and then find you still didn't own the bike.

You don't necessarily need to lose the drop bars because of who you're riding with. When I go riding with my wife it's not uncommon that I'm on a bike with drop bars and she's on her mountain bike. It means I can go at her speed when I'm with her and go at my speed when I'm not. That said I also have an MTB so if we want to go for a blast around some trails I'll take the MTB.

Depending just where you're commuting you'll also want to consider resilient tyres. Where reliability trumps speed I'd recommend looking at Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres. They are heavy and ride quite hard but in terms of puncture resistance they're all but bulletproof. I rode a pair for some 5000 miles (including a number of rides into and around central London and on cyclepaths littered with broken glass and gravel) and only got one puncture from a half-inch hawthorn spike. They've still got plenty of life left in them, but I swapped them for a pair of Durano Plus tyres wanting to get a bit of extra speed. If you're commuting to and from work I suspect you'd rather add a few minutes to your journey as a matter of routine than find one day you get yourself a puncture when you're already running late and it's raining.

bradtx

bob_e70, The Merida Speeder T3 is probably one of several makes/models that'll work as both a commuter and a recreational bike. If there is something about it that you like about it more than the others, it's good for you. Any commuter should be able to mount fenders and a rack is my general suggestion.

Brad