Shopping (for) Bikes

It’s around this time of year when my thoughts start to naturally turn to the possibility of a new bike.

Actually that’s a lie. There isn’t a time of year when a new bike doesn’t appeal to me, it’s just that right now I’m starting to think of the places I could take it and the way that one of those long dusty summer downhills stuttering over rocks and drainage ditches would feel on a brand new ride. Not that I ever really need an excuse. I’ve spent the winter debating a BMX for cold rainy days when getting sorted to find a muddy ride seems like too much effort, but throwing on skate-shoes and jeans and rolling out for some semi-legal street-riding seems like a good option, I have dark moments where the skinny delights of a full-on road bike appeal to me for some swift smooth speed in the countryside (and then I remember I don’t fancy skin-tight lycra and shaving my legs). I also have my moments where a well suspended downhill bike seems like the perfect idea to just drag to the top of a mountain and blast back down. In the end I’m reasonably committed to my hardtail roots for a mix of fun and sense, but that still doesn’t mean I wouldn’t like a new one. Periodically I find myself, almost without realising it, looking at bike shop websites and debating finance options, although, so far at least I have managed to resist.

Should I go ahead with anything quite as dramatic as actually buying one of the bikes I might be lusting over, I would be more than tempted by the cycle-to-work scheme that a lot of employers (including mine) offer. While it is designed to allow people to buy bikes just to get to work, I’m sure a bit of a compromise in terms of buying a bike but continuing to use the one you already do to ride to work, is entirely possible. In any case you can save a packet on a new bike, which I’m all in favour of.

If I were you I would stop short of totally abusing the system as a few police officers from the City of London Police are alleged to have. Firstly I’d quite like to know how they managed to convert the vouchers to actual money, and secondly, perhaps if you do decide to fiddle it in this way, maybe don’t boast about it, especially not to other police officers.

A