N + 1

Its two years this month since I got my first Cyclescheme bike certificate on their cycle to work scheme. How that little piece of paper has changed my life!

I got a bike originally to participate in triathlons (THAT decision is for another blog!) and proudly stated to the man in the bike shop, when I went clutching my Cyclescheme certificate, that I didn’t want a bike with ‘curly handlebars as there was no way I was road biking!’ Oh, the naiveté!

That first bike was a lovely hybrid from Decathlon; a light, beautiful specimen and I at once felt at home on it. I entered my first triathlon and it turned out to be a fun partnership. However, I’d then found a love of cycling in its own right, and trying to do lots of miles on the hybrid was proving to be difficult.

So a new road bike, which would take me on my biggest adventure so far, 328 miles from London to Paris raising money for the Alzheimer’s Society, and a chunky mountain bike for leading off road Breeze rides, were the next two purchases.

That’s it! I thought! Oh, there’s that naiveté again.

I then heard of the cycling equation for the number of bikes a person NEEDS:

N+1, where N is the current number of bikes you own

This equation gave me all the excuses I needed to have more than one bike.

Fast forward to October 2016, when, on a trip with Louise to Green Machine Bike Shop in Horwich, I spotted a stunning Colnago road bike, pleading to be found a new home. John, the owner, knew I was smitten but the bike in the shop was slightly too big for me (John has such integrity, he would only sell a bike that was the perfect fit for you), so he set about sourcing me one the right size.

And that’s when Cyclescheme certificate number two was applied for, to buy this beauty, which lives in my dining room and is a work of art.

Most workplaces have a cycle to work scheme and the savings on the cost of the bike can be anything from 25% to 42%, with the employer also saving 13% on national insurance costs. I can highly recommend Cyclescheme if you have a choice or need to encourage your employer to offer this benefit. http://www.cyclescheme.co.uk

If you haven’t visited John at Green Machine in Horwich, I can highly recommend his services too. You’ll get good, honest advice and support for any aspect of your cycling.