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Bike to work scheme - eligible items

Hi all... long story short I bought 2 pairs of SPD shoes on the bike2work scheme from the horrendously incompetent, expensive and unhelpful cyclesolutions.co.uk. SPD shoes came without cleats, so I sent some items back to cyclesolutions and asked for some cleats in exchange but according to them cleats aren't available on the bike2work scheme.

I need to verify this and have looked online, unsuccessfully, for a list of eligible items, or even an HMRC contact. It doesn't make sense to me that SPD shoes can be sold under the bike2work scheme, but cleats, without which the shoes are useless are not eligible.

Cyclesolutions' response was: "Cleats are never provided with shoes as they come as standard with any SPD pedals". Eh?! I don't remember cleats being provided with SPD pedals when I bought them.

If anyone has an official list - by official I mean by HMRC or Department of Transport even - I'd be really grateful. Even better would be a contact email or phone at HMRC.

Thanks  1

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6 comments

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behemothprocycling | 10 years ago
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Because my employer took so long to pay the Cyclescheme invoice, I was able to collect a fair amount of the stuff I was going to have under the certificate from the Aldi and Lidl cycling events recently. Therefore when I finally came to collect the bike I had around £120 on top of the price of it to spend - the shop were happy to sell me a set of Shimano pedals and shoes.

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balkan_bozo | 10 years ago
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Great, thankyou for all your responses, that clarifies it. Granted, cyclesolutions were correct in this instance, however they can hardly be classified as helpful. In fact their service was so shocking that thankfully, my employer won't be using them again for the bike to work scheme. And did I mention they were overpriced?

Thanks again  1

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allezrider | 10 years ago
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Shoes can come under the safety equipment banner as long as they meet the reflectives requirement - most clipless pedals do not conform as they do not come with reflectors.

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glynr36 | 10 years ago
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Cleats come with pedals, pays to do a little research before firing off an email and getting arsey at someone who is only trying to help you.

They have never ever come with shoes, there are a fair few different cleat types for each shoe fitting type. I'd take the cleat issue up with who ever you had the pedals from.

Bike2works FAQ's (assuming thats your actual scheme) states

Quote:

'What equipment can I choose?'
Cycle helmets which conform to European standard EN 1078 Bells and bulb horns Lights, including dynamo packs Mirrors and mudguards to ensure riders visibility is not impaired Cycle clips and dress guards Panniers, luggage carriers and straps to allow luggage to be safely carried Child safety seats Locks and chains to ensure cycle can be safely secured Pumps, puncture repair kits, cycle tool kits and tyre sealant to allow for minor repairs Reflective clothing along with white front reflectors and spoke reflectors It is the employer's choice what safety equipment is offered, but you may wish to confirm with your local tax inspector whether the equipment you provide falls within the tax exemption

So they shouldn't have done you the shoes in the first place.

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BigAl68 | 10 years ago
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Cleats always come with pedals not shoes.

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parksey | 10 years ago
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I believe cycle solutions are correct in stating that cleats come standard with pedals rather than shoes, that's always been the case in my purchasing experience at least.

With my employer's cycle to work scheme, the voucher can only be used for bikes and safety equipment. There is no specific definition of "safety equipment", but the suggestion is stuff like helmets, jackets, lights, locks etc. To be honest, I wouldn't expect either shoes or pedals to be covered under the scheme.

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