Cycle for Health, in Richmond. 14/11/2025
As Richmond’s most central bicycle shop we were disheartened to read that folk are criticising our local cycling community this morning, when so many people who choose the Cycle to Work Scheme are limited to spending under £5k by their Employers and they ride to work via school/nursery year after year, typically spending less in the long run than on a car or public transport
The few who do spend £15k on bicycles, also pay £2,500 in VAT which benefits us all. Thanks be to them!
It is expressly prohibited to assign certain niche items to the Cycle to Work Scheme which are considered unnecessary for the daily commute. Hence our website has prevented individual items which do not comply from being assigned on a product level for well over a decade already. We can still source a carbon fibre wheelset for you, but not as a salary sacrifice arrangement
Whilst we are a ‘Lycra free zone’, assigning a reasonable amount for a suitable option varies significantly according to individual circumstances: it is perfectly reasonable to choose an aerodynamic bicycle to ride into a headwind every day, including skinny tyres designed for the road. We have admired the quality and breadth of the Pinarello family’s complete range for over 25 years, from the entry level ‘Treviso’ commuter bicycle and beyond. Clearly a Pinarello road bike is more suitable for commuting through Richmond Park than a full suspension downhill bike intended for descending the Alps (ps: they’re too heavy to ride up mountains without a ski lift or vehicle to transport them) … and both qualify for the C2WS, irrespective of RRP
We offer the Kona Sutra for £1,699, which has curlywurly handlebars and mudguards and a front rack, which is less than an annual tube ticket to Central London with a pair of Ortlieb Backroller City Panniers for £115 to stash your laptop in and can handle gravel tracks if you feel like a change from riding through potholes for mile after mile
Meanwhile, the £150k SUV market has been propped-up by the unlimited vehicular salary sacrifice scheme for years … which is the equivalent of upto 50 families on electric cargo bikes for 1 SUV. We see plenty of families choosing SUV’s here in Richmond, with a remarkable amount driven by nannies doing the school run, as they are perfectly free to choose to do too: both options attract VAT at 20%, contributing equally to the general taxation pool which is shared across society a a whole, however one looks at it
We raised the prospect of a ‘Cycle for Health Scheme’ with London’s Cycling and Walking Commissioner Will Norman and Councillor Alexander Ehmann of Richmond’s Transport and Air Quality Committee in June 2025 to include both the self employed and family members who have taken time out of employment to raise children, as both demographics are expressly prohibited from using the C2WS. This is the sort of upgrade which would provide more choice for families and individuals alike, as any associated tax relief could be applied as a tax credit until the applicant returns to work and/assigns it to a spouse
Ultimately we really enjoy helping people to choose what works for a 3-5 year period and can continue many years beyond that, as it can be transformative for individuals and families alike