Motorists in Ireland are most likely to change their car every 3 to 5 years – that’s according to a survey recently conducted by Aviva Insurance.
Of course, there are some people who keep the same car for 10 years or more and only change when their car fails – and there are others that upgrade to a shiny new model every year!
But when it comes to bicycles, I wonder how many people consider when they should upgrade.
I suspect that most people only change bike (or add to their collection of bikes) when their current one fails or their needs change. I doubt if many get rid of a perfectly good bike that they use all the time. But that’s just what I did!
Cycle to Work Scheme
I guess the whole thing that prompted me to start looking at new bikes was that I realised I was eligible for the cycle-to-work scheme again.
Workers in Ireland can avail of the scheme once every 4 years, to purchase a bike tax-free. And for upper rate tax payers, that equates to a 52% discount on the price of a bike. And many employers often allow employees to pay for the bike through salary deductions spread out over 12 months.
Current rules say that people get up to €3,000 tax-free for cargo and ecargo bikes, €1,500 for ebikes, and €1,250 for all other bikes. People can spend more than those limits on a bike, but any amount over that isn’t tax-free.
Newer model
I really love Dutch style bikes, and in particular I love the Gazelle brand. My current e-bike is a Gazelle HeavyDuty bike manufactured in 2019, and it has served me well for nearly 5 years. Its frame is heavy but bullet-proof, and all of the components are of high quality.
The only things that ever went wrong with it were some welds failing on the front rack (covered under warranty), a snapped gear-change cable, worn brake pads, and an occasional puncture. Everything else on the bike worked perfectly.
So why change?
The newer models of the Gazelle bikes have some quality of life improvements that make them very attractive for an upgrade. The main features the latest version of my model has:
- An upgraded motor with increased torque
- A belt drive instead of a chain for reduced wear and noise
- An improved handlebar lock so my front wheel holds still when parked
- An improved onboard computer with a colour display – and even a bluetooth connected app to help monitor and configure the bike
In the motoring world, those improvements probably equate to a more fuel-efficient engine with faster acceleration, and an improved in-car entertainment system.
And so, with thanks to Howard at BBikes, the Gazelle distributor in Ireland, on Saturday I swapped out my old Gazelle HeavyDuty ebike for a new Gazelle HeavyDuty ebike – and even traded in the old one to get a discount.
Can you spot the difference?
