{"id":1070,"date":"2012-01-05T12:27:53","date_gmt":"2012-01-05T12:27:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.phillconnell.com\/blog\/?p=1070"},"modified":"2017-01-12T04:06:36","modified_gmt":"2017-01-12T04:06:36","slug":"the-bike-leasing-company-my-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.phillconnell.com\/blog\/the-bike-leasing-company-my-experience\/","title":{"rendered":"The Bike Leasing Company, My Experience<\/b>"},"content":{"rendered":"

You Can Lease Bikes? Really?<\/h2>\n

I didn\u2019t know that leasing a high end bike was an option until seeing BLC\u2019s stand at the Cycle Show in Birmingham: I\u2019d always assumed that the only way to afford one without a major windfall was to seek 2 or 3 years\u2019 interest-free credit.\u00a0 So I picked up a leaflet and read it at home later.<\/p>\n

First of all I checked the BLC website<\/a> and noticed a few bike brands which weren\u2019t commonly advertised, which impressed me.\u00a0 Up to that point I\u2019d only looked at 0% credit options, so my shortlist had been limited to the high volume brands sold through major retailers. \u00a0BLC opened up a wider range of boutique options.<\/p>\n

So, How Does It Work?<\/h2>\n

Paul at BLC talked with me about where and how I ride, to help narrow the search to a couple of strong choices.\u00a0 A little thinking and advice later and I\u2019d made my decision to lease a 120mm full suspension bike to progress from my previous hardtail.\u00a0 A Merida One Twenty<\/a> fitted the bill perfectly.<\/p>\n

\"My<\/a>

Phill’s Merida One Twenty<\/p><\/div>\n

The choice of leasing options was helpful: I chose to pay a heavier initial payment followed by 24 months at a very affordable rate.\u00a0 I\u2019m only paying for around 2\/3 of the bike\u2019s overall value, so in two years I can decide whether to purchase my bike, or hand it back and begin a new lease.\u00a0 The biggest reason to lease instead of buy was the way that BLC\u2019s lease option makes higher-end bikes available with affordable payments.<\/p>\n

The bike was delivered to my work at my convenience, even though Christmas got in the way of deliveries for a short time!\u00a0 BLC put a mechanic in touch with me, who came to my home – at a time that suited me – to set the bike up.\u00a0 He (Ben) was pleasant, professional and remarkably skilful, setting the bike up quickly and perfectly with no fuss.\u00a0 After a quick test ride around the street to confirm that everything was right for me, he made sure I had his number in case anything went wrong and left me to it.<\/p>\n

Cut To The Chase: Is It A Good Idea?<\/h2>\n

There\u2019s no feeling quite like riding a new bike for the first time. Snowy conditions didn\u2019t keep us indoors on the first day we had the daylight and the time to get out.\u00a0 Making fresh trails in the white powder was even more of a pleasure than when I\u2019d done it in the past, and the bike performed beautifully.\u00a0 I\u2019m looking forward to spending more and more time enjoying the great outdoors, climbing and descending the pennine foothills on my shiny Merida.<\/p>\n

Thanks very much to the Bike Leasing Company for making a potentially complex process very simple, and for delivering and setting up a fantastic top-end bike for me to play out on!<\/p>\n

You can look at BLC’s website here<\/a>, and connect with them on Facebook<\/a> and Twitter<\/a> too.<\/p>\n

Tell ’em Phill sent you! \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n

Share with your friends:<\/h3>