I’m facing a bit of a "heart vs. head" dilemma and could use some perspective.
I’ve been eyeing on a Gravel bike with electronic shifting. Currently the VR GRVL AF is on sale with a €200 discount (now €1,690). On paper, this is exactly what I’m looking for: a solid aluminum "workhorse" frame, the convenience of electronic shifting, and great value for the specs.
The Situation: My company is currently overhauling its benefits policy. There’s a very strong rumor that a bike leasing scheme (tax-free through gross salary) will be introduced. However, I won’t have any concrete details or confirmation until April 25th.
My Dilemma:
- Buy Now: I secure the bike immediately, get the €200 discount, and avoid the risk of it selling out. The downside is I pay the full amount out of my own pocket.
- Wait for Lease: If the policy is good, I could save 30-40% via tax benefits over the long run. Also, with the lease, I will have a larger budget and probably go for a more expensive bike.
A few questions for the community:
- The Bike: Does anyone have long-term experience with the Van Rysel GRVL AF? Specifically, how is the SRAM Apex AXS holding up on gravel?
- The Logic: Would you take the guaranteed €200 discount now, or gamble on the much larger (but unconfirmed) tax savings of a lease later this month?
Thanks for helping me decide!
by commanderprime5
6 Comments
Solid bike with apex axs for 1690€? Dang, i wouldnt think too long.
I have this groupset on my Canyon Grizl 6 and i love it so far!
Bikeleasing kann unter Umständen schon vorteilhaft sein – zum einen schmälerst du dein zu versteuern des EK zum anderen macht danach rauskaufen bei den aktuellen Marktpreisen einfach Sinn. Ich würde zu Canyon oder Trek gehen und mir was schönes leasen🤷♂️
I believe this exact model, with Apex AXS, is new for this season, so you will be hard pressed to find someone with experience with that bike specifically.
That said – I have had the GRVL AF with GRX groupset since September, and the frameset has been great so far. Nothing to write home about, it’s not the best equipped (i’d gladly have an option for bolt-on top tube bag for instance, and the fork only has a fender/light mount on the front of the crown), not the lightest compared to some aluminium framesets, but not the heaviest I’ve seen either. Geometry is comfortable. I found the stock handlebar sizes too wide (440mm with size L bike), but otherwise the handlebar is quite good, I’d gladly just swap down two sizes in-store if it was an option instead of going aftermarket.
Oh, the glossy black paint on mine scuffs and scratches quite easily – especially from cable rub on the headtube, so I’d definitely put some protection there if I were to get a new one now.
I don’t have any personal experience with Apex XPLR AXS, but I’ve heard it’s a bit lacking in terms of hoods ergonomics and braking compared to GRX or the newest Sram AXS E1 lineup, but it shouldn’t be a dealbreaker. To your specific question – it is a gravel-specific drivetrain, so I wouldn’t be worried there.
This model also has different wheelset than mine, so I can’t say anything about that other than Fulcrum seems to be generally well respected brand. Bear in mind that with 22mm inner width they are on the narrower side for modern gravel wheels, but again – wouldn’t treat it as a dealbreaker necessarily.
As to the “logic” question – Decathlon has a pretty great returns policy.
Get the bike now if you’re worried about it selling out, keep yourself from using it* until you have the info about the lease scheme, and then make a final call.
*) in fairness, no one would bat an eye even if you rode it before returning it, unless you damaged it visibly.
Buy it and think about using the lease program for your second bike 👀