With times harder than ever, various companies are increasing their offering of flexible finance options to make their products more affordable. There’s car finance, computer finance, even washing machine finance. So with a quality mountain bike costing upwards of two or three hundred pounds at the very least, why shouldn’t there be mountain bike finance?

There is. Cycle companies are increasingly aware that the economic downtown has put their better quality products out of reach of many. Now, to combat dwindling sales they’re making bike finance more and more available, not to mention flexible. Finance might not be the right option for everyone, especially if your credit rating is less than perfect. But if you can handle the financial commitment of monthly repayments, it can certainly help to make your dream bike a reality, quickly and without spending a great deal at once.

Although not everyone offers it, different companies offer varying ranges of bike finance: the diversity in offerings and flexibility is huge. Finance agreements offer deposits in a range of different sizes and monthly payments over as little as six months to as much as three years. However, given the massive fluctuation in interest charges from company to company, it has to be said that some deals offer better value for money than others.

When it comes to choosing a deal, research is key. Even the most finance-ignorant know the basics: the lower the APR the better. Nobody wants their finance to cost them a fortune, it’s supposed to make things affordable after all, so shopping around to try to find an interest free deal is wise. The best ranges of bike finance I found came from All Terrain Cycles, whose online prices are already cheaper than in-store. They offer several deals, available on any bike or frame over £200, subject to the usual credit checks. Interest free credit is available over six months to three years, providing you leave a very reasonable 20% deposit. If you can’t manage that you can leave a 10% deposit, but it’ll push your APR up to 9.9% which, when compared to other companies is still affordable.

Monthly repayment for costly goods is more commonplace than ever and the mountain bike industry is starting to reflect this shift. It’s taken a while for mountain bike companies to follow in the footsteps of the car dealerships and the computer salesmen, but it’s certainly a case of better late than never: mountain biking has never been so affordable.