G'day All,<br /><br />I found your forum and would like a bit of advice on my first bike if possible. I have read the other posts on this topic but they do not really address my question.<br /><br />My riding will only be commuting to work which which is 22km each way per day. I am pretty unfit at the moment so will have to work up to riding 5 days a week.<br /><br />The candidates so far are Giant OCR3, Apollo RDZ3000, Merida Road 901, Norco CRD-3 and Avanti Sprint. The Giant ($995), Apollo ($990) and Merida ($1179) all run a full Shimano Sora groupset, with the exception of the Giant which has FSA cranks and triple chainring. The Norco (approx $1150) and Avanti ($999) run Sora STI shifters and Shimano 2200 front and rear derailleur, which is even lower in Shimano's range that the Sora.<br /><br />I really dont want to spend any more on the bike than $1000 as this will leave me some money for essentials (spare tubes, repair kit, helmet etc.)<br /><br />The Merida and Norco rule themselves out on this basis >$1000.<br /><br />I have little knowledge of Apollo but Giant and Avanti seem to have good reputations, with Avanti seeming to have the better quality frame.<br /><br />Should I,<br /><br />a) Buy the Giant or Apollo which have better running gear OR;<br /><br />b) Buy the Avanti (better frame) and upgrade the very cheap front and rear derailleur to something much better when they wear out?<br /><br />I realise that there are many more brands with bikes in my price range but I live in Hobart and these are the brands offered here. I want to buy from a store here so I can get after sales service if required (as I am new to cycling).<br /><br />Any help/comments would be appreciated.<br /><br />Jason