in message <
[email protected]>, Sean Rooney
('
[email protected]') wrote:
> Been to Halfords and the local bike shop but still confused!
>
> I'd like a decent bike that will comfortably do 20 - 30 miles on a day
> run, usually on national cycle routes, but occasionally on forest
> tracks, but not mountain biking.
>
> I've seen the £300+ and the sub £100 bikes. I just don't know what
> to buy.
My advice is not to pay less than £200, and buy from an LBS. As one of
the Martins keeps saying, some of the cheaper bikes are OK, but most
are rubbish and telling the difference needs an educated eye. Buy from
the LBS because you _should_ get the bike properly set up (you should
at Halfords, too, of course, and Halfords branches are variable - some
are OK - but your LBS is the better bet).
At £200 look for an aluminium frame, V brakes and rigid forks. If you're
anywhere near an Edinburgh Bicycle Co-op branch, their own-brands (e.g.
Revolution Trailfinder, Revolution Courier, Revolution Courier Race)
are excellent value-for-money cheap bikes; otherwise Claud Butler, a
nationally available brand, are also good value for money.
If you're prepared to move up-budget a bit, Dawes, Giant, Specialized,
Marin are all reliable mid-price brands.
If you aren't into mountain biking, there's no need for suspension, and
it adds weight; similarly, there's no need for disk brakes, which add
complexity and weight. If you're riding on national cycle routes the
surface is very variable; if the tracks round your way are mostly
fairly smooth, the best sort of bike for you will be a 700C wheeled
hybrid (e.g. EBC's Revolution Courier Race (£265) at the cheaper end,
or Specialized's Sirrus Sport (£500) higher up the price range). If the
tracks around you are rougher go for a 26" wheeled hybrid which will
take fatter tyres (e.g. EBC's Revolution Trailfinder (£215) at the
cheap end, Cannondale's Bad Boy (£649) at the expensive end).
What you get for more money is a lighter frame and longer-lasting
components. Components are mostly interchangeable and can always be
upgraded, but the weight of the frame is something you're stuck with
for the life of the bike. If two bikes you are considering fit you
equally well and look equally good, buy the lighter one.
--
[email protected] (Simon Brooke)
http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
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