I want a bike(again), can you help me?

[esoteric]

I'm looking at buying a bike again and found this Carrera Crixus on Halfords site - http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bik...-crixus-limited-edition-cyclocross-bike-2015#[object%20Object]

How are the specs on that bike? it seems quite well reviewed.

My uses for a bike is for fitness and leisure/fun, and maybe I'll ride it to work. I want access to any terrain, as I understand that leaves Hybrid and Cyclocross. CX seems to come across as the more favoured frame.

If the Carrera Crixus I linked is crappy then please suggest an alternative, I want a good bike as cheap as possible and have so far looked as high as £1000 but at £750'ish I can finance it at around £40 a month as my phone is paid off now. I saw a £750 Raleigh CX bike at Tredz -http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Raleigh-RX-Elite-2015-Cyclocross-Bike_75641.htm as a reference to what I could pay up to.

 

[esoteric]

When I had a look at that Halfords one the brakes were a concern for me.

Also don't limit yourself to bikes labelled as "Cyclocross". For leisure riding this - http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CBPXLDNRDTIA/planet-x-london-road-argento-shimano-tiagra-drop-bar-bike for me would be able to cover any terrain that I'd be confident to take a Cyclocross bike on, anything more and I'd be looking at an MTB.

Went to my, Halfords and they had no CX bikes on display, and a fella was in there with his daughter looking to exchange her bike because the frame is to big and, Halfords employee had no idea what to do. When he went away I told the, Dad how to measure the frame and I carried on looking at bike, when he came back with another employee he asked 1 of them to get a tape measure.

Didn't condition me with trust to buy from them. If I knew about bikes then it wouldn't be an issue.

 

[esoteric]

Still looking and it's getting in my head that I require certain items on a bike like disc brakes, Shimano 105, and double crank. On a plus it's out of my head on whether I want Carbon or Alu.

Problem is the more I search the closer I am getting and most of the time exceeding £1k

How does this bike shape up? - http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Cannondale-CaadX-105-Disc-2015-Cyclocross-Bike_73525.htm

 

[esoteric]

Then PlanetX suggestion was a good one.

This is a very good deal:

http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CBPXLDNRDTIA/planet-x-london-road-argento-shimano-tiagra-drop-bar-bike

The Cannondale is a nice spec in some ways but the brakes area pretty pap. You would probably want to upgrade them at some point down the line. That's quite an easy upgrade to do, however. Does it take mudguards though? That would be a deal-breaker for me.

Yes it has eyelets for mudguards. I agree the, PlanetX is good but I want something a bit more.

 

[esoteric]

If you can stretch to £1250 then the Pinnacle Arkose 4 is good

hehe, done so much stretching already ;p started at £250 then was looking at £750 then 850 and then £1000 will have a look at it though.