New bike advice for work commute.

Jonny Chee · 25 Jul 2013 at 17:25

I have up to £1000 to spend on a bike for commuting to work (6 miles each way - mainly on roads but some pavement required).

I am getting it through Halford's cycle to work scheme run by my employer so am limited to what they can offer.

I am male, 34, 6' 1" and weigh about 12st 7lbs (if that helps).

I used to ride mountain bikes all the time as a kid but haven't ridden for at least 10 years now.

I am basically struggling to decide between a Hybrid or a Road Bike. I will only use the bike for the work commute presently but maybe for some family weekend riding with the kids in the future.

Ideally I want to spend about £500 on the bike and maybe another £100 on accessories...

Any advice would be most welcome.

Vonhelmet · 25 Jul 2013 at 20:11

I'd recommend the Boardman road race, but you might want to try a road bike out before you dive right in. Spend the rest on clothing, accessories, lights, etc.

iguanoid · 31 Jul 2013 at 13:04

I have got one of these and its a nice bit of kit for the price bracket if you want a hybrid

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/fit-5-road-bike-grey-id_8239798.html

By all accounts this is fairly good value for money too if you go the road bike route

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-5-road-bike-black-id_8239801.html

Both well within your budget. Personally i would go for a road bike though, my hybrid sees little use currently as i couldn't resist one of these in the sales

http://www.bmc-racing.com/us-en/bikes/2012/road/sport_series/streetracer/sr01/sr01_105.html

arknor · 31 Jul 2013 at 13:55

I've got a boardman mx race (hybrid) and I'm happy with it no probs on grass or dirt paths
there £500 right now.
kinda wondering whether I should just have got a road bike but apparently the number of bikes to own is +1 so I'll grab one probably next summer.

You will probably be better of with a hybrid if your planning on riding with the family

matt_fsr · 1 Aug 2013 at 15:47

I'd stick with a hybrid, or if you plan on using it off road with the kids then you may want to get a mountain bike, and slap some slick tyres on it.

I ride a Specialized Hardrock with 1.5in slicks on to commute, but with a quick swap it can become my 'loan out' hardtail if I want to take a friend out on some moderate mountain biking, without risking an expensive bike.