Another "Which Bicycle" thread - £999 budget.

[silverzx]

After my first "decent" bike after only having had sub £200 bikes all my life.

Can get 1/2 the money for the bike paid for by work on the bike to work scheme providing it's under £1,000 and the company supports the bike to work scheme.

Preferably I'd like to buy from Halfords as they can order in a majority of bikes and support the scheme.

I only really use my bike for getting to/from the gym, occasionally popping to my field (few miles from home), the next village along or the shop.

Needs to be able to be ridden over gravel / light stones as well as roads but living in the country side most of the roads are shit!

I don't really know F-All about bikes but I'd guess I want a mountain/road hybrid of some kind.

Any recommendations between £400-£1000 from anyone who knows a bit more?

Thanks!

[lolsteve]

Is there really much of a difference on the higher leagues of bike? Especially when its not for serious off roading activities?

[silverzx]

Is there really much of a difference on the higher leagues of bike? Especially when its not for serious off roading activities?

I have no idea, I have no knowledge of bikes.

If a £200 bike is gonna be almost as good as a £400 bike and tick the boxes then I'll save the cash and get the cheap one.

The way I understand bikes you get a lot more quality for every £50 extra you want to spend up to around £400 then after that your paying for brand, and weight reduction. A bit like tuning cars, you can get an XUD to 170 bhp for £200, for another 30 bhp you have to spend a fair bit more, another 30 bhp on that and you have to spend triple the amount again etc.

I've never had a quality bike, now I have the chance to get one with 50% donation, seems silly to pass up the offer..

[Nathan1305]

Within reason any bike £500 and above will be much better quality the components will be far better and the frame and forks will be of greater quality.

I'm a bike mechanic (leaving today) so any advice that you need just let me know if you want to send some links to some bikes your looking at then I can have a look at them and see which will be of better quality and getting the most for your money

[silverzx]

Within reason any bike £500 and above will be much better quality the components will be far better and the frame and forks will be of greater quality.

I'm a bike mechanic (leaving today) so any advice that you need just let me know if you want to send some links to some bikes your looking at then I can have a look at them and see which will be of better quality and getting the most for your money

Sweet! I'll start posting some links then!

Feel free to look through Halfords website and reccomend any:

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/hy...igh-to-low

Most expensive hybrid (£999):
http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/hy...-2014#tab3

[Nathan1305]

Within reason any bike £500 and above will be much better quality the components will be far better and the frame and forks will be of greater quality.

I'm a bike mechanic (leaving today) so any advice that you need just let me know if you want to send some links to some bikes your looking at then I can have a look at them and see which will be of better quality and getting the most for your money

Sweet! I'll start posting some links then!

Feel free to look through Halfords website and reccomend any:

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/hy...igh-to-low

Most expensive hybrid (£999):
http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/hy...-2014#tab3

If you want to spend the full amount then I would seriously recommend the hybrid pro. It's an awesome bike the brakes are extremely good and all the components are really high quality. I would recommend that over anything but if your looking a cheaper price then the hybrid comp or team are very good also

[toseland]

the frames are much of amuchness.. some are even made in the same factory..

however the sacrifice on cheaper bikes is more often made on the ancilliaries attached to said bike.. bottom brackets, headstocks, front and rear shocks (look at the cheaper bikes cable disc brakes, vs the hydraulic ones on higher end bikes) etc..

and for something like that you do pay for quality

[Dum-Dum]

I wouldn't bother with the ride to work scheme as most of the places that do it charge more money than you can get the bikes for off the internet. If you are happy to have last years bike on clearance then there are some absolute bargains to be had.

This is why my bike is second hand It was about £1300 new and I paid over a grand less than that and its still a very capable bike.


I think chain reaction cycles do ride to work and have bikes at massive discounts sometimes. This is a £2000 bike reduced to £800 and stupidly well specced http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/sunn-...prod115624

[Slam Wagon]

Specialized crosstrail

[DavidA]

I've got a Specialized Rockhopper (MTB) and Bianchi via Nirone (road) both off the cycle to work scheme.

I'd much rather use a local bike shop than Halfords though, but agree with posts above that you can get an older model for much less than current ones and most times it's just the colour that's changed, and that cheaper bikes are likely to have cheaper components - if you get a bike with a decent frame that will last the other bits can always be upgraded if you need to.

[Pete]

+1 For the local bike shops, better aftersales and some do support cycle to work aswell. Used to have a Rockhopper SL myself was a good bike

[lewisdmz]

Thought about a cyclocross bike? Basically a road bike but with chunkier tires, more brake clearance. People race them off road so more than capable of handling some gravel.

[silverzx]

Some good thoughts, that last bike looks cool Lewis.

I don't think the bike shop in cheddar is open anymore but there's a fair sized one in Weston super mare. I'll have to check it out!

[swampy]

After my first "decent" bike after only having had sub £200 bikes all my life.

Can get 1/2 the money for the bike paid for by work on the bike to work scheme providing it's under £1,000 and the company supports the bike to work scheme.

Preferably I'd like to buy from Halfords as they can order in a majority of bikes and support the scheme.

I only really use my bike for getting to/from the gym, occasionally popping to my field (few miles from home), the next village along or the shop.

Needs to be able to be ridden over gravel / light stones as well as roads but living in the country side most of the roads are shit!

I don't really know F-All about bikes but I'd guess I want a mountain/road hybrid of some kind.

Any recommendations between £400-£1000 from anyone who knows a bit more?

Thanks!

have you looked in to the scheme properly?

my old employer was part of it and we got now where near half paid for, what happend was

you choose a bike, the company pays for it, they retrive the money from your wages (pre tax) , then at the end of twelve months you have a final payment to make

[silverzx]

I've already discussed the payment scheme agreement with my finance office.

All I'm asking for is advice choosing a bike. Cheers.