Advice needed! Road bike advice...

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by 1262shaun [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

Hi guys.

I live in London and have recently got a full time job working in the city. The commute by bike will take me roughly 45 mins. I also study part time at University, which will take me about an hour, although, i'll only have to make this journey maybe once a week. So, all in all, i'll be doing a fair bit of commuting on a daily basis.

I was just wondering if anyone has any suggestions of any recommended bikes?
I'm looking for a road bike that is going to be reliable and reasonably cheap. Up to about £350 second hand.

In terms of biking experience, i haven't cycled in a couple of years, but before that i cycled EVERYWHERE. So i guess i'm not a complete novice per say.

I cannot WAIT to get back into it!

Anyway, if anyone could come up with any suggestions or just any advice generally, i'd be very grateful.

Thanks for your time.

Shaun x

Are you 100% sure that you want a road bike? The reason I am asking is because if this bike is exclusively for commuting, will need to carry racks, and deal with inclement weather, I would recommend a cyclocross bike. Cyclocross bikes are very versatile and with drop handlbars, can be set up pretty close to road geometry (if you want) or will let you go with a slightly more upright, less aggressive, position that may be better for commuting.

. . . and, in the future, if you decide to do a club ride or something of that sort, you can put on a pair of 23s (standard road tires) and your cross bike will feel a lot like a road bike (but might be a little heavier than the lightest road race frame).