Good evening all, first post here so please be nice!
I've come here looking for some advice on buying a bike. I had 3 types of Rayleigh MAX as a kid (with suspension and without), but haven't owned a bike in over 5 years. I've thought a lot about the idea of getting a bike for weekend recreation (cycling around Thetford forest for example) and hopefully for commuting to work.
My work is about 12 miles each way, there is a route that takes single track minor roads, perfect for a safe and quiet ride in, so I would need something reliable (ie not to fall apart in the middle of no-where!)
I'm baffled as to where to begin searching, I've checked the following places.
- Halfords - Quite expensive even for the most basic bike, not really sure what to look for
- Tescos Direct - Some really cheap (£80) dual suspension bikes, but never heard of the make (TRAX)
- eBay - Once again, so much to choose from I'm not sure where to start
- Local bike shops(their websites) - A lot more expensive, around 2-300 easily
Would someone be able to point me in the direction of a good "starter" bike? I guess it must fit the following criteria
- Good for road usage, but also good for slightly more off road usage like forest trails (and potentially a lake district holiday etc)
- Reasonably cheap, I'm not exactly counting the pennies, but its too early to invest in a £500 bike
- Easy maintenance, reliable
- Probably front suspension only, dual suspension maybe not a wise choice for road usage(commuting)
- Adult sized, I'm about 6ft tall so can't really be using a youths bike lol
Maybe there is something like the "VW Golf" of the bike world? Popular, affordable, reliable etc?
Look forward to hearing peoples advice!
Many thanks
James