KneesUp
Guru
I do love this forum 
First post - "max budget £250"
First page - numerous 'if you can stretch a bit further, you can get this for more than £250'
If you're used to flat bars and unfit (as it sounds like you are) then you might find it easier to get started on bike with flat bars. Having had road bikes from the age of 11 to 26 (when my bike was stolen) I knew I wanted drop bars on my bike when I came back to cycling a few years ago, but there are some people who don't get on with them.
Secondhand gives great value for money, but it takes time to find a bike that suits you at a location that suits you (most people can't be bothered posting bikes, so you need to collect them) that doesn't get lots of bids.
My current everyday bike cost less than £30 off eBay, and although it was rideable when I bought it I have made lots of changes. It's a 90s mountain bike with no suspension at either end, and a nice Tange (like the Japanese Reynolds) frame but since I bought it I've changed the knobbly tyres for slicks and swapped the flat bars for drop bars (which meant I needed a different stem to get it comfortable) and changed the trigger shift gear changers for bar-end ones (because they are cheaper, easier to set up and more robust than the integrated brake lever changers) That gave me the bike I wanted - it's reasonably light given how rugged it is (it was designed as a mountain bike, so it can handle rough stuff way beyond my comfort levels will tolerate) and tough as old boots. I've also changed a few other bits as they wore out, or because I wanted to - but even with all the costs it's under your budget. The wider tyres mean they don't have to be very high pressure (I run mine at about 50psi) so the ride is much more comfortable than a thin-tyred road bike. The roads around here are quite bad, and the one time I rode a road bike I was begging for mercy after a few miles.
The key question is what kind of riding you want to do. My bike is mainly used for commuting but also serves as a family-bike-ride-in-the-woods bike and could (will hopefully) be used as a touring bike as well. It's not the fastest bike in the world, but it's fast enough and funnily enough the more I ride it, the faster it gets
Also, it occurs to me that if you are the sort of coach driver who does tours with old people, you might be better served by getting a folding bike and taking it with you so you can get some rides in during your down time.
First post - "max budget £250"
First page - numerous 'if you can stretch a bit further, you can get this for more than £250'
If you're used to flat bars and unfit (as it sounds like you are) then you might find it easier to get started on bike with flat bars. Having had road bikes from the age of 11 to 26 (when my bike was stolen) I knew I wanted drop bars on my bike when I came back to cycling a few years ago, but there are some people who don't get on with them.
Secondhand gives great value for money, but it takes time to find a bike that suits you at a location that suits you (most people can't be bothered posting bikes, so you need to collect them) that doesn't get lots of bids.
My current everyday bike cost less than £30 off eBay, and although it was rideable when I bought it I have made lots of changes. It's a 90s mountain bike with no suspension at either end, and a nice Tange (like the Japanese Reynolds) frame but since I bought it I've changed the knobbly tyres for slicks and swapped the flat bars for drop bars (which meant I needed a different stem to get it comfortable) and changed the trigger shift gear changers for bar-end ones (because they are cheaper, easier to set up and more robust than the integrated brake lever changers) That gave me the bike I wanted - it's reasonably light given how rugged it is (it was designed as a mountain bike, so it can handle rough stuff way beyond my comfort levels will tolerate) and tough as old boots. I've also changed a few other bits as they wore out, or because I wanted to - but even with all the costs it's under your budget. The wider tyres mean they don't have to be very high pressure (I run mine at about 50psi) so the ride is much more comfortable than a thin-tyred road bike. The roads around here are quite bad, and the one time I rode a road bike I was begging for mercy after a few miles.
The key question is what kind of riding you want to do. My bike is mainly used for commuting but also serves as a family-bike-ride-in-the-woods bike and could (will hopefully) be used as a touring bike as well. It's not the fastest bike in the world, but it's fast enough and funnily enough the more I ride it, the faster it gets
Also, it occurs to me that if you are the sort of coach driver who does tours with old people, you might be better served by getting a folding bike and taking it with you so you can get some rides in during your down time.
