So, here's the situation:
I'm moving to start a new job in a few weeks, and have a seventeen-mile round-trip commute, mostly along straight urban main roads once you get out of the hilly bit around where I'll be living. That is, assuming I'll be cycling it - and with a monthly season ticket costing the thick end of eighty quid for what is not a long journey, you'd better believe I want to cycle it.
The problem is that I'm sufficiently clumsy to be rather anxious about losing my balance even on regular on-road cycling - not enough to put me off commuting (I did so before for a previous job - an eleven-mile round-trip - on a Carrera Subway, and when that was nicked, a colleague's ill-fitting and disused MTB), but enough to compromise my choice of bike.
I think my main requirements are something that's light enough to not be sluggish on the longish commute I have, but with wide tyres and definitely-not-twitchy handling. (And if something's got to give, it's the former, not the latter. No point having a fast bike if I'm scared witless to ride it.) The Cannondale Quick 4 seems a possibility, but the Boardman Hybrid Comp looks like a very nice commuter, and I understand that there's clearance for wider tyres than the 28c set that's there as standard (apparently they've fitted 35c Schwalbes to one before, and I'd be looking to do the same if that's possible).
Seeing as I have plenty of savings and even a £1k bike would damned near pay for itself in a year even without the leisure potential I'd get out of it, I'd probably be willing to stretch to that (nothing to do with C2W either - as it's a new job I don't think I'd be eligible for it, not to mention the horror stories I've heard about Cyclescheme on here), but it seems like most of the bikes that are stable enough for my purposes cost a lot less than that anyway.
Any suggestions?
I'm moving to start a new job in a few weeks, and have a seventeen-mile round-trip commute, mostly along straight urban main roads once you get out of the hilly bit around where I'll be living. That is, assuming I'll be cycling it - and with a monthly season ticket costing the thick end of eighty quid for what is not a long journey, you'd better believe I want to cycle it.
The problem is that I'm sufficiently clumsy to be rather anxious about losing my balance even on regular on-road cycling - not enough to put me off commuting (I did so before for a previous job - an eleven-mile round-trip - on a Carrera Subway, and when that was nicked, a colleague's ill-fitting and disused MTB), but enough to compromise my choice of bike.
I think my main requirements are something that's light enough to not be sluggish on the longish commute I have, but with wide tyres and definitely-not-twitchy handling. (And if something's got to give, it's the former, not the latter. No point having a fast bike if I'm scared witless to ride it.) The Cannondale Quick 4 seems a possibility, but the Boardman Hybrid Comp looks like a very nice commuter, and I understand that there's clearance for wider tyres than the 28c set that's there as standard (apparently they've fitted 35c Schwalbes to one before, and I'd be looking to do the same if that's possible).
Seeing as I have plenty of savings and even a £1k bike would damned near pay for itself in a year even without the leisure potential I'd get out of it, I'd probably be willing to stretch to that (nothing to do with C2W either - as it's a new job I don't think I'd be eligible for it, not to mention the horror stories I've heard about Cyclescheme on here), but it seems like most of the bikes that are stable enough for my purposes cost a lot less than that anyway.
Any suggestions?
