Cycling newbie - buying advice please

[lol22]

Hi everyone

I'm not very knowledgeable on bikes and would really appreciate any advice you can offer.
I've been commuting to work on my old mtb for years and watching other cyclists bomb past me. The old mtb is all but dead so I will now buy only my second ever new bike. I commute about 4 miles each way with a steep hill of about 300ft in the middle. The route is a mixture of roads, pot holes, pavement - usual stuff! I would also like to be able to occasionally go off road, and I will keep the mtb for even more occaisional trips to Derbyshire.

I cycle in all weather apart from gales and snow.


Initially I thought I might need a hybrid - something about liking the security of flat bars and suspension of the old mtb seduced me. But now I've ruled that out because of far more positive reviews saying that I'll be a speedier and happier commuter on a cyclo cross or adventure type bike. And I can even go on tow paths with it.
So my hunt now focusses on cyclocross and adventure type bikes. I initially budgeted to spend about £600 but that is now revised to about £900 ish + accessories - SPD shoes, SPD pedals and mudguards and a new set of lights.
So far I think a Raleigh RX Comp (Halfords cycle republic £850) and Norco Threshold 105 (Evans £950) are the leading contenders. The Norco is orange so it gets bonus points from me.
Can anyone recommend a solid buy for about this budget? I like value for money, brands are fairly meaningless to me but anything orange, or with Italian writing on it will encourage me to stretch the budget a little more.
Like anyone approaching this intimidating territory I'm not sure whether I need thru axles, hydraulic disc brakes and carbon fibre components - any advice is really appreciated.

Thanks

 

[vickster]

Have a look at the Planet X London road comes in lime green rather than orange

 

[tallliman]

^^ Agree with @vickster. Also, a colleague has a caadx that he loves which would largely fit the bill but is black

 

[lol22]

Thanks Vickster ... I just took a look. It certainly looks interesting. I'll call them in the week.

I'm going to show my ignorance again... I'm worried about buying without being fitted for a bike or riding it. But I don't know why....
What should I pay attention to to get it right?

Any views on the Raleigh or Norco I mentioned? They have the advantage of being locally available to me in nottingham.

 

[tallliman]

Planet X are in Sheffield, easy to get to if you drive.

I'd definitely err on the side of having someone ensure the bike is the right size for you prior to purchase. If you can ride it for a while (turbo at least), that should be fine.

 

[steveindenmark]

Go into your local bike shop and sit on a few bikes, you dont have to buy them.

It may be worth a visit to the bike shop anyway. This is the time of year you can get bargains on 2015 bikes as they want to make space for new Stock.

 

[vickster]

Even if you don't drive, aren't there trains from Nottingham to Sheffield?

 

[3narf]

Don't dismiss flat bars out of hand (as it were!); some flat bar road bikes are pretty rapid!

You can always fit bar ends for hand position options.

 

[tallliman]

Even if you don't drive, aren't there trains from Nottingham to Sheffield?

Yeah, direct trains. Then you'd need a bus to take you towards Px.

 

[Profpointy]

Don't dismiss flat bars out of hand (as it were!); some flat bar road bikes are pretty rapid!

You can always fit bar ends for hand position options.

An alternative opinion is absolutely dismiss flat bars out of hand. I'd never go back to 'em. Flats are fine if you don't mind a fixed hand position, will never cycle in a headwind, and don't mind working harder for less speed.

EDIT: the above reads a bit more pooey than the slightly tongue-in-cheek post intended. Drops are still best though

 

[3narf]

An alternative opinion is absolutely dismiss flat bars out of hand. I'd never go back to 'em. Flats are fine if you don't mind a fixed hand position, will never cycle in a headwind, and don't mind working harder for less speed.

Iyho.

Not everyone has the flexibility to get the most out of drop bars... Just saying, op seems comfortable with them.

 

[Darren Gregory]

I'm a bit of a stuck record on this and posted the below in a similar thread:

I was in a similar position last year and finaly went with the Pinnacle Arkose 3.

http://www.cyclechat.net/threads/be...ing-for-some-opinions-advice-comments.165377/

Having ridden it for a year my only complaints are that the bar tape is horrible, got rid of that very early on swapped it for LIzard Skin and I found the Kenda Small Block tyres seemed to be puncture magnets. Changed them over to Continental GP 4 Seasons late summer.

I havent ridden any "decent" bikes so perhaps I am missing something that a more established manaufacture might provide but whilst I often see other bikes and lust over them it's not because of the Arkose.

Current proces mean for the £1000 I spent last year you can get the Arkose 4 which I think upgrade the the 3 to Hydraulic brakes.​

Since I posted this the Arkose 3 is down to £750 and is actually cheaper than the Arkose 2!

 

[3narf]

I have seen those Arkose bikes in Evans and I must say they look really good.

 

[Darren Gregory]

My local Evans were pretty helpful and for a returnable deposit they ordered in an Arkose 2, Arkose 3 and a Cannonade CAADX for me to try. Got to ride them around the local area for maybe 30 minutes each bike. Difficult to judge them in that time, but I instantly didn't like the Cannonade, I know that they are a very respected company but the bike just wasn't right for me.

At the time I rode the Arkose 2 I was a little underwhelmed by the Hydraulic brakes when compared withe the cable brakes on the Arkose 3 however I am pretty sure that neither brakes were bedded in so I don't think it was a fair criticism on my part. I wondered if the gear ratio on the Arkose 2 would be limiting in the long term however I think for me that was also unfair as I rarely get into my biggest gear on the Arkose 3 and think I would have been fine on the Arkose 2.

If I could go back and advise myself at the time I probably would have said get the Arkose 2 and save some money for clothing, lights and other gear as I have found over the last year that I needed more than I anticipated. But if I was buying now the Arkose 3 is a fantastic price.

 

[lol22]

Hi everyone.
I didn't look too hard at arkrose when I was in Evans. Not sure why. My latest update is that I plan to drive up to Sheffield to check out the London Road. I like it that one can have options and it seems to be well specced. if I like it then I will buy. I'm tempted by hydraulic brake version because I have the impression that I will not need to adjust the brakes.
Any thoughts on whether the more expensive versions of the London Road add value worth the price?
On the subject of flats v drops, I have suffered in the head wind lately. In my mind I'm gonna be a svelte and speedy drop bar commuter on my shiny new bike.

I'm also thinking to get spd type pedals so that I can go up the steep hill faster (my tracks tells me I ascend 500 foot o on the return journey part of my commute).
Any thoughts on any of the above are v very welcome.

Ps. I asked if London Road can come in orange! Apparently not... But they do a bike called Bish Bash Bosh that does, costs £1,600. Oh well, lime green is quite nice too.