Hi all, I'm trying to buy a bike having not cycled regularly for 15 years. I can't spend a huge amount but could use Cycle to Work and maybe spend a bit more. I thought I'd just buy a £350 Carrera from Halfords, but researching has got me confused.
Basically I'd like to fair weather commute about 5-6 miles with toddler. Part of the commute (the last stretch home) has a significant hill which I'll probably have to push the bike up at the start.
How many gears am I likely to need? Any tips for carrying a child and work bag? Any suggestions for bikes or stores? Do I need a significantly more expensive bike to make that hill manageable? Do I need a woman's bike if carrying a child on the back? (I'm looking at 18"/19" frames)
My LBS seems to stock bikes over £500 only and doesn't accept Cycle to Work vouchers at the moment which is a bit of a pain. I'm near an Evans as well but no Decathlon that I know of - although they don't have anything in stock as far as I can see.
I have looked at some secondhand options, but I'm quite worried about getting a dud or a stolen bike. There's a Ridgeback Meteor that's about 7 years old quite cheap available, but I'm not sure whether it's sensible to spend £170 as they're asking on a bike that old?
Thank you for any help in advance.
Basically I'd like to fair weather commute about 5-6 miles with toddler. Part of the commute (the last stretch home) has a significant hill which I'll probably have to push the bike up at the start.
How many gears am I likely to need? Any tips for carrying a child and work bag? Any suggestions for bikes or stores? Do I need a significantly more expensive bike to make that hill manageable? Do I need a woman's bike if carrying a child on the back? (I'm looking at 18"/19" frames)
My LBS seems to stock bikes over £500 only and doesn't accept Cycle to Work vouchers at the moment which is a bit of a pain. I'm near an Evans as well but no Decathlon that I know of - although they don't have anything in stock as far as I can see.
I have looked at some secondhand options, but I'm quite worried about getting a dud or a stolen bike. There's a Ridgeback Meteor that's about 7 years old quite cheap available, but I'm not sure whether it's sensible to spend £170 as they're asking on a bike that old?
Thank you for any help in advance.