Is this a good buy ( new member first post)?

[Mark Walker]

Short intro, male 50 yrs old .coming into cycling from road/fell running.
I am commuting 30 ish hilly miles a day and 30-35 hilly rides (Including occasionaly Rosedale chimney bank ) on a weekend.Using a Roam 1 base Hybrid bike
I know more or less 0 about cycling ,however a few of my friends are keen cyclists and give me the odd tip now and again.
Now to the point of the post ,i have just (tonight all beeen well ?) bought this http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/bikes/model/tcx.2/9022/48878/ for £640 from my local bike shop.
I was going to go Boardman and I have tested Specialized and Ridley but the Giant felt good .
Is this a good buy ?

 

[ianrauk]

If it felt good when you rode it then that is the most important thing.
Giant are one of the worlds biggest cycle manufacturers and by and large they make very good bikes.

It is a Cross bike though which is a bit more rugged then an out and out road bike. So will have thicker tyres and cantilever brakes (for mud clearance)rather then side pull brakes and also has handlebar levers (used to be called suicide levers) for braking when your hands are on the top of the bars,

Looking at the internet, £640 seems about right.
So to get that price from a LBS is good value. They will do a first service for free and look after your bike in the long run.

Welcome to CC....

 

[Rob3rt]

Kind of hard to say if it was a good buy, I mean in itself yes the bike is a good bike but, whether it is a good buy will depend on how you are going to use it.

It is a cyclocross bike and opposed to the many opinions of people on here who seem to constantly recommend cyclocross bikes to anyone who may possibly ride on a canal towpath once in a blue moon, I personally would say, unless you intend to ride cyclocross, you would be better off with a dedicated road bike.

 

[Mark Walker]

Kind of hard to say if it was a good buy, I mean in itself yes the bike is a good bike but, whether it is a good buy will depend on how you are going to use it.

It is a cyclocross bike and opposed to the many opinions of people on here who seem to constantly recommend cyclocross bikes to anyone who may possibly ride on a canal towpath once in a blue moon, I personally would say, unless you intend to ride cyclocross, you would be better off with a dedicated road bike.

Thanks for the reply s chaps
Forgot to mention,a fair section of my commute is on the Cleveland Way coastal path also I like to be able to x/country on my longer rides if the need arises.
Did my first ride on Friday evening ,have not used drops for over 25yrs felt strange but ok when I got going.
fast as hell compared to my Giant Roam.