Think I'm going to buy a flat bar boardman hybrid what u think
No need to buy a bike just for the Manchester -Blackpool jaunt, just borrow something inappropriate and in a poor state of repair and you will fit right in
The flip side of that coin is the 'serious' cyclist on his £3k carbon TT machine who scowls at every other rider, runs all the lights and rides on the wrong side of the road because he is going to win the 'race' and get a sub-3hr ride time and nobody is going to stop him!.
I have ridden the Mcr/Bpool a number of times over the years and have done so on MTB, roadbike and hybrid. Neither seemed any less capable (although I wouldn't recommend a full suspension MTB). It is a relatively easy ride when broken down into 15 mile segments and I reckon I could do it quite easily even on a kids bike (might ask
@potsy if I can borrow one of his
).
Getting back to the OP, it sounds like you are a fairly experienced cyclist. How far and frequent are your 'long' commutes? I think you are probably ready and the only thing I would suggest is that you load up your bike into it's touring state and go out for a couple of 30-40 mile rides before you set off to make sure you are happy with the way your bike is set-up. How far are your friends planning on riding each day? if it is only 50 miles then you should be good, if it is 100 miles a day then that is going to take some stamina!