Newbie Purchase advice - Manchester to Blackpool!

[kaillum]

Hiya,

Long time lurker, first time posting

I've been commuting on an old Saracen Hybrid for about 12 months now, and am doing the Manchester to Blackpool ride on Sunday! I've been upping my pace and distance and am pretty confident that i'll complete it, BUT!!!

Now.. I'm a bit worried that my old clunker wont make it the 60 miles so am feverently trying to buy another bike before the ride! I'm on a strict budget as for as cheap as possible!.. and before I go an buy one of the Apollo CX10's from Halfords I thought i'd have a try at a road bike...

Whats peoples thoughts on... I'm 6' 4" with a 34" inside leg.. I thought a 27" frame would be ok?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/27-ROAD-RACE-...66:2|39:1|72:1688|240:1318|301:1|293:1|294:50

£150 is really my maximum (but at £5 over is just about doable!.. but I need it for end of the week!

Cheers

Andy ~ kaillum

 

[Globalti]

You should be fine on a hybrid. What tyres has it got? If they're knobbly consider fitting some narrower street tyres and pumping them up rally hard, which will make the trip faster and easier.

To be honest £150 won't get you much road bike and you certainly don't want to be buying an Apollo.

 

[kaillum]

cheers.. the Hybrid has chunky skinny tyres on (not skinny road type, but not MTB either!) (700x30 I think) would skinny road type tyres be ok?

 

[cheadle hulme]

If you're anywhere nr Manchester, try Decathlon in Stockport. They do a reasonable road bike for your budget. Don't buy that ebay clunker though.

 

[Globalti]

God no! That Ebay thing is worse than rubbish. High tensile steel frame, looks like a quill stem, shifters on the stem, steel chainrings and those handlebars.....!

Spend some cash on some really skinny tyres and a Topeak track pump them pump them up to maximum pressure.