I ride a Halford's bike. A Carrera Virtuoso. It's a pretty good entry-level road bike, but if you spend more, you'll get something lighter with better kit. I would always say buy the best bike you can afford, but if you can only afford <£400, then a Carrera is as good as any.
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I use the same for commuting, apart from being faster to accelerate and a bit lighter for climbing theres not much in it for average speed compared to my boardman which cost over twice as much.The boardman has better wheels ,carbon fork and better gears but i enjoy riding both bikes
A pricier bike will come with better components. But pricier components mean that replacing consumables costs more as well.
Since you're posting in commuting* I feel that the cheaper end of mid range will be better for the pocket.
The chains and cassettes on my 8 speed bike are cheaper than the ones on my 9 speed one.
* commuting, especially in winter, is much tougher on bikes than weekend Leisure rides.
+1 .
cassette for my commuter can be had for less than £20 , for the weekender i have seen them at least double .
Also i believe the 10 speed stuff tends not to last as long anyway .
I own a 1-5 trek that i use for my winter training and winter club rides,i have had the bike about 4 years from new its faultless,hard club rides every weekend right through the winter mixing it up with the 4grand bikes no problem.Money well spent its the cheapest by a long way of the bikes i own but fun wise its well up the list,if i were you i would buy the trek mate you will have miles of happy cycling
Same goes for the virtuoso, i have done many club runs at my current level and i keep up just fine compared to guys with similar super bikes .Its the legs and lungs that make the most difference .
If your looking for an entry level road bike then look at the triban 3 from decathlon, for £300 your getting a bike that would cost twice as much with a brand name and it gets rave reviews on here and in the cycling press.
TBH most bikes in a price bracket are much of a muchness and its just down to finding the one that suits you and your budget .Some people will say how great treks,spesh`s, giant`s etc are but they are all good bike`s.