Theres quite a bit of advice on these threads to start with...http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,23549.0/all.htmlhttp://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,23224.100.htmlThere are loads of brands to choose from, I'd probably avoid Dawes personally. Btwin are good value, are you sure they don't do C2W scheme? I thought they did. Boardman are also pretty good value for money. Are you resticted to certain shops? Edinburgh Cycle do some good value bikes.SPDs are designed for mountain bikes and tourers, they get used quite a bit on road bikes. The benefit of using SPDs on a road bike/tourer is mainly that the shoes are easier to walk in than road cleats.What are the road surfaces like on the route?How good is security at your place of work?
Are you going to be commuting through the winter?I'm no bike expert but I have commuted 10 miles a day all year round for the last 3 years and bought a cyclocross bike to do the job (Specialized Tricross) rather than a road bike (roads in Sheffield are pretty heinous). It has been v reliable though the cantilever brakes are a bit crap. Chunkier gatorskin type tyres in the winter. mud guards essential. good lights and lots of them essential.I had SPDs until I broke my foot and haven't gone back to them in case I fall off in traffic.My mistake as a biking punter was to buy the wrong sized frame
Quote from: T_B on August 20, 2014, 01:58:15 pmAre you going to be commuting through the winter?I'm no bike expert but I have commuted 10 miles a day all year round for the last 3 years and bought a cyclocross bike to do the job (Specialized Tricross) rather than a road bike (roads in Sheffield are pretty heinous). It has been v reliable though the cantilever brakes are a bit crap. Chunkier gatorskin type tyres in the winter. mud guards essential. good lights and lots of them essential.I had SPDs until I broke my foot and haven't gone back to them in case I fall off in traffic.My mistake as a biking punter was to buy the wrong sized frame Thanks for the reply. Yes hopefully all year round (apart from when its really bad). I had seen the cyclocross bikes, wasnt quite sure if they were appropriate. Its getting complicated! What do you use instead of SPDs?
Got home to a flyer from Edinburgh cycles. http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/products/revolution-cross-sport-disc-14?bct=browse%2fbicycles%2froad-bikes these are on sale at £599 from the weekend. Leeds is probably your closest store.
Something else on pedals, most bikes ship with cheap flat pedals (or no pedals at all on more expensive bikes ). Fine to get started with but with a regular ride clipping in will be much more efficient. Another advantage of SPDs is you can get single sided SPD touring pedals, so you have the option of using either SPD shoes or normal shoes (if for example your only pair of SPDs get soaked on the way home the previous night) http://www.halfords.com/cycling/cycling-parts/pedals-pegs/shimano-pd-a530-spd-single-sided-touring-bike-pedals