Also worth having a look at is the
Boardman ADV 8.8 - it's currently £640 in
Halfords - and it has TRP Spyre brakes which are great for the money. It looks great to my eyes - it's got Shimano Sora, which is a very underrated groupset in my experience, and good gearing choices for anyone who is a new rider or lives in hilly areas.
Add the wide tires in and I reckon it's definitely worth a look.
Edit: it's also well under budget meaning you have more money for accessories. Take a look at the Cycle To Work scheme too if your workplace does it.
I had a Boardman 8.9 adventure for a few days, did not like it, the front derailleur could not be adjusted
properly, it was Tiagra, was told a change to 105 front derailleur would solve it, something to do
with flexing bracket on the Tiagra one, but it was a loaner bike so did not matter to me,
the adv even with the carbon fork and wide tyres which have a low weight limit vibrated and
made my hands buzz, I now have a 200.00 euro second hand bike that beats it for comfort and handling.
Only saying, it is important the OP tries some bikes and get a feel for how they handle, how they deal with
vibrations which will drive you nuts if you get one that tingles your hands, or even vibes through
the seat, you can change a seat, but vibes are to be avoided, they will tire you, numb you and annoy you to no end.
I would take Cannondale, I find sora components to work very well if you choose that route, (sora is 9 speed).
Most important of all, the right fit, you want to get a comfortable position on the seat, and have the seat at the right height, meaning your leg is not fully or overly extended when at the bottom of the pedal stroke, then ensure you can reach the bars, if you ride more upright make sure you can attain that position, some people ride holding the tops of the bar or rest their hands on the shifters and only go into the drops occasionally, which type of rider are you, if you are not so flexible get a shorter reach, if you will be riding in town , city or built up areas with lots of traffic, then a more upright position is needed, this allows you to see more of what’s going on around you and be able to react to unfolding situations, no point in only being able to see the ground, when you need to see traffic lights, signposts, people walking, cars scooting in front of you, narrowing the space where you need to ride to
a narrow strip that you won’t fit in, then you crash, take paint off a car and a whole hassle issues, just some things to think about.
