Advice please re Hybrid beginner taking on manchester - blackpool

[Mr_Wigan]

Hello All,

I'm looking to get into biking and have entered the Manchester - Blackpool charity ride on 10/07/11 with some work collegues.

I want a hybrid bike for leisure and work and to get me to the finish line in Blackpool (or should that be me get the bike to the finish line !!).

I've read a few reviews and am looking to get a bike between £300 - £350. What suprises me is the relative limited amount of reviews I can find online regarding bikes.

The consumer review centre has the Claud Butler Urban Sport 400 hybrid as the best with a score on average of 4.5 out of 5. However there were only a total of 6 reviews posted.

Ive seen it priced at around £250 - £320 on the net.

I was wondering if anyone rates this machine and if they would recommend any alternatives or if they know where I could find better resources regarding reviews either on the net or in magazines for a bike at around the £350 mark.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated if anyone can spare the time. I'm looking forward to posting on here, Ive just signed up and am a newbie.

Thank You All, stay safe out there.

Mr _Wigan

 

[Moodyman]

The Claud Butler is okay and the sort of bike you ought to be looking for - aluminium frame and a rigid (no suspension) fork.

You might also like to consider similar stuff from Trek, Giant, Specialized. Have a look on Edinburgh Bike Coop's Revolution range. Try Evans and Halfords (Carrera range) as they they both had a sale on recently to clear the last of the 2010 stock. 2010 stock is better bang for buck than 2011.

If you have a Decathlon near you give them some thought - check their website too.

Don't worry about bike brands - most bikes are made in Taiwan nowadays and built by the same few bike manufacturers. Your Treks and Specialized's merely design the bikes and stick their badge on it when Mr Taiwan's built it.