Cannondale Bad Boy AL - Boardman Performance Comp or

[retiredrunner]

Specialized Sirrus Elite?

Hello everyone ...as my username may suggest I have been forced to give up my main hobby/sport which is running due to injury ...my consultant has suggested I take up cycling or swimming ...I am going to give cycling a go in an attempt to keep fit although up until a 2 months ago didn't have a clue on different types of bike/ fitting etc ...the last time I owned a bike was a Jaguar Racer when I was about 10 years old!

I would like to try and replicate my running in some way by timing myself on the bike over set distances and courses and basically using my bike for fitness purposes ...don't think I'm quite up to owning a road bike although that would seem to suit my purpose the best ...so am looking to see if i can get the bug and break myself in with a sporty hybrid which leads me to the 3 bikes i have narrowed my decision down to in my price range ...so was wondering if anyone has any experience/recommendations or a general consensus of opinion on any of the 3 bikes from above? ...I have narrowed down my search based on various opinions from work colleagues/friends who cycle at the moment ....seems to be a bit of a minefield out there!

I realise for those experienced riders this might be a bit of a dumb repetitive question a bit along the line of "what trainers should i buy?" that would always crop up on the runnersworld forum I used to read ...but I can see that cycling is going to be a lot more expensive than running and really want to make the right decision ...although I have been warned that whatever I choose I'll porbably want to try some other bike within months and may end up acquiring different types of bike!

 

[dellzeqq]

Bikes have come on wonderfully in the last ten years. Almsot anything you buy from a decent shop is going to be a thing of wonder. I'm a fan of Specialized bikes, but the Boardman is a great bike.

That said, take a good look at the shop selling the bike. Will it put it together properly, and will it stand by it if something is not right? Will they give you a test ride? How happy are you that they will advise you properly on the set-up? Do they offer a free three month service?

If you tell us where you are, we might be better able to advise.

 

[retiredrunner]

cheers dellzeqq ...i'm based in Egham and will be doing most of my riding in my old running stomping ground of Windsor Great Park on the tarmaced paths.

I'm test riding the Cannondale and Sirrus at Evans Cycles in Woking next week ...obviously the Boardman you can only get in Halfords and i already have experience albeit with the kids bikes that their knowledge and skills isn't really that great and can be a bit hit and miss from store to store dependant on whos working etc ...my intial thoughts would be to go with the Boardman as it seems exactly what I'm looking for in a bike ...but was a bit worried on the fact that its only sold at Halfords and that it's not as established a brand as Specialized/Cannondale etc ....although I have had a couple of friends recommend Boardmans.

 

[dellzeqq]

Evans can vary greatly store to store as well. Why not pm Norm and ask his opinion? Or DavyWalnuts?