Complete beginner

[JCKMDF]

I am a complete beginner when it comes to cycling and the only real experience i have would be a casual Sunday ride around a park.
I am looking at riding to and from work which is a 30 mile round trip but i am stuck for a bike to buy. I have looked at a mountain bikes, hybrids and road bikes but i am still unsure. The terrain i willl be riding along is mainly country roads with some steady inclines.

• Whistle Miwok 1383D looks to be a decent bike according to reviews but im not sure whether it will be suited to the roads
• Minnesota Coyote again looks good according to reviews.
• Falcon Corsa 700C comes under the hybrid range so would make sense to be the best choice but i am unsure about the style because as i said i am a beginner and the racing handle bars may not be suited to me.

any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated thankyou all.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

Hi @JCKMDF and .

That's a bit of a mix of bikes. The first two have decent specs but being mountain bikes wouldn't be ideal for the kind of riding you describe due to the knobbly tyres and the suspension creating drag.

The Falcon Corsa probably won't be idea either. Whoever classed that as a "hybrid" needs a slap as it's extremely misleading. It appears to have a standard double chainset which you might not like as it won't give much in the way of low gearing for hills.

Have a look at the Carrera Subway from Halfords which I think would be better suited to what you want. It's priced at £280 at the time of writing this but Halfords have very frequent sales so it can be got cheaper than that if you are patient.

Do you have a branch of Decathlon within reach? Their bikes are extremely good value for money and if you do fancy trying a drop bar racing bike their Triban 3 is probably the best specced entry level bike on the market.

I hope that helps for starters.

 

[vickster]

One that takes full mudguards and a pannier rack

Road bike or fast rigid flatbar

 

[Cycleops]

I would have thought some sort of hybrid would be ideal. Get one with a triple chainset for lots of gears. The narrower the tyres the faster the bike will feel but going wider will give more comfort. Most will take mudguards and racks. Don't bother with suspension as it will make little difference to comfort and add considerably to weight. Plenty out there as I would guess this is the most popular sector. The Subway might be a good budget buy as suggested above, also look at the Boardman range in Halfords. Good luck.

 

[Stephen C]

I was a complete beginner with a commute of 32 miles round trip, I got a Merlin S2200 for £330, I'm still using it 6500 miles later with a few replacements for worn out parts (chain etc). The only downside for some is the lack of pannier rack and mudguard mounts, but I use a backpack and shower after every ride so don't mind getting dirty and wet.