New Commuter Bike

maverick_21

I've just moved house and due to a terrible bus route I've decided to buy a bike and cycle to work. Its a 5k e/w cycle along the canal in Dublin. I've read a good few threads on here and am torn between buying a hybrid or road bike.What does everyone think?
I have the bike to work scheme and a maximum budget of €1000.
I'd imagine I'll do some cycling outside of my daily commute eventually as well ao maybe thats something to consider.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

macnab

I will offer my usual advice. Spend about €200 on a 2nd hand but perfect condition bike, the Carrera TDF is the perfect bike in this bracket. Carrera also do a Hybrid bike if thats the way you want to go. Trek and Giant also have some lower models that might fall into this bracket.
My reasoning is that you have a perfectly good bike, if a little heavy, on which to start cycling. If, after a while, you get the bug then you can blow the Cycle to Work budget on the dream bike and keep the cheaper bike for winter etc.

The way a lot of people do it is spend the €1000 CTW budget on a middle of the road aluminium framed bike which they sell for about €500 within the first year to upgrade to a Carbon Fibre framed bike.
Only you can know which type of shopper you are and hindsight is 20/20

Fian

Your major decision is between a road bike or hybrid. Look at a few of the many threads in this forum on that.

My opinion on that in a nutshell:

A hybrid is better for commuting because of the more upright position in traffic. For longer journeys or leisure cycling a road bike is much better and much more comfortable.

If you commute regularly you are probably going to want a road bike after a while (and then a better road bike a while after that!), especially if you are also using bike at weekends.

Good idea to buy a second hand hybrid for the commute and save your BTW scheme for when you upgrade to a road bike.

Get Disc brakes on your commuter bike. With irish weather this is a no brainer.

Get decent clothes to commute in and then change in work.

If you have not cycled in a long time you will have a sore posterior initially, it passes.

onthefringe

cyclocrss bike...
best of both worlds , takes mudgaurds if u buy the right one, and you can take it to the park or hills if you so desire!!!

Diarmuid

A road bike with drop handlebars kitted out with full mudguards and a rack and good panniers

wanderer 22

Lenny is selling this, they get decent reviews http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057426341

maverick_21

Thanks for all the responses. After speaking to a few friends who are big into cycling I'm leaning towards a road bike

Any opinions on these two?
http://www.harrysbikes.com/bikes/bikes-road-racer/2015-giant-defy-3.html
http://duffcycles.com/about-shop?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=503&category_id=22