need advice on bike! complete noob ;)

rsham277

hi ya,

so i've decided on the Giant Expression LX Women's 2012 as my first bike, http://www.cyclesurgery.com/giant%20expression%20lx%20women's%202012/y/bikes-components-bikewear/fcp-product/47866 after loads of reading/ getting confused/jargoned out.

I need some advice on whether this is suitable for my needs. primarily needed for commuting to work ( on tarmac), but am also using it for the coast to coast over a couple of days. is that ok? i read that 700c wheels are not good for off road bits, - how much can it take/ what type of trails are ok/not ok? also can you change the wheels later for off road uses?

i'm checking out the bike on monday , any help appreciated !

sham

g00se

Hi.

If you're talking about this C2C: http://www.c2c-guide.co.uk/qas/ then 700c will be fine. I expect the advise you were getting would probably be for proper mountain bike off-roading, whereas the "not on the road" bits of the C2C are going to be more like cinder and chalk track.

In choosing a bike, I would go for one more suited to the commute as that's what it's going to be used for day in day out - so the commuter forums may be a good place to ask too (as the road forums are mainly lycra and clippy pedals). Personally, I think that bike is more for the slow bimble with a bit of shopping rather than a rushed commute. I would say go for something more lightweight - but then, I'm into lycra and clippy pedals

rsham277

hi g00se!

thanks for the input. i'll try out the commuter section. i dont have far to travel each day, about 3-5 miles one way. and i'm coming from using the boris bikes for a month now, so anything would be an upgrade! my original budget was £170 max, but i've ended up spending 250! ha, just wanna be sure its money well spent. need it to last a 3 years ish before i can afford something better/ start working!