Bike advice

Skipton

I am new to cycling having recently moved to Skipton in North Yorkshire. I would like to cycle on the roads for general fitness.
I am 57 years old and up until recently actively involved in many sports. The last few years has seen a general deterioration in fitness levels due to lack of time for work and family reasons !
I am looking for advice as to a good bike to take up the sport. I am not going to be road racing just looking for a bike suitable to cope with the Dales cycling 1 or 2 days a week !
I have an initial budget of £600 - £800 and would appreciate any help/advice !
I look forward to your feedback and to enjoying the world of cycling !

ForumNewbie

You probably want a sportive bike with more relaxed geometry than a racer, but is still a fast road bike, assuming you want to do long rides. If you only plan shorter solo rides of less than 25 miles, a hybrid would be fine. £600 - £800 budget is not a lot as you will need shoes, helmet, gloves and other accessories and clothing. I am in your age group and have road bikes, but also still like to use my hybrid now and again for shorter rides.

Skipton

I am planning on using the cycle to work scheme so can increase my budget to £1000 for the bike. I will budget for shoes, helmet, clothing etc. separately.

fudgey

I was looking at getting a cube peloton race for around a grand on the cycle scheme, has full shimano 105 groupset and a reasonable wheel set.

You will find a cube has as good a spec as the equivalent specialized etc, but £400 cheaper. My mtb is a cube and a very good bike.

As for shoes and pedals if you are going for spd's then use mtb ones and shoes, far easier to walk in than proper road shoes. Get a decent helmet that fits properly and i would advise gloves and padded shorts

I didnt opt for the cube in the end tho, i got an offer on a colnago acr i could not refuse..

Skipton

Thanks for the recommendation I had shortlisted the Cube.
The others I've shortlisted are:
GHOST RACE 4900
BOARDMAN TEAM
MERIDA SCULTURA ALLOY 904
GIANT DEFY 1
RIBBLE SPORTIVO BIANCO
Any feedback appreciated !