Quick but comfy, good-looking, and cheap as chips?

sadly, I think the market doesn't cater for what you want as it's pretty niche, and certainly very niche at that budget.

maybe see how close you can get with a custom-build ribble?

You'll only ever get everything you want if you build the bike yourself.

For me you basically need to decide how much tyre clearance you need before you start looking around. Because you don't have the money for a custom steel tourer you've got several options.

Road Bike - Decathlon offers good value in this area but you'll be limited to 25c tyres, if this does not suit your needs then there is no point looking here.

Budget Cross bike - This one for example ticks many of your boxes and for £475 is versatile, adaptable for the future - http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/product ... ross-bikes

Tourer - A classic tourer such as the Dawes Galaxy basic model is £599. http://www.dawescycles.com/p-786-galaxy-al.aspx

OnYourRight wrote:

Thanks, cooper.michael1. I like the look of that Edinburgh Bicycle Co-op Revolution Cross, and the steel Revolution Audax even more.

Those three bikes are all aluminium alloy, though. It’s odd that steel bikes are now priced at a premium!

The marketing men did a really good job of making steel undesirable in the 90s, when they were trying to sell Aluminium frames as the premium...Just as they are doing now by suggesting all 'good' bikes are made of carbon fibre.

In reality good quality steel differs massively to some £50 junk bike. A quality steel bike has always been at a cost, but the marketing in the 90s made steel appear to be a cheap option.

See if you can find a second-hand Surly Pacer or Cross-Check, either as a frameset or a complete bike.

If you can find a frameset then you can use 2nd hand parts for the build. They have mudguard eyelets so you can fix a rack, either one secured via the brake bolt, or use a Salsa Rack Lock seat post collar (in the case of the Pacer).

Hi OnYourRight

I've got the Dawes Century SE. Same frame as clubman but different groupset.
The paint job is lovely on the dawes and it is a classic looking bike. Over the last couple of years I've changed the tyres (Conti Grand Prix's are good value from the German sites), wheels and the handlebars (to a wider set). It's my commuter and winter bike and it's a great bike
Comfortable, fast and looks good.

I really wouldn't get too hung up on the whole triple vs compact thing. If you're buying a steel bike you're not a weight weenie and really the only advantage of a compact over a triple is weight. The triple actually suits the steel bike as a fast cruiser, as the close ratio between the gears suits the fact that it won't get instantly up to speed like a lightweight carbon frame. In fact sometimes on the compact it can be a pain when changing front rings as you then have to change either up or down 2-3 on the rear at the same time if you want to keep the ratio fairly close