bike advice!

right a good mate (fruit gum) has persuaded me a bike is a good purchase and, to my complete surprise my h has decided he would like one too (he doesnt do excercise of any sort so im actually chuffed) we've decided to go the whole hog and get us all a new bike.

but ive not had one since i was a kid and, it seems there are different types, sizes etc and i havent a clue so can you help? we will use them mainly for pleasure, but i also want to use mine for work. im 5ft 2" and rich is 5ft 10" kids are nearly 8 (can ride without stabilizers) and nearly 5.  budget is £200 ish for me and h.

help!

Firstly if you are using them to get to work does your work to a bike scheme, whereby you effectively dont pay income tax on the amount you buy the bike for and can pay it monthly straight from your salary.

To chose a bike go to a proper bike shop (NOT Halfords), they are normally v good and will help you chose. You'll probably need a hybrid bike, for the type of biking you want. Don't get one with a rear suspension, unless you're doing some serious x country or downhill mountain biking then it uses up far too much energy for the benefits you get. Plus its worth spending more on a better frame that getting extras at that price.

go to your local bike shop and ask for advice, do not go to Halfords as they really only sell over-priced tat.  Is your budget £200 each or total because if it's total you are not going to get a lot for your money.

I recently bought a bike for the first time since I was 14 and although I went to have a look in Halfords I soon walked out.  My OH competes for our local bike shop so we went in there and I ended up spending £650 (double what I wanted to).  Even my daughters bike cost £180 :-0.  However with bikes you get what you pay for and the cheaper the bike the less likely it's going to last.

You also need to decide what kind of riding you will be doing, road, off-road, mixture of both as this will be a deciding factor on the type of bike you will need to buy.

HTH

thanks both, we are going to go to the local bike shop. looking at £200 each. itl be a mixture some on road (to and from work) and some off (pleasure- local canal is lovely for biking)

my work doesnt do the bike scheme (i love working for the civil service) which is a pain.

Our local bike shop were fab and suggested bikes for our sizes (both long-legged freaks!) and adjusted and set them all up for us. I think we paid over £200 for the two, but we could have gone cheaper. They didn't try and sell us the most expensive; in fact I think they suggested the cheapest for H but he wanted one a bit nicer. My sister on the other hand paid £400 for hers in Halfords and has had lots of trouble with it, which they are refusing to sort out.

I did 13 miles on mine on Friday, and do 5 miles a day on it. I love it.

cheers doughnut, im a short legged freak so def need advice.  my dad is giving us a lovely cheque so we can go off and hopefully get 4 lovely bikes and go for family days out. although caitlin the youngest spotted something when i was looking online, those seats that go on the back of the adult bike and she decided that shed quite like one of those. pah!

I'd have a chat with the people in Evans Cycles in Birmingham (on Temple Row near the Tesco Metro) - they're pretty knowledgable - or any other local branch if I've got your location wrong.  It is worth making an investment as cheap bikes have downsides in terms of weight and gear that isn't easily serviceable.

cheers baron, i know where that is, my bet mate lives near by (im nuneaton but know brum well) i think we'll go to the local shop and evans' and then make a decision. the kids im not so worried about as we will replace theirs as they grow but i want to to get bikes for me and h that will last.

I have a Specialized Sirrus Sport, which is a hybrid - pretty much a road bike with flat handlebars.  Bit out of your budget (it was out of mine but my sister's boyfriend works in a bike shop and I got 50% off) but the make is good.  Look out for Giant too.

I'd go for a hybrid if you're not looking to go too far off road.  Cheap mountain bikes are very heavy and anything claiming to offer full suspension for under £500 is generally to be avoided.

cheers! tbh we have a bit more than £200 each but im going to see what i can manage!

ace advice all cheers