Best mid-range bicycle?

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Decathlon do bikes with good spec components that are great value - they have huge buying power and you are not paying for a 'name'. If you push just over the £200 mark then you'll get disc brakes (great in the wet - assuming hubby isn't a fair weather rider!) and decent gears/shifts.

Would recommend a mountain bike to avoid punctures. Not as quick as a road bike but more comfortable and more solid.

Only other thing to consider is where he'll leave the bike? If there isn't somewhere secure at work then it might be better to go for a less desirable and cheaper bike!

Check whether his employer does Cyclescheme - you save a fortune on a bike. Also echo the Decathlon recommendation - you get a lot more for your money.

Yeah you can get a good bike for £200, I wouldn't go over that unless it was for a specialist job. Would probably go for a mountain bike considering the state of the roads. Not keen of screw thread pedals though as they tend to come off especially if the thread gets crossed

Steer clear of halfords, the bike I got was badly put together and they reckoned I might need the extended maintenance package when the bike was loosening after 2 weeks because I was using it a lot by doing 5 miles twice a week.

Have a look at Sheffield Cycle Boost. Even if his employer isn't on the scheme you can now apply as an individual. You get to borrow a bike for 4 weeks, and try it out, then you can buy it for £100 or give it back. It's a great scheme, I know the people who do it and also several people who've gone through it. The bikes are good, practical and comfortable, and the price is subsidised meaning you get a bike worth much more than £100.

http://sheffieldcycleboost.org/bike-loans/

Or try Recycle Bikes in Heeley for a refurbished second hand bike (http://recyclebikes.co.uk/). They're a social enterprise too and benefit the local community.

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Decathlon do bikes with good spec components that are great value

+1 to Decathlon. Look at the BTWIN Triban 3 (last years model with carbon forks) and Triban 300 (this years model, not carbon forks). Both get excellent reviews on the bike forums and state its easily comparable with a £500 bike. Calling it "mid-range" is debatable, its marketed as an entry level bike.

I went to Halfords and an indy bike shop and they were just interested in selling me anything they had in stock. They let me sit on 56cm and 58cm framed bikes and said "yeah, that will do you". Only Decathlon took me into the car park and let me ride it, and watched me ride it, and they could see that even a 60cm frame was too small.

I bought a Triban 300 last month for £279, best bike I've ever owned.

Make sure you apply for a discount card before you buy, as you get a £5 voucher when you spend £250.

Take a trip to JE James, just outside Rotherham town centre, lots of bikes on show to see the type you want. Alternatively the cycle show at the NEC Birmingham 25-28 Sept. You can try loads of bikes out even the latest electric models.

Yeah you can get a good bike for £200, I wouldn't go over that unless it was for a specialist job. Would probably go for a mountain bike considering the state of the roads. Not keen of screw thread pedals though as they tend to come off especially if the thread gets crossed

Never ever had a pedal come off, pedals dont tend to come off, and why would the thread get crossed unless you fitted it incorrectly?

Back to the OP, if its just for a five mile to work and back trip, get a clunker off ebay, or go to decathlon if you want something with a guarantee.

Don't discount getting a road bike rather than a mountain bike, much lighter and much better for riding on the road. More than capable of dealing with a few potholes, lumps and bumps around Sheffield, and far better for riding back up hills.

Never ever had a pedal come off, pedals dont tend to come off, and why would the thread get crossed unless you fitted it incorrectly?

 

Back to the OP, if its just for a five mile to work and back trip, get a clunker off ebay, or go to decathlon if you want something with a guarantee.

 

Don't discount getting a road bike rather than a mountain bike, much lighter and much better for riding on the road. More than capable of dealing with a few potholes, lumps and bumps around Sheffield, and far better for riding back up hills.

Road bikes are better at hills and quicker but that's not necessarily a good thing if weight loss is on the agenda!

You will always have a lot more punctures with road bike - very rare with a mountain bike on the road.

Road bikes are better at hills and quicker but that's not necessarily a good thing if weight loss is on the agenda!

 

You will always have a lot more punctures with road bike - very rare with a mountain bike on the road.

I've had my (mountain) bike for 18 months and only had 2 punctures (within a month of each other ), and I have done 3000+ miles in that time. None recently, but I do have slime inner tubes now.

I've never ridden a road bike, so I can't make comparisons. The roads on my way the work are terrible in places.

Got my bike from decathlon, and I would definitely recommend them. Its done me well, despite minimal upkeep, it's paid for itself (£250) many times over. I use it to commute to work.