Three words that always make me smile

[andygates]

Lidl are having one of their bike weeks - decent stuff dirt cheap, so if you need another pair of cleaty shoes or some shorts or base layers, pop in for a bargain.  And get lots of praline choc and eurosausage at the same time (I can't be the only one).

Me?  I spent all of twenty quid and have a shiny new bicycle. 

Well, half of one: a shiny new unicycle.  He needs assembly and a name.  The danger of reading Iain M Bank's Culture novels when you get a new bike is now becoming apparent: Rather than being called Eric or Boris or Lagavulin or Buckaroo, he's probably going to end up with a name like I Told You That Would Hurt.

Stop asking "can you actually ride a unicyle?" in the back there.  How hard can it be?  I've read the interwebs and everything.

Comments

[andygates.livejournal.com]

A family, bike paths and to the shops kind of bike? There's a ton on the market, hybrids are where it's at. Isn't Ben about riding age himself now?

[teahisme.livejournal.com]

He is yes. I am currently debating shipping of bike vs buying new when I get there. That is exactly the sort of biking we'd be interested in. Something to get us out and moving as a family. Any ideas of costs/what we should look for in a bike?

[andygates.livejournal.com]

No rear suspension. :)

There's a good spread of bikes from about £200,250 through to £400 which perfectly fit the bill. Specialized and Marin and Dawes all do nice hybrids which are commonly available. Don't bother getting anything under £200, it'll be a lump of suck. Spend more if you want, nobody ever regrets it :)

If I were buying and expecting to be pootling, I'd look at maybe the Dawes Discovery range or the Specialized Crossroads. If I was going to commute regularly, the Specialized Sirrus is a firmer and faster ride. They do women's models too.