Timmy T

Thanks for all your thoughts. We’ve finally decided on the Specialized Turbo Vado 3, wish us luck!

Both these bikes are available locally, and comparing them to others available the build quality etc seemed better. They just seemed better than the others. Some of it was esthetics, some of it was feeling comfortable with recognised components (Bosch, Shimano), some of it was recognised brands. Again, do you get what you pay for? I’m not that familiar with the whole scene when it comes to some of the less familiar stuff.

Hi, My wife and I are both mid 50s, pretty fit, want to cycle 6 miles to work (country lanes and cycle tracks), but don’t want to arrive all hot and sweaty after negotiating several steep hills. We’d also like to get out for some leisure riding in the N Devon countryside which is also pretty steep locally! However, the choice seems bewildering, looking in the hybrid/trekking area. I’m of the opinion that you normally get what you pay for and “Buy cheap, Buy twice!”, so we’d be interested in some opinions or recommendations. Our top picks at the mo are Specialized Vado or Bergamont e Horizon 6 (looking around the £2500 mark). Does anyone have any opinions on these, or other options to consider. Is £2500 a reasonable budget for what we want? I’d also be interested in thoughts on buying mail order. Do most of these bikes have similar riding styles/efficiency/reliability etc? My personal opinion is that it’s a lot of money to buy before trying, or if they are all fairly similar does it make that much difference? Thanks for your time, Tim