I'm looking for a light-weight all-round bike/commuter bike

[PacificDogwod]

Any ideas?

I find the kind of bike I like is kinda hard to find in Britain: light-weight, but sturdy, mainly used for (short) commute and sometimes picking up bits at the local shop, NOT Pahsley or the likes, want it more high-tech than that.

This kind of thing - any ideas??

My current bike is a Marin hybrid and is 20 years old

OP, have you considered buying a frameset (frame and forks) and building the bike yourself? It's not as difficult as it might seem - if you can take a wheel out to fix a puncture, you can install a wheel in the first place, after all. That way you can have the wheels you want, the seatpost and saddle you want, stand, rack, lights, etc.

Or, even easier, if the frame on your existing bike is still in good condition and it fits you, why not just upgrade with new parts? Unless of course you want disc brakes and the frame doesn't have the mounting points. For commuting though, you could consider roller brakes - virtually maintenance free and with a bit of ingenuity can be fitted to a bike with an ordinary frame. See pic. I had to make the stainless steel clamp to fit round the rectangular chainstay - with a conventional round chainstay you could probably get away with a p-clip.

I trust Thorn's advice Leonard, we survive without and I can't think a stand is worth compromising the integrity of your frame/invalidating your lifetime frame warranty for.

Absolutely. I'm in agreement with you on this. I was referring to the plate being installed at the manufacturing stage, as is the case with the Circe Helios frame in the picture. Our Airnimal Rhinos don't have stands because they don't have the plates - so we have to lean them against trees or find a proper bike rack.

Oh wow, that is a serious set up, leonard!
FAR more serious than what I am intending to do with my bike

I like this one but would need mudguards etc added which will of course add to the cost.

I do want to try my new bike on as my current bike was bought for me and it never really 'fit' right.

Oh wow, that is a serious set up, leonard!

(Sorry for the delay in replying, Pacific.)

Serious indeed, so it's sad we never actually used it...

We built the tandem from the frame upwards, specifically for our Land's End to John o' Groats trip to celebrate our retirement.

Unfortunately, we had had so many problems with incorrect parts being supplied - not cycle parts but accessories - that we never had a chance to try it out until the big day itself.

And then something else went wrong.

You can read what happened next in our blog:

byjango.wordpress.com/2013/08/21/a-detour-via-whitby/

Thats a shame Leonard - we bought a great bike for our daughter that someone had had made for a LEJOG trip - used it once , we paid ⅛ of the original cost.

If I had to choose, I would choose the Lombardo Siena 100M. Its steel rack is equipped with aluminum rims, wide 35 mm tires, 6-speed drivetrain.
I've just bought a good bike - Lombardo Siena 100M Commuting Bike. I had read about it in the article about top bikes:
bestadviser.net/urban-bikes/8-top-city-bikes-for-men-and-women/
It`s amaizing

I've got a Hoy Shizuoka. Only 10kg!!
I love it. My old edinburgh bike coop bike was at least 15kg.

I have a Marin Hybrid, so may know where OP is coming from (mine is only 10 yrs old). I am wondering whether I should replace it.

(Bloody hell I would not build my own from frame up, have had enough of bottom brackets & fiddly brakes to last a lifetime already).

kickstands are awful, grot & dirt magnets. Cannot recommend.

I would expect to spend at least £650 (+ price of mudguards & rack) to get something comparable to my Muirwoods (was discounted to £460 10 yrs ago). I quite like the look of the Islabike 29ers for a replacement, or some of the Evans Hybrids in the £600-£900 range, like this one.

Decathlon do some hybrid bikes at a reasonable price with dynamo lights/panniers etc

www.decathlon.co.uk/original-520-hybrid-bike-id_8353018.html

I'd just pop to Dales or Evans and sit on a few and see what works for you.

I was deeply tempted by the Islabikes adult bike when I last replaced mine. In the end I went for a Dawes Galaxy Cross as they were discontinuing the smallest frame size so it was much reduced (and pannier rack / mudgards come included as standard).

I've been pleased with it overall, particularly like the disc brakes, and it's definitely sturdy (I'm not that gentle on my bikes - load them up with crap then hurtle up and down bumpy tracks.). But I still slightly regret the Islabike!

I'm looking at this road bike as my next purchase
www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductMobileDisplay?here

This one

I got a specialized vita two years ago for a once a week 20mile round trip commute to work, and social family riding. I love it, we did adjust the handlebar stem. It fitted my price bracket, I've spent another £100 on tweaks to it.

I'm really interested in the Specialized Alibi Sport. It doesn't have disc brakes but I'm not sure how important they are for the occasional rider like me.

I am very interested in the no puncture tyres and no rust chain. Plus all the cables are routed through the bike so won't get pulled out of place. I am completely lost on bike maintenance so something that is good to go the whole time will suit me well I think.

It's supposed to have plenty of places to attach racks and kickstands but I want a good old fashioned basket on it.

I will be mainly riding on nearly flat bike paths at a fairly slow speed until my children get a bit older though.

bog good choice, my wife has that bike and is delighted with it, I've ridden it a few times and it handles really well. All the Boardman bikes look well species and well thought out for their price point. I secretly prefer hers to mine(but would never admit it)