New bike but not sure what I need/where to start

[londonagent]

I've had the same bike for 30 years ago & having recently signed up for a charity bike ride, the time has come for an upgrade .

I currently use my bike to cycle into town & local shops so option for a rack or basket essential; sturdy enough to cope with the occasional family trail/cycle path (definitely no serious off-road or mountain biking) but light enough to get me round a 100km road cycle and all the training that will entail. I assume I need a hybrid of some description but that's as far as I've got and the range and choice is so vast I'm not really sure where to start. Budget absolute max £500 so will consider a decent 2nd hand & it would be good to at least have a make & model in mind.

Is a hybrid what I need? Any suggestions?

I wouldn’t bother with a hybrid. A road bike will handle better and role quicker for road riding… quite important if you’re doing a charity ride (so assuming it’ll be a reasonable distance). You’ll just need to have some more robust tyres like gatorskins or Schwalbe Marathons which will be fine for road, but robust enough to survive gravelly trails.

Look for something that’ll take a rear rack and mudguards.

You’re gonna have to get yourself down your local bike shop(s) and get test riding. Then buy what feels comfiest. If you work - look at the cycle to work scheme. It’ll stretch your budget as you can buy the bike via salary sacrifice paying for it in interest free instalments.

Bikes are very personal - we may be exactly the same height but what fits me, might not fit you. We’ll likely have different levels of flexibility and our body, leg length and shoulder width will be different. So I couldn’t really recommend what makes and models to look for. Don’t get suckered into thinking you need a ‘women’s’ bike. You won’t necessarily. None of mine are and I own three road bikes, a cyclo cross bike and a mountain bike. They all fit me perfectly but were ‘men’s’ bikes.

Second hand could be good as you could pick up a bargain. But you could end up getting ripped off as it might need components replacing. So take a cyclist along who knows how to check chain wear, tyre wear brake pad wear, cable wear, bottom bracket, rim wear, tyre wear and the hubs.

Decathlon has some nice sturdy decently priced bikes

Thank you will look into both

@londonagent have a look at the road oriented gravel bikes. I’ve had a Trek Domane and just ordered a Ribble CGR to replace it. The Ribble can take something like 45c knobbly gravel tyres, and a pannier rack etc, but just swapping out a set of tyres and removing the extra ‘rigging’ will get you a competent endurance road bike. You will really want drop handlebars for a 100km road ride for the varied hand positions which reduce pressure on the hands and wrists. I plan to use mine for year round commuting, a winter road training bike and a bit of weekend warrior CX racing.

Meant to say too, it’s more a recommendation for the type of bike rather than a specific model. Other similar ideas include Liv Devote, Canyon Grail, Specialized Diverge or the new Crux if you’ve got a big budget, Trek Domane or Checkpoint just a few more examples of very very versatile bikes.

Go to a local independent bike shop over a big store. Much better knowledge and service