text: i cycle a hybrid but want to switch to a proper road bike. which would be a good, cheap entry level brand? i cycle in london and commute to work. but enjoy cycling fast! i'd like a bike that's basic, but good enough to upgrade later on. hopefully something not too stiff - south london roads are rough! i actually preferred a mountain bike with the narrowest semi-slick tyres i could find for riding regularly in london traffic, but thankfully i don't have to do this anymore. it looked strange with marzocchi race forks, but had a good riding position, was fast, could jump over traffic islands and i never had an on-road accident on it in years of london (ab)use.   commuting just under 40 miles a day outside london, i used to mainly use an italia fixed wheel machine from condor in grays inn road. this was practically maintainance free and very unattractive to thieves - the complete bike with aluminium frame and carbon forks should be around £600. this was also a wonderful bike for 50 mile training runs on a sunny spring morning and i even used it for youth hostelling.i had great fun on it until my knees gave out - and i'm not blaming that on the bike. the same frameset and forks with a mirage groupset will cost around £800. a couple of clip on crud guards will make it more practical in british weather.  f w evans have several branches in south london and a huge stock of 2005 models at discounted prices. check out http://www.evanscycles.com/ for details. they sell quality gear and the staff are enthusiastic and knowledgable - recommended.  personally, i'd scour the ads in cycling weekly - i picked up a second hand pro level custom built cyclocross bike here for £500 at a time when the new frame and forks alone would have cost £650. quality wheels plus dura ace and other top end components would have taken it way out of my price range new, but second hand it was cheaper than many entry level bikes. this has prooved to be an amazingly practical bike for everyday use with the addition of an use suspension seatpost and using 32 mm tyres. there's plenty of clearance to fit clipon guards for road use in winter and it's an awesome tool for blasting down bridleways and canal towpaths in three seasons a year. mine was made in 853 by a manchester based firm called atom.  steel will be more comfortable than aluminium and you can afford decent steel if you're buying second hand. anything that fits you and has a reynolds 531, 653 or 853 frame will be suitable, as would bikes using equivalent italian steels from deda or columbus. the best all round compromise for speed, comfort and weather protection will be an audax bike. anything by chas roberts, bob jackson, brian rourke or condor is desirable and offerings from mercian, thorn, ribble and dawes are well worth investigating. mine is a condor which i bought new and there is no way i would want to part with it. it does everthing you want as long as you don't put much more than your wallet, passport, camera, keys, first aid kit and maps in the barbag - it gets twitchy on climbs when you're out of the saddle if you do. the only problem i've had is that the dynamo lighting system they fitted never did work, apart from in their workshop - i got so fed up with taking it in that i just gave up and scrapped it.  i've just modified this after finishing training and hope it's of some small use. you know that whatever you choose is going to be the right choice. just go for it and enjoy.