Hello,

I'm planning on getting a bike sometime this month so that I can start going to work on it, and that's where all the trouble started lol.

Ok, I'll break this down into sections so that it hopefully comes out a bit clearer.

Things the bike must be capable of.

1- Be able to do a 24 mile round trip 3-4 times a week, and hopefully not break down with regular maintanence.
2- Be... for lack of a better word "effeicient" on large hills.
3- Be sturdy enough to carry a large enough amount of weight on a rear pannier.
4- Hopefully be stable enough in wet weather, seeing as in N Ireland that's all the weather seems to do.

I suppose the big factor here is that I will probably NEVER have this bike off of a tarmaced road, which to me would suggest getting a lower end touring bike, or if I'm feeling energetic for the rest of the year a decent racing bike with me carrying everything I need in a rucksack on my back.

My price range is roughly £200-400 (think thats about $400-600).

Any Help and advice on this matter will be great. Thanks.