hi all - again problem is my budget is €300 / $400 or so. But there is a new scheme coming in in IReland in 2009 to encourage more people to cycle to work. In essence, if you are going to cycle to work a decent amount of the time, you can buy a new bike / equipment up to the cost of €1000 and get 40% off. The scheme only applies to new gear / bikes though

So in essence, I can get a bike and the gear for 60% of the retail price. So if my end budget is €300 working backwards, that means a total of €500. So I could spend €400 on a bike and €100 on helmet, gear etc.

cheers for all the advice, I now have a far better idea of what it is I'm looking for. Like I say won't be in the next month or two, plan is still do a bit in gym, then hit MTB in Feb / March, with a view to maybe trying it in April time!

Cheers again