enfilade

Ive decided to buy a bike and am looking for some advice to help me search for the right one.

I would like to build a custom bike one day but i dont have the knowledge or tools for that yet, so i'll buy a fully built bike.

Ive noticed that most shops will stock a wide range of brands, but the components and build are very similar from one brand to the next. there doesnt seem to be much variation in a price bracket. for example i want v-brakes instead of discs... but also want a deore drivetrain, and i cant find many bikes in the £400-£500 price range that have a deore drivetrain and v-brakes... it's as if im stuck with discs if i spend over a certian amount.

I'll be using the bike on roads mainly, maybe the odd section of light off-road, so im thinking i may be better of with thin tyres. does anybody use mountain bike tyres and thinner hybrid tyres? what are the differences? how much more efficient are thinner tires?

Another thing is the forks, im not sure if i need suspension forks or whether a rigid fork would be suitable. i had RS Judy 1's on my previous bike and they were very good for the money (£300 for the whole bike). but i dont know whether id get a good fork on a bike under £500? a friend was telling me the industry has changed and many forks arent as good as they used to be. like the old marzocchi's being more reliable then the newer ones, and i think rock shox quality has fallen in the past few years.

Id rather have a good reliable rigid fork than a suspension fork that was likely to break.

But then again, rigid forks transfer more shock to the headset when going over potholes and grids? are roadbikes more prone to damage because of the rigid forks?

Cheers.