Hi all I'm chris 42 from Yorkshire, York to be exact and I'd like to get into cycling after watching my brother in law complete a triathlon but after looking online the choice is mad and I have no idea
I have about £1000 but have no idea what to get, I dont mind an older bike if that's best, I'd like to get a better bike so I dont have to upgrade.
Any help would be appreciated.

Great responses from the forum members

I would look at used bikes. You could pick up a gem at a 1/4 of the price of a new bike

Any particular makes preferable or to not go for over others or is it really personal preference?

I think that your first and best resource is your brother in law. Make yourself a list about what you hope to do in cycling and talk to him. Until you figure out how you want to ride you won't know what sort of bike you need to research. You have a generous budget, but if you have little ability to assess the mechanical condition of a second hand bike you might be better off buying new unless you can enlist the help of a more experienced person. Brand names are not useful unless you are familiar with specific models within that brand during the year that particular model was produced. This makes buying second hand a bit complicated. The other thing about second hand bikes is finding the correct size. There is no sense in buying a size small of a particular model if you are tall enough to need a size extra large no matter how good the deal is. At least, buying new allows you to specify the correct frame size when you purchase from a dealer. Knowledge is power. The more you know about how to assess the condition of a second hand bike and how to select the correct size and to read the specifications of that particular model the better placed you will be to tell if the asking price is fair. In my experience, the asking price for second hand bikes is too high more often than not

What kind of riding would you like to do? Fitness, commuting, racing, utility?
Where would you like to do it? Mountains or flatlands? Asphalt (sorry, tarmac) or dirt?

Nice thanks for the replies and yea it does make sense to ask my brother in law to start with.
I just want to ride on tarmac with no racing to start with (maybe in time)

Save part of your budget for helmet, cycling shorts, gloves, jersey(s).

You can skip cycling clothing until you decide to stick with it. Otherwise you may ride for a month and change your mind, and have lots of surplus clothing to get rid of.

You may want cycling specific shoes at some point, but start with sneakers/trainers and cheap flat pedals.
.

Forget about the "(maybe in time)" thing. Buy a bike suitable for riding on paved roads. If you eventually decide to move on to racing you will want a better bike anyway

I agree with going used. Look around for any classified ads. I have found cyclists to be pretty decent people. Hopefully you can have a good chat with a person and take a test ride.

On ebay you can sometimes find great deals on ex-display bikes that may have some aesthetic marks; fraction of the price for what is a new bike.

I got my first proper bike this way, it's a vitus cyclocross which I bought for it's versatility. It can be ridden fast on the road and has clearance and an appropriate geometry to put on wider tyres and tackle gravel/singletrack.

Decathlon do great bikes at good prices and their post-sale support is great. The triban 500 comes to mind first.

The vast majority of this forum's users are in the U.S. We're not familiar with your local bike retail market.

There are huge U.K. on-line retailers with a worldwide presence. Some of them have local brick and mortar retail locations. One is Evans Cycles. I see on their web site that they have a store front in York. Why not start there? They know their business and serve a wide range of riding needs. I'd bet that they could outfit you at your budget point. Buy the best bike that you can afford.

Look at some kev central videos on youtube

very informative