What bike to buy ?
 

I commute into town every day which is a 32 mile round trip. Currently I use a Scott speedster flat handlebar and a Giant compact frame OCR... I'm not really happy with both and want to chop them in for something else, trouble is I'm not sure what... All I know is it has to be a drop handlebar and probably second hand as my budget is £600..basically I'm looking for a quality fast commuter . Can anyone help ?

In my view, the perfect commuter is a sportif/audax type bike, or light tourer. Almost as fast as an out-and-out roadie, more stable, with the facility to fit a rack so you can carry stuff without resorting to a rucksack - uncomfortable and unbalancing. And you can get something decent, and new, for less than £600; though obviously going secondhand might allow you to go upmarket.
GIANT have replaced the OCR and SCR ranges with the Defy. The entry level bike is under £500 and it certainly is not to be despised; I've seen reviews that rate it the best value on the market. You can see one here: http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Giant-Defy-4...Bike_27728.htm

Similarly, the Dawes Sportif is a decent option at under £600. http://www.dawescycles.com/p-335-sportif.aspx And if you decide to spend a bit more, moving up through that range to the sportif comp http://www.dawescycles.com/p-336-sportif-comp.aspx gets you a really nice steel bike for £850.

Then theres the Kona ***** Tonk. http://www.konaworld.com/bike.cfm?content=*****tonk Don't be put off by the silly name, this is a seriously good bike with an outstanding steel frame. At £770 (Winstanleys have one at £749, and you could probably find one cheaper on Wiggle or similar) it's a bit more than you want to spend but trust me, if you could stretch to the extra £150 you would not be disappointed, it's exceptional value.

Hope this helps. All of these bikes would make great commuters while being light enough, and fast enough, to offer serious fun at the weekend. And do think seriously about the Kona, a friend of mine has one and it is a very good bike for the money.

a lot of bikes will act as commuters- but a 16 mile one would be about the limit I would like to make.

If it is all weathers then you should think about being able to take mudguards and possibly a rack. Lots of bikes will fit this criteria but make certain that if you want them- the bike will take them.

Now OCR in the UK ---how old is it? This was replaced 4 years ago with the SCR and I bought an SCR3 as my first road bike and it was fine----Except for the wheels. Replaced them with a hanbdbuilt pair of Mavic CXP33 rim on a 105 hub and it transformed the bike. I can't knock the SCR and this has now been replaced with the Defy range.

Have to admit that my occasional commute is 33 miles each way and I do that on a better bike than the SCR- but last summer the SCR went out to a mate who commutes 20 miles each way and he finished up buying one. He got the Defy3 though and he has not found a problem with the wheels.