[multiplexing-gamer]

Does anyone know what type of bike I should buy in the summer holidays (after GCSEs)? I'm hopefully going to ride to sixth form on it in the Summer and take it to University if I get that far..
I like the look of this:

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But I'm not really sure of what advantages road bikes bring? They have no suspension, less gears and more fragile. Also, I'm not sure if i'll be able to ride it on the pavement sometimes, as the road can get scary

Or maybe something like this:

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My max budget would be about 299 I wouldnt realy want to spend anymore. My mom won't allow me to buy a second hand one as she thinks it'll be unsafe and she probably wouldn't listen to any argument put forward, therefore it had to be new. Those bikes were from Evans cycles

[DH-Biker]

Its often better to take a low-spec Mountain Bike if you're ever concerned about the material quality of road bikes. Especially at the budget described. A nice Spec. Hardrock would do you wonders, its rugged and you can do XC on it when you want a weekend out.

Though, visit the Cyclist Society if you want more details from the Roadies there. As a DH'er, my knowledge of the Roady-Machine is limited, at best. However, most of the people I know who regularly ride road to work take a mountain bike, either hardtail or lock-out full sus. This means that you can do two disciplines, rather then being limited to one. However, it is a bit more work. Either you have to pedal that bit harder or you switch out the tires everytime you change terrain.

[multiplexing-gamer]

(Original post by DH-Biker)
Its often better to take a low-spec Mountain Bike if you're ever concerned about the material quality of road bikes. Especially at the budget described. A nice Spec. Hardrock would do you wonders, its rugged and you can do XC on it when you want a weekend out.

Though, visit the Cyclist Society if you want more details from the Roadies there. As a DH'er, my knowledge of the Roady-Machine is limited, at best. However, most of the people I know who regularly ride road to work take a mountain bike, either hardtail or lock-out full sus. This means that you can do two disciplines, rather then being limited to one. However, it is a bit more work. Either you have to pedal that bit harder or you switch out the tires everytime you change terrain.

Thanks I think I'll go with the MTB, the road bike looks abit awkward to ride in a suit. Are those pics in your sig you? They look really cool.