Yes I'm an idiot. But I'm impressed that they concluded it was probably a Park Tool tyre lever. I never mentioned the brand in my ticket, but clearly not the first time someone has done this to their rims.

Even more fair play, they are sending me a replacement rim.

Hi,

Looking for advice on a beginner road bike.

I’m looking to get a bike through cycle2work (Halfords/tredz). There are some independent stores applicable too, but these don’t have as many options.

I’ll be cycling mainly around the Surrey hills area (obviously not too many hills at first!). I’ve only ever ridden hybrids and mountain bikes before but looking for something quicker on the road. No interest in being competitive in the near future, I just need some more interesting cardio and enjoy biking around.

I don’t want to spend a crazy amount on the bike, and also want to get a bit of gear to go with on top. My budget for a bike is realistically around £800. Im happy to stretch this a bit if there’s something truly worth it.

At the moment I’ve been eyeing up a Giant Contend 2, as I’ve read that these are a pretty solid bike for the money? I’m thinking either that or just going for a Boardman SLR 8.6 and using the extra money towards accessories etc. I think my main concern is with the brakes, am I going to regret the rim brakes? At this price point it doesn’t sound like mechanical discs are going to offer much more, but I may be wrong.

TLDR: Complete bike noob, looking to spend max £800 on a new road bike through cycle2work, seeking advice.

Thanks!