When it comes to practicalities and performance, the Vita Sport hybrid bike scores top marks, too. Lovingly created from aluminium, the double-butted frame is lightweight, yet highly durable, with alloy forks, and gives a ride that is both efficient and well-balanced.

You’ll notice, too, that the Specialized Vita Sport has a women’ specific geometry. The lower top tube and generous seat-to-handlebar positioning offers many hours of comfortable riding.

Indeed, this is a bike that will serve you well on longer road and trail outings. It’s a hybrid bike that is great for commuting to the office, as well as longer sportive style rides. And whether you’re going uphill, along the flat or downhill this is a bike that will bring a smile to your face.

As usual, Specialized have not scrimped on the components. For a bike priced at £449.99, there is a generous amount of Shimano kit, including derailleurs, gear shifters and chainset. If you didn’t know, Shimano is a by-word for good-quality, high-performance components. In layman’s terms this means the gears are smooth, easy to use and long lasting.

If you like your bike saddles on the generous side of extremely comfy, then the Vita Sport hybrid bike is a wise choice. The Body Geometry Women’s Riva Road saddle is sure to delight.

Whether you’re a new-comer to cycling, a returner, or a keep-fit fan you’re sure to have many years of fun on the Specialized Vita Sport Hybrid bike.

The ideal commuter bike has to cope with potted urban roads and rough cycle ways (as we all know, these aren’t always in the best condition). You’ll also want the bike to be nimble, well-balanced, light and with a good ratio of gears, especially if your chosen abode is in a hilly location.

Ticking all these boxes, and so many more, is the Specialized Women’s Vita 2011 hybrid bike. The sister of the Vita Sport, the Vita is specifically designed for spending most of your cycling in town. Of course, the Vita will happily take you further afield, and on country roads, because it is created to cope with the toughest of road conditions.

So, what of the technical detailing of the Specialized Vita? As you would expect, Specialized have given a great deal of thought to female commuter riders. The female-specific geometry means that the bike is set up for ultimate comfort and it’s made from lighter weight premium aluminium.

The 7-speed gearing has a rapid-fire trigger shifter, which is easy to use.

The bike comes with a flatter style of handlebar, offering confident handling and superb stability, a well as straight blade steel forks for a high level of durability, even when faced with potholes and rough roads.

We love the neat and tidy internal cable routing and the clever hourglass style seat stays that mean you’ll have a good balance of performance and comfort.

The saddle is also an important consideration, and the Body Geometry Women’s Riva Road is sure to offer lots of comfort – and joy – even on longer road trips.

Add in a host of Shimano components (Shimano is renowned for higher quality bike components) and you have a bike that’s in a great price bracket but still offers oodles of styling and quality gadgetry.

In keeping with tradition on this genre of bike, the Duchess has a steel frame and forks. So, in other words, it’s built to last. The bike also boasts a full chain guard (to avoid getting oil on the hems of your trousers or skirts) and proper mudguards on front and back tyres (to deflect the mud and wet from the road or cycle path).

The period look is finished off with rubber-block pedals, a leather-style saddle, comfy-grip handlebar covers and a rattan-effect front shopping basket. Now shopping at your local food outlet will be an elegant affair.

The Duchess doesn’t lack modern additions, either. Dawes have thoughtfully accessories the bike with Shimano 7-speed gears. For those who don’t know, Shimano is one of the most iconic names in 21st century gears and these components are made to perform beautifully.

Other modern touches come by way of alloy wheel rims, a seatpost and front hubs.

The style of this bike offers a comfortable trip thanks to the upright position of the rider. You’ll see that the handlebars are higher than the seat and so the adopted riding position will save you from a sore back.

The shape and width of the handlebars also gives greater steering control, so if you happen to be a woman who is returning to cycling after many years out of the saddle you are going to love the Dawes Duchess bike.

We’ll bet you like this bike, which comes in plum, mint or white shades, so much that you keep it clean and shiny and prop it up in your hallway, when not out and about. No-one will blame you for wanting to admire this gorgeous bike 24/7.

These gorgeously stylish bikes are ideal for pottering around town and make the perfect get-back-in-the-saddle bicycle for those who haven’t ridden a bike for one, two or even three decades.

Let’s start with the looks. The Charge Lazy Susan has a simple all-in-one gloss paint job that gives it a real air of elegance. With the addition of silver mudguards and chainguard and handsome two-tone tyres this bike is likely to turn heads at traffic lights, especially from women drivers.

Beneath the pretty exterior lies a host of great practical assets. The bike offers a nice sit-up position for leisurely in-town riding.

It also comes with an integrated back rack, with super-useful wooden platform, for carrying panniers, shopping bags or a basket. As detailed, there are front and rear mudguards to keep the muck off your clothes, and a chain guard to prevent chain oil dirtying your trousers or skirt hem.

While you’ll have heard your cycling pals talking endless about multiple gears, the Charge Lazy Susan bike comes with Sturmey Archer’s three-speed hub gears. (You probably won’t know this but Sturmey Archer has been making highly respected hub gears for donkeys years and they still know exactly what they are doing.)

The three-speed hub gearing is the best set-up for anyone who plans only to cycle on easier going roads and cycle paths, and who really can’t work out why a multitude of gears is entirely necessary. Three speeds will get you up, down and along with minimal hassle.

The saddle on your bike is also important, especially if you’re not the kind inclined to don padded Lycra cycle shorts. Thankfully Charge have added a sprung comfort saddle with a feminine fit to this Lazy Susan hybrid bike. This means that even when the roads are a little bumpy you’ll still be riding in comfort.

Put simply, this is a bike that looks good and rides beautifully.

If you are looking for a new base layer to keep you warm then the Icebreaker should do just the job

To start with, the top quality aluminium frame is designed to suit a female physique and sensibilities. The geometry allows for a confident ride and features a low top bar so that you can jump on – and off – with greater ease.

Specialized have also added front forks with women-specific customised suspension that is set to suit your size. This means that the bike handles the humps and bumps of a range of different on and off-road terrains with great aplomb.

In addition, the women-specific features of the 21-gear Specialized Myka HT 2011 include handlebar grips to match smaller hands, as well as a Body Geometry Women’s Riva saddle that is designed with ultimate comfort in mind, even when taking the bike on longer rides.

As you would expect from this leading bike manufacturer, the Myka HT 2011 also comes with numerous good quality components. Derailleurs and gear shifter are Shimano, while the seven-speed gear cassette is SRAM. These components will serve you well and offer many miles of sublime riding

This bike comes with caliper brakes and pads, which are perfect for most uses on road and on country trails. But if you’re keen to take your riding to the next level, perhaps with a bit of downhilling, then the Myka is easy to adapt as it already has the mounts in place for disc brakes.

The bike also benefits from durable double-walled alloy rims that are tough enough to handle the rough stuff and Specialized Fast Trak LK Sport tyres that feature a reduced knob height offering lower rolling resistance while on the roads, yet still providing lots of grip when on the trails.

Of course, the colour and styling of the bike does matter (don’t let the guys tell you it doesn’t because they care too!). This Specialized Myka HT 2011 mountain bike is a striking shade of cool white with blue or red detailing.

So, not only does this bike handle well and suit a range of terrains, it’s also good looking.

Thanks to the patented OST rear suspension platform, offering a full 140mm of travel, the new Lapierre Zesty 314 can do all things, everywhere.

This is a bike that is super-light, super-versatile and super-efficient and offers great riding anywhere.

The Lapierre has fast become the favourite pick for top mountain bikers and keen off-roaders, and this latest 314 version won’t disappoint. Lapierre have cleverly redesigned the Zesty range, including the pricier and slightly higher-tech Lapierre Zesty 514, to offer a new tapered headtube for added stiffness during the ride, and therefore better rideability.

The 314 come with a frame made from a nice ’n’ light 7005 SL alloy. Front and rear shocks are comfort-leading FOX, while top-class Shimano add smoothness and reliability to the front and back derailleur and chainset.

This version of the Zesty has Fulcrum Red wheel rims and Lapierre’s own-make stem and pro-light seatpost. The saddle is a Fizik, and for anyone who has ridden one of these they’ll know that they offer oodles of comfort for men, and mostly for women, too.

Oh, and this bike just looks so uber-cool. Silver, with black detailing, will mean that you and your Lapierre Zesty 514 314 are the envy of all the guys on the trails (even if they try not to bat an eyelid!).

If you’re looking for a full suspension mountain bike that makes a molehill out of mountains and takes the rough with the smooth on all off-road terrains, choose the Lapierre Zesty 314.

For anyone who aspires to get into road biking or who wants to notch their cycling up a level, the Specialized Allez 24 2011 Road Bike makes an ideal choice.

Similar in many ways to equally popular Specialized Allez 16, the 24 version comes with the added advantage of offering a lower range of gears for times when the going gets really tough or steep on hills. Many new-comers to road cycling will find the extra gears a real bonus, while more experienced riders could easily enjoy the comfort of knowing the gears are there if they need them.

Jumping into the saddle of this bike, riders will immediately notice a stiffer, smoother ride thanks to the Specialized Allez’s advanced premium aluminium frame and the thoughtful addition of lightweight FACT carbon forks.

Priced at just £519.99 the Specialized Allez 24 2011 would also make a great winter training bike for anyone – and that’s likely to be most riders – who can’t afford carbon fibre for winter and summer riding.

The great value component spec includes Shimano 2300 groupset for responsive gear changes. The 2300 is the entry-level groupset for Shimano but as you would expect from the famous components brand, even the most basic model will give you many miles of reliable service.

There are several details that put the Specialized Allez 24 ahead of others in its class, including 12-degree reversible stem for greater accuracy and versatility when it comes to rider positioning, Specialized’s own All Condition Sport with “Flak Jacket” protection for reduced likelihood of punctures, and the soft and grippy S-Wrap on the drop handle-bars.

This bike also looks fabulous. Black with red and grey featuring you can’t fail to cut a dash when you turn up among the hundreds of others at your next cycle sportive, training night or weekend tour.

If your looking for a new pump, then we have a promotional code for the Bontrager Charger Pump at Evans Cycles.

Use promotional code: MJWCHAR

Expires 26/06/2011

Buy Now

If you’re looking for a next-step-up road bike for all-day cycling or your first rung on the racing ladder then the Fuji Team Pro 1.0 womens road bike offers tick after tick on a checklist of must-have components and features.

So let’s take a look at what you get with the Fuji Team Pro 1.0. To start with, the design conscious creators have taken the highly acclaimed Roubaix custom-butted alloy frame. Nice!

Next they’ve added carbon legged forks. Bonus!

Then they have cleverly integrated Shimano’s latest kick-ass-for-less 105 components.
If you don’t already know the 105 is Shimano’s new mid-level road groupset that is aimed at riders looking for all the technological features of Dura-Ace and Ultegra but at a more reasonable price.
Then the Fuji designers have fitted responsive Tektro R540 front and back brakes.

And finally they have topped the lot with a quality compact chainset and cassette for a gear range that will give you the confidence and supreme pedal power to take on the longest of ascents.

The result is a Fuji Team 1.0 road bike that will have you smiling whatever the terrain and distance.

Whether you’re planning on taking part in a long-distance cycle sportive, an attempt of the famous Land’s End to John O’Groats cycling epic or a trip to try a few of the Tour de France cols, you can bet the Fuji Team Pro 1.0 Road will do everything you hoped for – and a little more!

For a serious, quality-spec bike that is fun to ride and at a price that is less than £1,000, we think it’s unlikely you’ll find a better deal.