With all the trips which are brewing for next year, i need to make sure i'm fit enough so i can spend more time enjoying the journeys rather than struggling with the mileage.

Ideally it would mean more offroad miles, but thats not always possible due to ground conditions and faffage, whereas via road i can easily pop out for hours on an evening.

So, would I be going vastly wrong with on of Ribbles Winter/Audax bikes?
http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/bbg/road- ... type=RIBMO

Anything else out there?

Merlins own brand road bikes seem quite cheap ... be aware I know very little about road bikes though.

Those Ribbles do look like good value but how about something like this ? - http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/CBO ... ne_8_speed

that Ribble looks like a very good deal!

how about this?

happens to be the same frame/forks/groupset as my new road beast :D

That Ribble is nice. If you're on a budget, these have got rave reviews and I don't think you'll find a carbon fork equipped bike for cheaper.

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-3-id_8167038.html

Matt - I'm doing exactly that and battering round on a Planet X bike to get some extra mid week miles in... can't fault the bike really but it is a bit too good for (soon to be) salty roads and I'm on the look out for something similar. The Ribble stuff looks good too.
If the long term forecasts are correct (hardest winter for 100 years) I'll be back to looking for studded tyres on the 29er!

Can't find a bad word about the Ribble Audax anywhere on t'internet. This is on my birthday list for next Spring :D :D

I ended up with a Forme last winter, decided a bit nicer frame then the Ribble. Surosa are quite good I believe. Ribble been doing it for a long time and I think they are good as long as you don't expect to be keeping up with the Sky boys.

I meant to add Chew, but I am thinking of getting some 29er wheels built on road/cross rims so that one bike can do 2 things. Some Sustrans tracks / canals near here so with a sturdier tyre etc this might be a solution to mix it up a bit. Not sure if appropriate for your needs though.

The Ribble will only take 23mm tyres if you want to use proper mudguards - if you're going to use it through the winter they do make sense. Otherwise, they're good value. The same frame is available from other places too - Dolan and maybe Merlin.