Another what bike would you recommend thread . . .

Without riding them because we don't have those brands in the US, so by process of elimination I would eliminate the Boardman and the Genesis simply because the reviews were not as high as the other two; then I would eliminate the Roux because it only comes with Sora; that leaves the B'twin and it leaves the 540 because it comes with the Shimano workhorse 105 group.

IF this is your very first bike, and you are now getting into something physical that you normally don't do religiously like running or going to the gym, then I would suggest you get the lowest costing bike you can find, why you scream?  Because about 73% of the population that takes up a new physical sport/hobby quit before 6 months are up, and those that spent big money on something like gym equipment, a bicycle etc end up having expensive garage art.

Just to add another fyi... friend bought a Btwin recently. Set up very well by the store, but the wheels were rough. Stripped them out and the cones were way too tight and although there was plenty of grease, not much of it was on the bearings. Spin fine once sorted.

Boardman bikes: a hit! Halfords building them: hit and miss.

Just an FYI.

My 540 came with a long cage.

The Triban 540 is a very good bike for the money, but you might want to check the gearing if you're used to a hybrid.

36 x 28 is the lowest gear which may be difficult if you have loaded panniers and a hilly commute.

The BTwin Triban 540 with Shimano 105 is amazing value for money - the 105 gears are miles ahead of Sora and Claris. Out of those options, I would certainly recommend the Triban 540.

If you are planning on commuting often (including in the rain) then I would suggest you wait until the Adept disc version is released - there are pros and cons to this though. Discs will be slightly heavier and cost a bit more, however, discs give far superior performance in the rain and they take much less maintenance once setup. In addition to this, disc brakes require less cleaning and don't cover everything in black brake dust (or sludge if it is raining), neither do they wear through the bike rims (a very common problem I've seen on bikes people use for commuting).

All of the Tribans are great value bikes and the frames are worth upgrading as budget allows. Out of the box the only thing I'd change would be the calipers - £35 for a set of used 105s and about half an hour to fit them. 

If you want to keep the budget to an absolute minimum and want to buy new then consider the Triban 100 - perfect commuter and will take on off-road stuff with family too.

I think those Btwin bikes are greast value, they get good reviews.

Personally, I'd buy second hand, but I'd get someone who knew about bikes to help me do it, buying s/h can be a bit daunting /hit and miss otherwise.

http://road.cc/content/buyers-guide/207635-14-best-ps500-ps750-road-bikes

and

http://road.cc/content/buyers-guide/217632-10-best-2018-road-bike-bargai...

These might help.  Wouldn't go as low as a Claris groupset myself.  Triban's get a good name usually.

There will be people on here that would say go second hand and there can be good deals.

If you can access it a Cycle to work scheme can help that budget too.