new hybrid commuter bike for someone who weighs 135kg

The Aurora looks the better of those two and is far better specced overall. It has bar end shifters so you will want to take account of that (personally I like bar ends; you might feel differently).

Of those 2 the Jamis is the beter option I'd say. Looks to be better spec'd. The frame also isn't made of Hi-Ten steel like the Claud Butler, which will be heavy.

Modern Claud Butler is generally junk. Avoid. The same can be said for UK Raleigh stuff, I suspect.

Shows how little I know, I thought CB and Raleigh were like the Mercedes of bikes :|

Some would say that all Clauds after 1959 (when Holdsworth took them over) were junk ;)

ok, stepping up the search now, and i found these two.....any preference over the previous Aurora I posed and these new ones? I think the Roux look nice but as far as specs go I'm not too sure.

http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Roux-Etape-150-2015-Touring-Bike_60728.htm

http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Ridgeback-Tour-2015-Touring-Bike_73675.htm

For this budget, I'd say the commuter I just finished building up would work quite well, if you have some spanner skillz. Solid commuter using mid-range and high-end MTB parts, will take a beating and not be worn out in a year.

On-One 456Evo frame, eBay £80
Kona P2 470mm rigid fork, eBay £60 (ages ago)
Wheelset mid-depth disc-only 32h QF120 rims on XT hubs, new £70 from Absolute Cycles on eBay
XTR M980 chainset, eBay £65 without chainrings
Deore LX M525 Hydro disc brakeset £40? (not ebay, can't remember details)
SLX M660 Shifters £20 ebay.
XT M770 rear mech £15 ebay
XT M785 Front mech £15 wiggle
XT external BB, new £10 eBay
Centrelock brake rotors, £20 CRC
FSA Orbit MX headset £12 Evans
Outland lockon grips £2 eBay
Shimano 10s chain £10, CRC
Pedal, bars, stem, Selle Italia saddle, seatpost: parts bin, probably £50 total
Schwalble marathon Racer 26x1.5 tyre, Durano 26x 1.35 tyre, plus tubes, already owned, probably £50 total?

Total cost £520, most parts new or lightly used.

Nearest comparison I can find is Evan's Pinnacle Lithium 5:
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/pinnacle/lithium-five-2015-hybrid-bike-ec071283

That's £675, but the groupset is mostly M610 Deore. The hubs are Formula DC20 (6-bolt) which are probably the cheapest Formula make. Cheap grips, cheap

If you aimed for an equivalent spec to that Pinnacle you'd probably be able to build something for close to £400 without compromising too much.

Emyr, I am probably the furthest from spanner savy! :(

Any spannery friends?

Planet x London road with SRAM rival 22 is £799. I'd say is pretty good for the money

Netakure, thats a bit over budget I'm afraid.

No opinion on the two I posted earlier ?

Of all these I'd get the Jamis. If you're budget stretched this may worth a look, http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/road-bikes/carrera-tanneri-limited-edition-cyclocross-bike-2015-black?_$ja=kw:drytinder|tsid:40392&cm_mmc=Affiliates-_-PerformanceHorizon-_-drytinder-_-TopLink

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-520-road-bike-black-red-id_8322663.html

Booring, I always suggest decathlon..
£450, sora triple, rack mounts, looks to be clearance for 28+ tyres /guards
Another £50 to get it assembled properly and you should be ok.
https://youtu.be/p2HIG_d_MaY?t=17

Bar end shifters on the jamis are not what I would normally suggest for otp sporty / commuter... I'm not knocking them, but reeeealy? Every traffic light grabbing down and up, poking your thighs.

Anyway, enjoy your test rides OP. Give it some beans.

adrevporn do you mean assembled with different wheels? The BTWIN looks like a normal road bike with very thin rims that could buckle with my weight.

Road.cc speaks well of the Roux tourers http://road.cc/content/review/82472-roux-etape-250-2013

^ ahh no, I meant assembled by a knowledgeable mechanic, since the 'shop' assembly can lead to avoidable issues. e.g the wheels can be properly tensioned / trued, gears fiddled, and bike made to fit you.. should cost £50-70 in London..

Buckling wheels is usually due a lack of finesse, de-weighting, popping, and simply not getting off and walking - just be careful on poor surfaces. You may need to upgrade in time, but sale of goods act should get you a year out of the first wheels as long as there is no weight limit..?

Dont forget to spend approx 20-25% of bike cost on locks / security, then allow development budget for mudguards, decent tyres, rack, perhaps pedals and shoes... then you are well on your way!

^ that new decathlon btwin is fantastic and it should be fine for you. A wheel looking thin doesnt mean its weak, it also has rack mounts which means the bike can take extra weight over a regular road frame.

I didn't realise it was launched 2 days ago; its even got lowrider mounts on the forks.

http://road.cc/content/news/152102-decathlon-unveils-brand-new-triban-520-and-540-road-bikes

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/tech/decathlon-launches-new-btwin-triban-520-and-540-road-bikes-video-172558

#jelly

Ok, I am really tempted by that BTWIN.

again this is going to sound dumb im sure, but why do the tyres look bald, i really want to get something where I can avoid punctures etc so have been looking at marathon/ armadillo tyres.

For normal road use having a tread pattern on the tyre does nothing, it is no more 'grippy', or tough, than a smooth surface.

You can always get new tyres fitted when you have the bike set up for you.

For comfort you should initially be looking for wider tyres that can be run at a lower pressure - you'll really feel the road through skinny, high pressure tyres.

The Triban should be fine, as you can get 28s in there.

I would spend my money in something like this

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/raleigh-royal-2015/

Good quality and Raleigh also has a disc version

added to what @Vanneau has said the tyre appearance has very little to do with puncture resistance. I would look at thread count and reviews and ask around about what other people recommend, tyres are easy to change. My 25mm Vittoria rubino pro's are reasonably cheap, roll well and so far have never punctured.

thanks very much for all your advice guys! I think I will go try the BTWIN on saturday and try a few other conventional tourers. I will make sure I post updates :)

The btwin also has a flat bar version, try that as well while your there.

AWu-Tang

do flatbars tend to be a bit more pricey?

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-540-flat-bar-road-bike-tiagra-id_8322798.html

is there a huge difference between 32 and 36 spoke rims? The tourers I was looking at had 36