I bought one last Sept, and with a 10% discount when bought on the net, absolutely fantastic value for money and a great ride to. I would have also prefered the Pro spec, but to be honest once you’re out rising everything works just as well. I plan to upgrade it as time goes by anyway as I buy new stuff for my road bike.
Just get over the brand association not being cool enough etc etc…
Great bike and ride for the money, would suit your need perfectly although I agree with globalti and would never give it back to Halfords to look after it, even if I could.