Hi,
I ride a fair mount, ~300-500 miles/month for commuting/errands/day care pick up & drop off. This is fairly consistent in all seasons, with snow/salt/rain/sand/etc. in the mix. I don't really ride trails or tour or race or anything like that. I currently have a Trek 7.2 FX, purchased for ~$400 new a few years ago. It has a rack and everything as well as the WeeRide bar (can be moved without too much effort, but I don't want to be swapping it on a regular basis) that I use to transport DS.
I am looking for a second bike primarily so that I don't have to drive if something isn't working on my Trek (currently bike is in shop needing a new bottom bracket--I am doing more work on my own and want to continue to move in that direction but basically have nothing more than a multitool and a brush, and my LBS is awesome & very much want to support it). Secondary benefits would be something that could trade off seasonally--probably something I could keep cleaner and ride more when the roads are not full of salt/water/grime. Also if I wasn't biking with DS I could use the bike without the WeeRide bar and save a few pounds.
I'd like to get something relatively inexpensive that wouldn't cost too much to upkeep, but would be reliable and not too slow (10 mile commute one way). I don't care about shaving seconds or even a few minutes off my commute.
Price range is variable, but I'm thinking $200-400?
I am in the Twin Cities, looking at some of these postings:
http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/bik/4451634231.htmlhttp://minneapolis.craigslist.org/ram/bik/4432231556.htmlhttp://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/bik/4450763656.htmlAny advice is appreciated, thanks for reading and happy cycling!
