I want to ride my bicycle

[gridlore]

OK, here's the situation.

To get to and from the job I hope to have soon (El Paseo limo, for those not keeping track) I'm going to need a bicycle. Luckily, my sister had a bike that she rode perhaps three times. Bad news, it had been stored outside, and was a rusted hunk of metal. Chain, gears, even the seat post were almost fused. Not worth paying to fix, since the rust was obviously into the frame.

So, I'm now pricing bikes. CostCo had a couple of good ones for around $160. Since I'm not paying for this, I'm trying to see if I can get a better deal somewhere. Onward to Target's website!

Addition at 1855 I think I found a good one. Could the bicycle literate tell me what they think of this:

http://www.kmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=979080&cp=887571.887567&parentPage=family

Comments

[chris-sapyta.livejournal.com]

the best bikes that I have gotten have been refurbished mountain bikes from reputable bike stores. People trade them in when they buy a more expensive one out here. Several nice stores near Stanford in Palo Alto. We _are_ in the land that invented Mtn bikes after all. You will _definitely_ want to get city road tires as this model has, as mtn tires squirm on pavement and increase your effort. I prefer to get a higher quality second hand bike for pothole and inclement weather riding, better welds mean longer lasting bike. It is worth at least a few phone calls to local stores to see if they have something similar with a front shock system.
I had a huffy once that I bent the pedal axle(I don't know the technical name of it) in the first week; you may need a better pedal kit. Also, when it rains, you will need to have a rear fender to keep mudstains from splattering up your back like explosive diarrhea. A front fender also a good idea for similar splatter issues, but not as critical. I have a good bike helmet (purple) that you can have if you don't have one right now.
Overall I think this one would be OK for your purposes.