Originally Posted by
ShallowJam
Carrying: on a regular day, a laptop and a couple books.
If possible, it would be nice to be able to carry a couple bags of groceries, if thats even feasible, i have no idea.
or manufacturing standards I should be looking for?
Will I be able to sell my bike for any substantial amount of money? Or is a used bike hard to sell, and especially hard to sell for a decent price?
OK, now you're overthinking. All you need is a bike, something you can ride a few miles a day under not very difficult conditions. There are always bike shops and private sellers in college towns. Put decent tires on it and buy or make some way to carry what you need to carry. I don't like to ride with a backpack, but a backpack would work. Put good tires on it, lube everything that moves and ride. Don't worry about resale. You need transportation, and you'll have to pay a little for it. What you sell it for depends on the bike and the buyer, but if you buy cheap, you can't lose much