MrSixes

Hi! I'm new to the forum, and browsing has so far been pretty helpful at seeing what to look for in bikes. My last bike was a Trek 3700, super basic, and I'm now looking for a road bike that can take a good amount of abuse for riding around campus and through Chicago, past a few road trips.

I've stumbled on a few bikes on CL and I figured I'd consult the collective wisdom of the forums to see if anyone could help me out:

The first I found is a Greg Lemond TVT 92. I've heard of the Lemond Nevada City being a good starter bike. Is this the same maker? As I understand, the bike is a Tour De France signed replica, so the price is a bit higher (it's around 500, and I'm looking for something 200-400 dollars), but it otherwise seems legit.

The other one I've seen is a Schwinn Traveler III. It's a 10 speed with "new" tires and tubes (according to the seller) for around 155. Seems like a good deal?

Besides that, anyone have a recommendation on a good, new bike for a beginning cyclist? I looked through the beginner's thread for the bikes that were mentioned, but I haven't seen them sold online anywhere (I haven't had a chance to go into my local bike shop yet, it closes most days before I get home.)

ALSO one last question: I've heard varied things about Schwinn, mostly along the lines of "New Schwinn bad, old Schwinn good." Around what year are Schwinn bikes not worth looking at anymore?

Thanks in advance for any help or advice!

Edit: One other question that I couldn't find in the stickies: What is a deal-breaker and what is fixable with used bikes? i.e. Is a bike okay if it has a rusted chain that I can just replace, if the crank seems to dinged up it's not worth the hassle, etc.