Originally Posted by
Charles Wahl
+1 on the mountain bike. Keep looking at your local CraigsList for “Trek” and “Specialized” and you'll find one that will fit you great, within your budget, and in good shape. I've even done that here in NYC, and it only took a couple days: $140 for a few-years-old fully-equipped hybrid city bike that only needed air in the tires, chain lube, and it shifted perfectly right from the start.
+2
Here in the SF area, the bike market is hot. Even so, when my wife's friend asked me to find a pair of bikes for her and her husband to do just what you describe, it took me all of two days to find a Trek and an Iron Horse that were ready to ride for a total of $160. The IH was like-new, the Trek well-used but very functional.
Rigid frame mtb's have almost no resale value, and the major brands can be excellent values. They are sturdy, reliable, versatile, and inexpensive.
Like so:
http://dayton.craigslist.org/bik/1719580960.html
http://dayton.craigslist.org/bik/1719609520.html
Or even:
http://dayton.craigslist.org/bik/1715408922.html