Hi, I too live in Pensacola so I know what you're talking about. I researched bicycles on this forum, and in shops, for half a year before buying one. I'm slow and thorough. Learning about bikes was half the fun. I've been to all the bike shops in P'cola. I liked Trek but they didn't have many models on hand. Giant was nice and they carried Bianchi. The Khona guy was pleasant and had lots of raleight but was limited with the Kona brand. Some of the raleigh hybrids were very cool. Cyclesports has the largest selection in the area. Here is a link to their website http://www.cyclesportsbicycles.com/ It will show you what brands they do carry. I purchased a schwynn 7 speed hybrid for about 300. It was entry level, steel, rode nice, and did what I wanted it to do. It got stolen from my yard several months later. Several months later I purchased a drop bar touring bike that is over your budget. I like it very much. Take a look at cyclesport. They have many brands and are quite friendly. You might want to look at the specialized crosstrail and crosstrail sport, http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/...nuItemId=12188. Its within your budget. The sport has the suspension lockout. I believe the instore prices are better than the list at the mfgrs website. I thought the crosstrail (entry level) rode great! Nice wide tires for comfort. It might even handle some of the trails around UWF. In any respect a dirt path will not be an issue. I went there every week end for months trying out several bikes everytime I went there. They are happy to let you ride around the neighborhood. Any bike shop will let you test ride. One other thing from your post concerns me. Pensacola is mega humid. I've heard if you leave a lawn mower in the yard covered, it will rust quicker because it never dries out. I don't personally know. Aluminum would be the way to go if its outside all the time. I might pass on disk brakes in that scenarion. DO BUY A LOCK. I got a large kryptonite lock that I use to lock the wheel and frame to something solid along with a cable for added security. One last word. Trak also sells gary fisher bikes. The kaitai might be up your alley, but, nothing in stock to look at. http://fisherbikes.com/bike/model/kaitai Do let us know what you get.