So like all the rest of the college students in the world I'm sort of broke and need a way to get to school. The parking lots are always full so it's sort of lost cause to drive. Plus it would take about 15 min to get to class riding a bike or a 5 min drive to campus and a 10 min walk to class.

My dilemma is that I haven't owned or ridden a bike since I was a kid. I'm 23, in shape 6'0" 175lbs. I have no idea what I need or want in a bike. I was thinking road bike because I could get out and ride the touring trails on weekends and it would make the ride to class much quicker but the fact that it gets very cold in Idaho in the winter makes me think that road bike tires (super skinny) wouldn't be the best choice when the snow/ice is on the ground? What are cold weather commuting options?

Is there any entry level road bikes out there that would work for my purposes for around 400 dollars? I have the money for an expensive bike but a high profile bike at a bike rack on a college campus is probably not the best choice. Could be lifted in short order. On that note what is the best option for locking a bike up? I use to use a cable lock when I was a kid but seems like that could be cut pretty easily. . .

Oh BTW, its about 3 miles to campus. The streets are pretty good but there is the occasional pothole. . .

I'm sure you all are probably tired of the "what bike should I get" questions so thanks for taking the time to read this. Any tips pointers or advice would be much appreciated!

Kelpy