I want to thank everyone for the help - I scored an old Specialized Crossroads Cruz for $85 today (pic below). 700c wheels, seems to be in working order, and it's kind of banged up looking, which is actually what I wanted so it looks less appealing as a theft target. And it's in the super-manly color of
magenta. (hehe... don't care.) It's really light - I thought it was aluminum, but various sites online say it's steel? Hmm, does that mean I need to paint it? I don't see any rust, but there's bare metal in a few spots. It does not appear to be cracked anywhere.
The rear brake squeals, so I'll have to fix that. Do you think there's anything else I should do to get it in proper riding shape? Change the chain or anything? I've never done bike maintenance, but I could learn.
It's kind of naked; I'll need to add a rack, water bottle holders, lights, kickstand, and a reflector for the front wheel (maybe one of those neon light looking things I saw the other night).
Anyway, I'm pretty happy with it.
Attachment 167311
Oh, now that I think about it, I generally ride with the pedals about halfway between the arch and the ball of my feet. It doesn't hurt at all. I'll try it more on the balls of my feet and see if it makes a difference.