Originally Posted by
silentlysailing
Also on the cheaper end I think is KHS but I don't know how their reliability is. They have the Green and Cidi.
Edit: I totally forgot about breezer, they are worth a good look too, and have the enclosed drivetrain on some models.
For the price of a bike and what it buys you in terms of transportation, anything less than $2000 will pay for itself pretty quickly. A bus pass here costs $50 a month. Put that $50 into your bicycle and see what it buys you over several years.
It's a steal!