Originally Posted by
Kojak
You can likely get a good bike in your price range on Craigslist (or some other similar site), but knowing what you're looking at is going to be tough without some experience. A cheap bike can turn expensive quickly if you end up buying someone else's problems. If you have a friend/colleague that has some expertise, and is willing to help that would be very beneficial. If you have some knee issues already, definitely get a bike with a triple chainring (3 front sprockets), it will help to minimize pressure on your knee joints, so long as keep your bike in a low gear. Also, browse these forums. There is a great deal of good information out there, and you'll read some threads that help as you navigate your way into cycling. Mosty, have fun. If it isn't fun, you aren't going to keep doing it. Keep your initial goals to a minimum other than to keep on keepin' on. Don't worry about speed, weight loss, etc. All of that will come so long as you stay with it. If you need a day off (from riding) take it, but don't let it become a trend. Let it slide a week and it'll be tough to get your momentum back. Good Luck.
Quotin' dis.
Also, depending on your height you might have a problem finding a cheap bike of Craigslist. I'm 6'7", and the only things with the right frame size were high end racers going for $2K+ on craigslist.
You can get away with a cheap bike, but you can get an okay bike for around $500-$600(I ended up getting a low end Cannondale Hybrid for $550). Go visit your local bike shop(s), test ride some of their bikes, get some advice. Buy the basics of safety gear to start out with(Helmet, lights if you'll be in the dark) and just ride. You can upgrade or buy new things piecemeal from there.
A lot of commutes aren't through interesting places, or even necessarily pretty ones, but if you're like most of us you'll find that the sense of just being outside and connected to the world is as much of a reason to ride your bike as weight loss, or saving money on gas, etc.