I think I will go with what you said and just get a good mtb when I get the chance. I dont see my self going to the trails anyway in the winter. Now a question: For commuting, will CroMo really have that much better performance than Hi-Ten? The first bike I suggested had favorable reviews, as did many of the other bikes from that company which caught my interest. So Im wondering if those bikes are superior to other hi-ten bikes.

And If I get a bike, I of course would like it to look good, and the Timeline which is in my price range is... ugly. I guess that doesnt matter since I can swap out handle bars, tires, (would it be worth it to change the rims?) etc. I really hate the handle bars. If I get this, which it looks like I might, what should I look for in terms of handle bars? I mean, what size/socket/whatever would I have to look for?

Oh one last thing: What is the difference between the kilo and the timeline?

Thanks so much you guys have helped a lot so far

Oh and sorry if it sounds like im rambling, its late here :/

Edit: If I were to build my own, what should I look for in a frame other than CroMo? Id likely get a used frame and new components