Originally Posted by
stanman13
In other words, you could have it for less than half the price. An important consideration for someone on a budget.
I agree.
If someone doesn't have the money, then they don't have it - and even with the money, not everybody is comfortable shelling out $350+ for a commuter.
The first commuter I used was an old MTB that still had knobbies on it and I always enjoyed riding it, but I realized that cycling was more fun when I moved to the first commuter I bought - which was an old roadie with flat bars. I was really uptight about spending more than $200, and I was able to score that bike for $200. And it was a $200 chunk of crap - kept popping spokes and blowing tires, and the derailleurs never worked quite right. The frame was probably pretty decent, but it's been so long since I got rid of it that I really didn't know enough about bikes to be able to tell at the time.
I didn't end up saving anything vs. just shelling out $350 for a Giant Cypress R, which I eventually did. Every time I've cheaped out and bought a bicycle, motorcycle, or car with known issues I've ended up throwing good money after bad, and this is why I suggest that the OP consider options other than the one immediately in front of him/her right now if that's possible.