The Vaya would be good for long rides. But a good quality bike for a college student would probably be something like one of Trek's FX series or if you like road bikes, try and find a Trek, Specialized, or Giant for $1,000 or under. I definitely enjoy my Trek 7.1FX. And it's right by their lowest FX model and it still does great on long rides. Now I imagine a 7.4fx or higher. Definitely something worth looking into as far as hybrids go