We refer to them as "cheese grater" rims. They "eat" brake shoes faster and only have marginally better braking than steel rims without the serrations. Any Japanese-made road or mountain bike from the 80's or 90's will be a better starter bike for commuting than an older, French threading/metric frame dimensional bike. The later Peugeot models abandoned the odd ball threading and frame tubing sizes for the current standard. Once you have been bitten by the serene beauty of C&V bikes, then delving into the intricacies and esoterics of French bicycles might be a fun hobby, rather than a practical and maintainable bike. As others have said, alloy rims should be a "must have" feature on your commuter. Also, 27" tires are still available, so a better quality older bike that runs these size tires shouldn't be immediately discounted. Happy Hunting and Welcome!