Originally Posted by
Carcosa
Repost.
Entry level steel v. entry level aluminum and I'd agree with you and I ride the same set up with a little higher gearing int he metro area I live in. so it's double agreement. Find you a good steel bike, it's a nice change of pace.
On a slightly related note, it's seem so silly that all these threads get started with a low budget and nobody says "hey maybe you should find a good used deal since you'll probably ruin the bike anyways." Especially since it takes a little bit of mechanical know how to get a Bikes Direct bike up and running.
This is what I propose the OP do; buy a used bike. Or a frame off eBay.