Originally Posted by
vonfilm
I would like to find something for him that would do the job and perhaps help him to enjoy and appreciate a bicycle. I was thinking a nice lightweight frame and wheelset, but perhaps not so nicely finished so that it would be a magnet for theft. Now Lubbock is pretty much billiard table flat so that even a single speed or internal gear hub might work. A rack on the rear to bungee a backpack and a good lock would complete it. The dorm rooms are small and he may need to park this outside.
My experience being in your situation is that kids treat bikes at college very shabbily indeed. They sit out in the rain, they don't get taken care of, and nice ones get stolen. So forget the nice vintage frame. There's nothing at the end of that road but heartbreak and disappointment.