Originally Posted by
velonomad
Beg Borrow or steal another $200 and get this one. A woman at work just completed a 600+mile tour on this bike and it performed very well for her. She also commutes everyday on it. It won't impress anyone at the local weekly racer wannabe sweat fest. but it will take you as far as you want to go.
Windsor Bikes - Tourist
Or go the roll you own route with an older MTB. Here is an example from my local craigslist. These old Trek's had pretty decent wheels and with a few upgrades( racks and better brake pads and a good saddle) you could get on the road under $500
Trek 830
I second the vote for the Windsor Tourist; we got one for my son several years ago, and its had many thousands of trouble-free miles on it. The latest one appears to have downgraded some of the parts from the 2012 version, but it's still an awesome deal.