Originally Posted by cal_gundert05
So now the question is what type of bike to get, and then which specific one.
That depends entirely on your situation. How far you ride, on what kind of terrain, what kind of road surface, where you lock your bike...
Originally Posted by cal_gundert05
My dad has an old Bridgestone road bike (tension shifters and all that) at home (200 miles away) that he doesn't use, so that's an option.
I think that's not a bad place to start. I mean, that's zero financial investment if the bike's in good shape (your parents do drive over to visit you anyway, don't they?
) and if you don't like it you can always buy something else later. Plus an older bike is less likely to get stolen - an important consideration if you leave it locked on campus.