Originally Posted by imcorn
Basically I wanted a bike that would get me to and from nearby friends' houses(~1-2mi) and to school (4x/week ~3-4mi one way). Also I do like frames similar to the early 90s Trek700, so frame appearance is a factor.
In this case would I just be better off buying some used bike I like the appearance of and go from there?
Yeah, I'd definitely recommend buying a used bike. The key issue to me is riding to school. I don't know what the situation is at your particular school but, in general, schools are hot beds for bike theft. If you get an inexpensive, used bike you won't feel so bad when it gets stolen.