I've recently started biking around quite a bit. I bought a $5 Huffy mountainbike from a thrift store. I believe it's an 18- or 21-speed. I use it for city riding only, sometimes for 10-mile roundtrips.

I have little in the way of money, but I'd like a better ride. This machine just seems a bit ineffecient.

For a rider spending a little bit of money, would it be best to do upgrades (wheels, tires, bearings) or save that money toward a better quality bike?

I keep checking the thrift stores. At one, all bikes are $5. At the others, prices range from $5-$30.

I've seen several other multi-speed (non-mountain) bikes--what's the term for those?--but I haven't found one that seemed much better than the one I have.

I've searched books and the web. I've looked over many posts here. But I'm just not finding the info I'm looking for.

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

-DannyOKC