i have been looking to upgrade in efficiency from my old 3-speed raleigh i found in a dumpster and fixed up. i bike, but i'm not a biker. i ride barefoot only, usually in rolled up blue jeans. this being said, comfort is important to me, as well as aesthetics. i will never race on the bike, except the occasional blowing leaf or darting squirrel. i go up some small hills, so i need something with more than three gears; ten would be just fine i believe.

i would like a vintage bike of some sort, but don't want to compromise on functionality. fender's might be nice, as well as a chain guard; but not completely necessary (i commute to work on my raleigh, which has both, and helps keep me clean!). i have looked at the old schwinn's, the varsity and collegiate; and a raleigh sportif; but only pictures, yet to test drive anything.

i would like to have the option of taking small tours on it, like little weekend trips, so i would like it to be fairly efficient, but like i said, it does not need to be competitively efficient. so probably nothing pre-late-60's from what i have seen.

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/bik/715651849.html

this is one that i thought looked like a decent deal, and a fairly decent compromise for what i am looking for. let me know your thoughts, experience, and suggestions on this. and i'm not totally opposed to something newer; but they all just seem super expensive, flashy, difficult to maintain, and uncomfortable.

anyway, love to hear what some enthusiasts have to say.

cheers - ethan