Originally Posted by
caroline162
1. Not over $200. I bought a Bell helmet for $40, a pump for $10, and a lock for $20 already.
2. 10-15. I expect to bike to/from work most days, but not if the weather is bad or I don't feel like it (probably 80% of the time except in the winter and then not at all). I expect probably 1 weekend a month we'll go biking at a local park with a nice flat bike trail along the river. Maybe every 2 weekends or so I'll take the kids around the neighborhood for a few blocks. So not much!
3. My city has 300,000 people in it, Dallas is about 5 hours away.
I would suggest you go for it and buy the bike at Wal-Mart. I would also recommend you pickup a copy of
http://www.amazon.com/Bicycling-Comp...rdr_bb_product
or a similar book.
Assuming you have a screwdriver and a wrench, you can pick-up other tools as you need them. This will give you the opportunity to learn to maintain your bike. Perhaps your neighbor will provide guidance when you get stuck. If you break something then the cost of replacement will be minor. If you do decide to upgrade down the road, you will know through experience what to look for, what to avoid, and most likely feel more confident.
Good luck with your acquisition, and your daughters health issues.
Hope this helps.
g