Hi Caroline;

Here's my 2 cents... you say you are in a small town with limited resources...if there is a decent bike shop anywhere near you I would go in and explain your situation fully. All you really need is a used dependable safe bike with one gear ( I commute 30 km a day rain, snow, etc on 1970 and 1980 vintage bikes that have been stripped down to one gear. Extremely reliable without all the gear shifting stuff to worry about, and nobody ever steals them). If the shop owner has any brains at all he will set you up with something (an old, free bike that he has kicking around that he will just charge you for basic service/safety check on). Then you will be his customer for life! He will know that you'll be back when you are ready to buy the higher end fancy bike. ANd you'll be back for service. And you'll be back for the kids bikes. The only way the local bike shops are going to survive is by providing service that WM can't/won't. The smart ones will know this. Good luck!