Caroline,

In my opinion this is a good start if it is all you can afford. Being on a bike like this is better than none at all. However, that is only if you have someone competent look over the bike for you. Your friend will really come in handy.

I have considered this bike myself, for my winter riding. Last winter I used my Marin Novato through the winter, I had to tear it down and rebuild it this spring. My thought for this bike was to ride it through the winter and then ditch it. In Central, NY our winters really wreak havoc on a bicycle.

This bike, though built with lower end components actually seems pretty decent. I say you buy it and return to post about how it worked out. However, I will preface this with that if you find a killer deal on CL before you make the purchase, go with that first!

Good luck!