Originally Posted by
jromano
First of all, my budget for the bike itself is $400, which will give me a little bit of flex for maintenance. Please don't tell me to save more money. I'm not going to diverge every detail of my financial situation, but I'm simply not willing to spend more than that. If I can't get a decent bike for that price, just let me know now and I won't buy one at all.
Luckily it appears there are some options from Bikesdirect. I was looking at the Wellington 3.0 or one of the singlespeeds. I could get away with a singlespeed (as long as it's not fixed) since my town is pretty flat, but I don't have a strong preference either way. I would only really consider it if the components are significantly better. The cyclocross Uno looks very versatile offhand with the low gearing, but the chicken style brake levers are a big turnoff.
The goal of this bike is to serve as an introduction to roadbiking, learn how to do my own maintenance, have fun in the meantime and sell it for a better bike when I'm done with university. What is my best option here?
In the extremely unlikely event that you aren't a BD schill - you should really try Craig's list. With some diligence you can get more for your money. Also, Jeremy's advice is good - go hang at some local bike shops and tell them where you are at - you never know.