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Hello everyone. I'll try to keep it short and sweet.

Background: I go to school on an urban campus, and it would be nice to be able to ride around the city. I have decided a BMX-style bike would be best; I don't want to mess with gears, and I want the ability to navigate urban terrain (riding down stairs or off moderate ledges, for instance) without having to worry about breaking the bike in half. I'd prefer durability over lightness, though I would also like it to be a bike with decent speed capabilities. Since the last time I had a BMX bike it was a Huffy when I was eight years old, I'm not partial to any particular brands, but as I said, I would like as much quality as I can get for my price range of 200 to 300 dollars, for I want it to be worth upgrading (rather than replacing) over the next few years.

Thanks for your time. I look forward to reading your feedback.

Buy used. There's not many bikes in that price range that "I" would want that would be worth upgrading. One bike in that range is the DK General Lee 24" (cruiser) that I recently purchased about a month ago. The frame is full cromoly, not just main tubes. It's a great BMX-style bike for campus cruising. That said, I'm now in the market for a 20" for more agressive riding. Like you, I'm getting into BMX after a years long hiatus.

Dk six pack, and stolen wrap are probably your best bang for you buck. Everything you want to look for in a bmx, and you shouldn't have to worry about upgrades anytime soon. check danscomp.com

^ Also Premium Solo for about $325. Has full CroMo frame and fork which will be stronger than any steel not listed as CroMo. http://oldskoolcycles.com/PremiumSolo.aspx

^^ very good, bike for the price as well.

basically, you want an ALL cromo frame when looking. Everything else can be upgraded as they wear out/break. You can move all the parts over if/when you decide to upgrade the frame, so long as the BB and Headset are the same. I'd spend a little extra on a complete with a full cromo frame instead of a bike with anything Hi-tensile tubes on the frame in your price range. Good choice on going the bmx route, the parts and bike will usually last a lot longer than other bikes in the price range. You'll have more fun breaking *ahem* wearing them out than on a hybrid or other bike.