It's a bit "ghetto", but I like to think of it as a learning experience.

I rode it out to the mall today because I needed groceries. Bike road great. I am getting the hang of using momentum for hills again! I remember when I was a kid and my bike and I were inseparable. It has definitely been a long time since then, though. Besides, having too nice a bike is not good. My friend just had a Trek Calypso stolen last week. I would probably cry if I had spent $400.00 just to have it stolen! Living in the dorms makes bikes prime for theft, so I will be glad to be able to bring it in at night in my own apartment.

Be sure to "uglify" your new bike - cover the decals with electric tape and get it as dirty as possible. Bike thieves are attracted to something new and shiny that can be fenced for a tidy profit. If you're going to leave your bike in public for any extended period of time, secure the frame with a good lock and take the wheels with you.

Norman,
that is covered. I just checked on it just now because the movers came to get some boxes I have to ship to Columbia.

It's still there! I have a good, strong lock on it. Parked it many-a-place that bikes get stolen today while shopping and she stayed put!

And I have already started to cover the decals haha.

Nice! Sounds like you're all set up. I commuted for many years on a bike donated by one of my family members and I was pretty lucky - only spent $30/year for tune-ups, plus buying a helmet and lock. It was terrifically ugly and nobody touched it for five years on my theft-prone campus (my cousins lost 3 bikes in the same time period.)

Getting an older model (if that's what you did) from the LBS is a great strategy - often they're marked down pretty aggressively, and there's no reason to have the absolute latest model.