smoth

Being short on funds like nearly every college kid, I decided to start the year with my relatively inexpensive full suspension mountain bike. Before college I might log 50 miles per year over the course of one or two weekends, so my bike did not really matter. Now, I ride for fitness, to get to work, classes, activities, etc and am racking up on average of 10-15 miles per day. I am at Penn State so the entire campus is more or less on the side of a hill so I have to climb to get to class, then I live at the bottom so I coast down at high speed. On dry days this is no problem on my current bike, but I have lost traction several times while turning in the rain over variable surfaces. If any of you know University Park, it gets rather crowded during class change period so us bikers are often forced onto the grass/rocks/dirt/whatever is lining the concrete paths if we want to go faster than the walking people. The roads are nearly the same having to vie for position with cars, people, and other bikers, so a curb cannot stand as an obstacle. Also, being located where we are, snow/slush is not uncommon. As a final note, durability is extremely important as a day without my bike equates to about a extra 1.25 hours of travel time.

Summary of needs/wants in order of importance (dont know how many are possible)
-durability
-handling on concrete/asphalt
-ability to take a few stairs/curbs
-handling in rain/snow/slush
-light weight
-handling off road on grass, dirt, small rocks

Now, as I said, funds are on a short leash, but since this will be such a pivotal part of my daily life for the next 4+ years, I think I could swing about $2000, but would prefer to be closer to $1500.

Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Wanderer

Why not just keep what you have - as a utility bike. Get some Cross tires, about 35 to 45 wide, and you should have a good bike for where you are. Less likely to get stolen, and good for bombing on and off curbs, paths. After you destroy it at Penn State, you can buy a nice bike after graduation.

Then you can spend the money you saved on Pizza...

cooker

A second hand 90s era rigid mountain bike.

NormanF

Get a mini-velo from Chari and Co NYC. Change it to single speed and you're set. Its inexpensive for a complete bike.

https://www.chariandconyc.com/flat1-typesgreen.aspx

I think you could just go about anywhere with it. A good deal for kids who don't have a trust fund!

waynesworld

I like the suggestions by Wander and Cooker. Since you live in a hilly area, a single speed seems wrong for you.

There are lots of tire options for your current bike which would make it better for your conditions, but I do like the idea of going with a non-suspension bike myself. You should be able to do that for far less than your budget.

On the other hand, if you really want a new bike, you could look at cyclocross bikes or the 'city' type bikes every manufacturer makes these days. If you're going to be on campus, you will need a really good locking system to ensure you keep a 1500 - 2000 bike as yours.

Considering your needs/wants, if you want a new bike, I would go with an internally geared hub. From what I read, it seems they have a wide enough gear range, but a test ride would definitely be in order. Most manufacturers make these, in their 'Urban' or 'City' series. Personally I have a Felt x:city D, which has gears on the back only, and a single up front. Felt makes IGH models of the same bike too. FWIW, I really like mine. You can find them by many makers though, including Trek.

Anyway, if you find the right tires for your bike, and learn some basic bike maintenance, you should be fine with the one you have. But hey, what fun is that?

Condorita

Also: head over to the English department for their remedial offering, so that you can learn the difference in advice and advise.

nahh

I'd get a used rigid mountain bike that fit you, and take it into a bike shop and get them to tune everything up, replacing what they need to to make it a really nicely working bike.

you really don't need to spend $2000 on this, I have about $800 into my college bike, and it doubles as a road bike I can go on group rides or ride cyclocross on.

meanwhile

With wide dual purpose tyres or slicks, yes. Schwalbe Big Apples? Probably without a suspension fork. Ideally chromo steel. A nice Kona Lava Dome should run $200 plus the cost of a bike shop overhaul and last a century.

I'd guess likely weight for an average sized frame would be around 27lbs. That's the cost of strength. The handling will be excellent.

Or you could buy a modern copy for about ten times as much - and it maybe almost as good. Oh - and leaving a $2000 bike parked on a campus is idiotic! If you buy one, then buy the old MTB as well. And ugly the old MTB up with crappy paint and put a top of the line lock and security skewers on.

smoth

I think I will start with a tire change and then reevaluate after that.
Since I am not familiar with cross tires, could anyone give me a recommendation, or a least a few guidelines of what I should be looking for?
Maybe something like this https://www.bicycletires.com/pvirdc/v...ch_tire/pp.htm ?