TNL Bicycles Volume I: Wild And Wacky Action Bike

[Kidnemo]

Check around at your local bike shops.

It's common for bigger cities to have bike shops that carry a ton of used quality bikes as well.

*edit*

From your criteria though I'd suggest checking out a beach cruiser or some hybrid cruiser.

[Nomi]

This is a tiny rural college town, haha. Our bike shop has absurd prices and rip-off accessories. I've been there, they weren't interested in being helpful unless I was buying from them directly.

[Josh]

Sounds like you're gonna have to go to a different town or stfu.

[Othello Harrington]

Bowling green is the encyclopedia of rural towns man, it can't get much worse.

[Shooting Love]

they weren't interested in being helpful unless I was buying from them directly.

Sounds like most bike shops I've ever been to.
Quite a few pompous pricks with goatees and fuaxhawks who like to throw around technical lingo, and huff when asked to explain in plain language.

[Vasteel]

Nomi, it sounds like your deraileur is shot. A good bike shop can fix this for about $30-60, but if you have a dick shop (like most) you're probably looking at closer to $100. The grinding means you've probably needed a new chain for a while and have likely trashed your cassette as well. Honestly, that Huffy isn't worth sinking any cash into, just get a good used bike.

As far as the 'road vs mountain' frame deal, you generally always trade weight for durability. Frames generally come in three materials: steel, aluminum, or carbon. You can get a road bike, but you'll likely want to stay with a steel frame with heavy duty rims. Aluminum is much lighter and doesn't rust, but also far less durable and more expensive- it probably won't hold up to rugged terrain, and once you dent it, it's shot. I'm a courier (20-40 miles per average day) and I ride a steel mountain frame over mostly road, rugged pavement, and paved brick, much like you.

Basically what I'm saying is, a heavier road bike or lighter mountain frame should be just fine for what you are doing. Also, avoid shocks and be sure to get slick tires if you go with a mountain frame.

[Dyne]

Suggestions?

Get one with a seat, two wheels that spin and handlebars with tassels.

[Nomi]

Also, avoid shocks and be sure to get slick tires if you go with a mountain frame.

Thanks for the advice. Why avoid shocks though? I know very little about bikes.

[Vasteel]

They're counterintuitive for commuting (great for off-road though). Put simply, a bicycle is a machine that converts downward force into forward motion. Shocks absorb a good bit of that force (as do flexi-frames and shit like that) in addition to adding useless weight. The same bike with a standard fork will be much faster and more efficient to the rider.

[Nomi]

Gotcha. That helps a lot. I'll look around at local offerings. Don't really need a bike shop for used ones here, tons of graduating students are constantly selling their bikes off.