Can you recommend any bikes for long, daily city commutes/dirt roads/hills for about $500 or less?

Question

I've been eyeing these 3:

http://freewheelbike.com/itemdetails.cfm?sort=priceasc&id=3119

http://freewheelbike.com/itemdetails.cfm?sort=priceasc&id=5312

http://freewheelbike.com/itemdetails.cfm?sort=priceasc&id=5761

Answer 1

I really like the Raleigh Detour series for commuting. You'd be hard pressed to find a better bike for the money. I think they start about $350 and go to $750.

Answer 2

I recommend going to the Salvation Army and picking up a Schwinn, circa 1975, complete with the little basket on the front that has the flowers stuck on it.

It's an extra bonus if you find a bike with no seat.  That works great for off-road biking.

Answer 3

In that price range, the bikes from the major manufacturers are going to be fairly comparable.  For commuting, here are the two things I would look at:

(1) Gearing -- if you are going to be going on hills/dirt roads, then you are going to want something with lower gearing.  Therefore, you probably want three chainrings up front (for example, 48/38/28 teeth per ring) and a broad range of gears on the back (11 or 12 for the hardest and 28 to 30 for the easiest).  The lower gearing will help you on hills and also will be good on dirt trails/roads where you need a little extra torque.

(2) Riding position -- one of the bikes in your link is a hybrid -- it has the much higher handlebars.  Another one has the more traditional mountain bike bars (relatively flat handlebars that are lower but not as low as a road bike).  If you are just going to commute, a hybrid might be fine.  However, if you are going to need a little better performance, I suggest the lower bars.

I would suggest looking at the Trek 7.3 FX.