I'm going to buy a bike this weekend. I'm a college student at Western Washington University who lives about a mile away from campus, and parking hours here are bonkers so I usually ride my bike to school and between the classes in my relatively large university.
We get quite a bit of rain and wind up here at WWU, and I also often find myself riding my bike home after dark, and often in wet and cold conditions.
My current bike is ok, but I purchased it for just $60 over 4 years ago and despite new treads on its 24" wheels and and several adjustments to the gears on the thing (it's a 5-speed) it still has a lot of trouble shifting in to top gear, the breaks just don't cut it anymore, and it's heavy.
I've never really purchased a bike before. When I bought my current one, it was just a necessity, but now I need a good bike. So what should I look for? What kinds of night lights and reflectors are good to choose or stay away from? Are there any particular makers and models I should be aware of? I'm looking to spend less than $500 if at all possible.
[b]TL;DR: Suggest bike models and makers and bike gear for a twice-a-day 1 mile commute over hills, asphalt, gravel, and sometimes in rain and sometimes at night.[/b]
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Because your going on gravel I'd say get a cycle cross bike or mountain bike. Cannondale, Trek, Felt, specialized are all well rounded bike brands. Don't get new get a used bike of Craigslist.