Originally Posted by Seneca

Hello all!

I usually lurk in the touring forums but recently I have been facing a commuting issue. I am just starting a 5 year program at my new university (University of California Irvine). I live on the third floor of a building with no elevator. I currently own a Trek 520 touring bike valued at $1400 dollars which would perfectly suit my needs for commuting the half mile to school and half mile to the grocery store as well as occasional longer commute of 10+ miles. I am looking to be as car free as possible.

The problem is that I need to leave my bike outside of my apartment on a crowded bike rack. The obvious answer is to get a cheap bike yet I may want to do some shopping and need a rack that will stand up to some decent weight. I don't think theft is a very big concern but then again I may eat those words if I put it to the test with my baby Trek 520. Plus I am worried about weathering though I do live in Southern California (sunny and some rain in winter).

Any ideas on what to do? My three ideas are:

1) Just use the Trek 520 with a good lock and don't worry about theft (Irvines pretty safe) or weathering or rough treatment by others.
2) "Cheap" bike (which?) that does what I need.
3) Get an REI commuter (or something similar) that's a bit more expensive ($400-$800) but will be fun to ride/have that I can view as a 5 year (longer?) good investment while saving my 520 for touring/recreation rides stored at my parents near by house. Less tragic than 520 if stolen.

Any help or similar experiences would be great!

Seneca