A New Bicycle

I want a bike. I outgrew my last bicycle when I was about fourteen, and haven't owned one since. Almost ten years with no bike. I realized that when I sat down to write this post, and felt a little sad.

Don't get me wrong, I've been on plenty of bike rides since then (mostly on rented or borrowed bicycles). In the past few weeks however, I've been thinking about bicycles a lot, especially how much I want one to call my own. A shiny, new, adult bike with some sort of basket for carrying things like a picnic lunch, fresh flowers, books and a camera. Can you tell that I am already planning many adventures-by-bicycle?

Now, I just need to find one. But, I am not quite sure where to begin. Does anyone have any tips on where to find a stylish, moderately priced bike? These custom-made bicycles from Fast Boy Cycles sure are lovely, but they start at $2200. Definitely not in my budget. Alas, the bike search begins...