yrieithydd

So, last week, my bicycle stopped steering. I borrowed mum's for the week and took the bike to the shop yesterday. They reckoned that it would be silly to spend £80+ on it given its age and condition; they thought I could buy a second-hand bike in better condition for less than that. They did spray the headset so it steers again. So my trusty stead of 12 years needs to be replaced :-{. I've been thinking about doing so for a while but was hoping to delay it a bit longer having just spent money on moving.

My current bike is a mountain bike which is non-ideal as I rarely go off road and bike is my main form of transport, though my daily commute has just halved from 8 miles a day to 4.

What recommendations, thoughts, ideas do my friends have on what to look for, avoid etc in bicycles?

I intend to get hub dynamo because I'm sick of flat batteries/forgetting lights etc (I already have the light set but not the dynamo). Considering dropped handlebars though I've never used them before but have often thought I might like them.