Yesterday we went for the first round of bike shopping for me. We looked at one bike we really liked at Turin Bikes in Evanston. It was a Specialized Crossroads (I don't know if that link is to the exact bike but it is very similar to that.) I'm looking for a reasonably inexpensive hybrid that is good for the around town stuff but that wouldn't be ridiculous if I decided to try for a 20 or 30 mile ride someday. This bike or a similar class is probably what I'll get.

While we were there we bought floor pump, a Topeak Joe Blow (also not the identical model but similar.) It's amazing how just being able to properly inflate the tires on our current bikes radically improved the ride of both. The crappy hand pump I was using just plain don't cut it. Even my older Panasonic rode way better with full tires. That's what I get for skimping on tools. We should have bought a pump like this years ago.