What is a good bike for a daily rider under $500?

What are some good summer-long bike rental places in SF/the Bay Area?

• I'm interning in SF this summer and will be biking to work. Most of the top results for bike rental (Blazing Saddles, Bike & Roll) look to be focused on daily rentals.     I know Stanford's Bike shop http://campusbikeshop.com/ has pretty reasonable summer rates, but I'd (ideally) like to rent from a place in SF so that I don't have to Caltrain down to get service.  Has anybody had a positive experience with summer-long bike rentals anywhere in SF?  Clarification: I'm a novice-to-moderate bike rider. I'll probably be looking for a commuter/hybrid style bike that would normally retail for around $1,000/$1,500.    I imagine I should be able to get one for $250-$300, based on Stanford's rates (http://campusbikeshop.com/articles/bike-rental-rates-and-information-pg275.htm)

• Answer:

  I haven't found anywhere with rates as good as the Stanford Bike Shop. Last summer I got a $2500-$3000 road bike for 4 months for $150. That's an INSANE deal. It might be a bit inconvenient for service, but so long as you take care of the bike you shouldn't need it. I popped a tire once but that was the worst I had to deal with. Enjoy!