Ah, the humble box store bicycle. Somewhat shoddily assembled, somewhat dinky, extremely affordable, and perfectly adequate for millions of riders. Might I add, infinitely tuneable, and pleasantly easy to maintain with a bit of care and nuance. Whether you're broke and cannot afford anything beyond the barebones, or just need a simple, reliable bike that can get it done, the box store bicycle is what you need. I must say, I wasn't always an advocate of the box store bike.
When circumstances forced me to live in the city for a few years, I'd purchased a fancier model for roughly $700. Quite a pretty penny for what it was, and doubly so, considering my financial position back then. It certainly rode smooth, came adjusted from the bike store, and was just an absolute pleasure to ride. Until it got stolen, a few months later.
A few more months passed, and I'd decided to buy the cheapest bicycle they had - a Canadian Tire special for $148.99; the derailleur was completely out of whack; many parts were installed incorrectly, or weren't tightened. The tires were awful for any sort of hybrid / commuter use, and the seat was terribly painful for any ride over 5km.
The wonderrful thing about bicycles is that you don't need to be a rocket scientist to work on one. Heck, a car isn't so hard to fix if you are methodical about it, never mind a bicycle.
Bicycles are quite possibly one of the most elegant mechanisms that have been invented to date - simple, reliable, efficient, elegant, and fun - and they keep you in tip-top shape. People pay for a gym membership and buy a book on fancy diets, but often overlook what a change something as simple as incorporating riding a bicycle into your transportation repertoire can do.
That bike is my workhorse - at first in the city, and after I'd moved to the middle of the woods here at the beautiful Kawartha Lakes, it's used for hauling everything from tools, to getting me to the local shops (a 10km ride) when my car's broken down.
This is partially an article - it's also a how-to guide, so you can turn YOUR box store bike into a very capable utility machine.
For tackling unpaved gravel roads, the grass, pavement, asphalt, country highways, urban concrete walkways, and forest floor. Having a decent set of tires is absolutely key to having a pleasant, and easy, riding experience. Any experienced cyclist (which I am not) would tell you that having the right set of tires for the job will make the difference between a light workout, and overexertion to the point of a heart attack.
After the abovementioned, and this upgrade, I was able to ride twice as far as before. The high rolling resistance, knobby, off-road mountain bike tires were awful for longer range rides, and the very uncomfortable seat made riding the bike a chore.
A highly useful addition, having a rear cargo rack enabled me to attach a cargo box (or, in my case, a wooden milk crate) with zip-ties. Excellent for carrying drinks, bags, tools, and other tidbits.