I recommend doing what I did. I live in NYC, own a Riv, but needed a
beater for knocking around the city.
I'd check in with an outfit called Recycle-A-Bicycle. They do the
good work of accepting donated bikes and training youngsters to fix
them, then selling them reasonably to the public. That's where I got
my beater Univega road bike, going strong after 5 years, not even a
flat. They even overhaul bearings before sale, which adds a lot of
value. I think I paid around $250.
They're on Ave. C. near 5th St.; also an outlet in Brooklyn but I
forget where. Near the bridges.
Joe K