8Fishes

I would go back to those bike stores and ask around to see what bikes they would let you try. It is trying after all and you are not obligated to buying anything. If the sales people are pressuring you to buy a bike, you should walk out of the store since they are just trying to sell you a bike, and not getting your the bike you want, or the bike that you feels best suits you.

The 'lower' ones are what I think are dutch frames(?) which I would say are cruiser types of bikes, in line with the step-through models. They are nice but I would not discount the idea of getting a hybrid. They are very nice bikes to ride on even if it does not seem easy to get on. After about a week, it will seem very natural. I am afraid I'm not too knowledge about these bikes, as they aren't too popular in my opinion.

I agree with the others, and you probably want to get a hybrid. I would not worry too much about the gears now, but mostly everything in the hybrid lower-endish range will have a 'triple', which is three cogs(chainring) on the pedals, and 8 of those 'cogs'(cassette) in the back. What you want to ask the sales people is about bike fit since it sounds like you don't have much experience in this region.

You can ask about the differences in women's bikes vs unisex ones, and see if they know the answer to that. I always find it good to also ask questions you already know the answer to, just to see if the sales people know there stuff. How are women's bikes different? Generally the handlebars are shorter to accommodate the shorter torso length on women vs men, and the top tube length is shorter. The top tube is the horizontal bar that connects the front and back of the bike. With that said though, there is nothing wrong with women riding unisex bikes, or even men riding women's bikes. It's all about how it feels when you are on the bike and how it rides.

Finally cost, if you are unsure about how much to spend on a bike, 500 dollars is a good starting point for a good bike that'll last. The cost of helmets really seems to dictate on how 'cool' they are. More expensive, the more 'cool' they are to other cyclists. Other than that, the functional aspect is that they cool your head better, but don't provide any more protection compared to a 40 dollar helmet. It's really up to you if you think the extra cooling is worth like 3 or 4 times of a cheaper helmet. Personally I wouldn't spend too much on helmets because once you take a hit on it, you should really get a new one even if it seems undamaged. It is damaged, and probably will not save you the next time you take a hit.