Yeah, I don't know anything.
Really, I don't know ANYTHING. I started looking around and checking out the different bike shops and I'm only finding that I really really don't know anything about bikes. I'm starting to get more and more confused the more I look around it almost feels like.
So yeah, I'm not going to buy a bike over the internet. I'm going to go ahead and buy one from one of the local bike shops. I wouldn't be able to tell what I want and what's good just by reading the descriptions. Also, I wouldn't know what the right size bike for me is.
But yeah, I think I've basically decided that I'll get a single speed urban bike (I hadn't even realized how many different bike categories there are).
After looking around and checking out the different stores (I'm probably going to check out just a few more stores), these are the choices that I've come up with that I am strongly considering:
Phat Cycles (I think it's the Phixie, the guys at the shop actually didn't tell me a model name other than Phat Cycle) for $420
Pure Fix for $420 (the guys at the bike shop said it that it's not much different than the Phat Cycle bike so i could get either one)
Felt Brougham for $597 (that's with the tax included) - this is the one I am most strongly leaning towards at the moment, but I still have to test ride it.
Raleigh Misceo for $499.99
The Phat Cycle bike was actually the only bike I got to test ride as it started snowing today. It felt fine and I enjoyed riding it. But I don't know anything about the quality of the bike.
I'm a short dude, and I have short legs. I measured my inseam using that book method and found that I have a 28" or 29" inseam. However, when seated upright on the bike seat I found that I could just barely touch the floor with my toes. Does that sound about right? The guys at the shop said they could cut down the saddle on the Phat Cycle a bit to make it a bit lower. Again, this is coming from a dude who only has experience riding BMX bikes where I can touch the floor with my whole foot while sitting upright on the saddle. I don't know how exactly it's supposed to work with other bikes. But it actually felt fine once I started going.
So among those options above, which one should I go with? Keep in mind this is primarily going to be used for riding around the city, getting to places, and running errands... nothing crazy. In the events that I have to get somewhere quick at a certain time or if I have to transport a bunch of stuff that won't fit in my backpack then I'll opt for public transportation. But I also wouldn't mind being able to go off road. But would rather have a better quality bike for city street purposes than a not so great bike that is versatile for street and off-road.
I'm assuming the components will factor into which of the above is the best choice. But I don't know anything about any of the components that come stock with these bikes.
One of the dudes at one of the stores was telling me that for the most part, almost all bikes at various certain price ranges (under $1,000) will be similar in terms of quality. In other words, one brand of bike that goes for $600 will be similar in quality to another brand of bike that also goes for $600. Is that true? And if so, what should be the deciding factor?
Thanks so much for the replies guys, everyone has been extremely helpful.