I'm currently riding a cheapie mountain bike for commuting. I picked it because the pavement on my commute is quite rough and I need something that'll stand up to it, but I don't find the frame to be comfortable. I'd be much more comfortable with a low bar that I can hop over easily, either for emergency dismounts or for hopping on at a streetlight without falling over.

21 speeds are great for the hills, but I find that I only use a small range of gears. I usually keep it between 3rd and 7th. Would a bike with fewer speeds be much more difficult given that range that I'm used to?

I have my eye on the Kona AfricaBike, if anyone is actually selling these in my area. Are there any North American riders here who use those as utility bikes? The other thing is, these have coaster brakes, which I haven't ridden since I was a kid. Is this standard for utility type bikes or do most North American and European models have hand brakes?