I'm moving into the downtown city core of Toronto from the suburbs, so I want to trade in my car and Metropass for a bike. Primarily, it will be to ride to work everyday (2km each way) and the entire way there, it is a flat smooth road.

Having said that, I've never commuted via bike in my life- and I have never ridden anything other than the mountain bike I learned on from Canadian Tire as a kid. I'm a 5'3" girl about 130 pounds so finding a frame that fits has also been hard.

I've been doing my research and this is what I've come up with-

Can I please get peoples' opinion on the two bikes in the craigslist links below? It's down to a 18.5" Norco Yorkville for $100 or 18" Giant Nutra for $165.

Any feedback would be appreciated!

https://toronto.en.craigslist.ca/tor/bik/2313204220.html

https://toronto.en.craigslist.ca/tor/bik/2311454578.html

I think I'd just walk.

About any bike can handle that short distance.

If you get a bike, make sure it fits. Your lbs should be able to help you with that.

Well, it looks like the second link is down, so the choice might have been made for you.

2km will be a nice short ride, but you might find that you start to use it for longer trips. I haven't taken the TTC in a year now. If I was buying my bike again, I think I would look at some of the city bikes with chainguards and fenders, like the linus bikes that some of the toronto retailers are carrying. Your bike will pay for itself pretty quickly if you're not using a metropass to get around.

My wife is about the same height as you, and she found that she was a little too stretched out her bike because, as it turns out, the top tube was too long for her. She was getting some back pain until we changed out her handlebars to bring the grips in closer to her. It's not a bad idea to go in to a few bike stores, ride some bikes, and kick some tires so that you know what fits.

If you will be in the downtown core, 2km is totally walkable year round.

The bike might come in handy for running errands, and I'd suggest looking for more of a city bike, like a Dutch or English style - one that can carry groceries and the like.
A mountain bike can certainly be adapted to that kind of duty, but you're a perfect candidate for a city bike.

Like this: https://toronto.en.craigslist.ca/tor/bik/2315561536.html
or this: https://toronto.en.craigslist.ca/tor/bik/2315566107.html
Or This: https://toronto.en.craigslist.ca/tor/bik/2315465770.html
Or this: https://toronto.en.craigslist.ca/tor/bik/2315026389.html

Here's the real deal, but at a cost: https://toronto.en.craigslist.ca/tor/bik/2315403619.html

At 5'3 I think an 18" bike will be to big. The links that canyoneagle has look like they would work for you.

18" will probably be too big. Try 15" or 16" and see how that fits.

Look for a bike with fenders and a rack if possible. 2k is not very far, but if you get 'hooked' you will use it to run errands and pretty soon you will be riding a lot more then you anticipated.

I still prefer to ride rather then walk short distances. It's easier and I can carry more stuff on my bike than I can on foot.

I'm with exile and South. 15" with a short TT or stubby stem OR 13" with long TT or long stem would be more fitting I imagine. I'm 5'6 and have a 15" with long TT. I also have an 18" with short TT that works well for me.