Sticker Shock

This year, I've decided I'm going to buy a bicycle. I used to have a bike when I lived in New Jersey, but I dumped it before I moved to Brooklyn, figuring I wouldn't ride it in the city anyway and I didn't want it clogging up the limited space I had in my apartment. However, now that I'm living in Evanston and I'll be able to lock my bike up in the basement of my apartment building, I think it's time to get a new bike. Granted, I haven't been bicycle shopping in a while, but I can't believe the prices of the bikes I've seen online, especially the ones sold at the little bike shops in town. Call me cheap, but I can't see myself shelling out $500 for a bike. Sorry. I'm either going to have to go Target to get a bike or try to find an affordable used bike somewhere. I don't want a fancy bike either. I'd just like a nice, old-lady's bike with a comfortable seat and space on the handlebars to put a little basket. (The basket is essential!) I don't even plan on riding the bike that often, but I'd like to be able to ride around town and to the Y. Frankly, I'm scared to death of riding a bike in traffic, but I'll have to get over that. The bike sharing program Divvy is coming to Evanston, but I'd rather have my own bike instead of renting one. When Citibikes were introduced in New York while I was living there, I thought they were dangerous because riding bikes on the streets of Manhattan (particularly midtown) just seemed like a recipe for disaster. I could see renting a bike to ride around Central Park or Prospect Park, but riding down Sixth Avenue? Uh, no.