Looking for a commuter bike

I’ve been eyeing up different commuter bike options.  I have to say that there are a lot of options.   I think my criteria narrowed down to an upright position like a mountain bike but some features of a road bike.  Similar to a hybrid.  There are a lot of bikes out there labeled as commuters or urban bikes, however they seem to come with a higher price tag.  The items that I think make most sense is a rugged bike that can hop curbs and I can ride on rough sidewalks (yes I said sidewalks). 

I view a commuter bike as a device to get to and from different locations. Currently my commuter is a beat up old Schwinn, and I love it.   I’ve used my Fuji road bike a few times to ride to work but I’m always afraid of running it off road and through the sidewalk / grass. 

So far I have had my eyes on a few bikes.  At first I thought that an internal gear was the way to go.  At the moment I’m unsure.  I really only use about 3 gears currently on the mountain bike but I’ve heard mixed reviews on the 8 and 11 speed internal gear bikes.  I have have only had a chance to ride an older internal gear bike and was not too impressed.   What I like about internal gear bikes is the ease of maintenance.  Riding every day can cause some heavy maintenance.  here is a list of a few bikes I’ve been evaluating.  I’ve only ridden about half of them.   Most of the local bike stores carry a different version or model similar to what I want.

Internal gear:

• Raleigh Cadent i8: http://www.rei.com/
• Giant Seek City : http://www.giant-bicycles.com/
• Jamis Commuter 3: http://www.jamisbikes.com/
• Felt Veraza : http://www.feltbicycles.com/

Normal gear

• Trek 9th district: http://www.trekbikes.com/
• Cannondale Badboy 9: http://www.cannondale.com/
• Cannondale Quick 3: http://www.cannondale.com/
• Raleigh Misceo: http://www.raleighusa.com/ 

At the moment I’m leaning at the Raleigh bikes.  We will see.   If anyone has suggestions please let me know.