MRT2

None of those 3 sounds like the right bike for your needs as they are mountain bikes, and in the case of the Vilano and Upland bikes, questionable quality. You probably want either a flat bar hybrid or a road bike with drop bars. Now which bike is up to you. I am lamenting the creeping up of new bike prices. My suggestion a few years ago would have been the Giant Escape 2, which sold for around $400, more or less, but like the other big bike brands, Giant has added hydraulic disc brakes to the Escape 2, and bumped up the price of that bike to almost $600. , And that seems to be the price point of a lot of hybrids one step above entry level. Trek FX 2, Specialized Sirrus, Kona Dew Plus, Jamis Coda Sport. All offer good value and good performance. My only hesitation is, for only a few hundred more, you can get into an actual road bike or gravel bike with drop bars, which if you ride a lot is better.

If you are experiencing sticker shock on new bike prices, then maybe look for a used bike. It doesn't need to look pretty, but should be functional. $400 should get you a nice used bike that is 2 to 5 years old, or maybe a little older but fully refurbished and ready to ride. Or you could get something cheap and fix it up, like an older bike. 90s Trek hybrids are pretty nice, especially if you can find American made ones. They mostly came with model numbers starting with 7, like the 720, 730, or 750. I used to have a 1997 Bianchi Advantage hybrid which was very nice. If you could find one of those for $200 or less in clean ready to ride condition, it would easily be as nice or nicer and a new entry level ($400 to $500) hybrid.

Remember to budget another $100 to $150 or so for helmet, floor and frame pump, spare tube, tire levers, seatbag, and lock. Now, the good news is, once you have that stuff, you are pretty much set for years, other than minor upkeep.