My current bike is a pretty old Norco mountain bike(from the zero suspension days). I've started to really gain interest in biking again and I'm looking for something new. Problem is, I don't know what kind of bike to get. I'm 29 years old, married, with 2 children....and I have a limited budget. I'm not really sure if I'm keen on the idea of screaming down mountain trails. Any bike that I buy would basically be used for commuting and road biking in general. Logic says, "buy a road bike", but given the fact that mountain bikes are generally cheaper, my wallet says "buy a hardtail mountain bike". Softtail is pretty pointless in my case because even if I do hit a trail someday, I won't be going that hardcore. Looking around at the local bike shops, the cheapest road bike is $1000 whereas the cheapest semi-decent hardtail mountain bike is $500. Right now I'm kinda leaning towards the hardtail mountain bike for 2 reasons:
1) Versatility (who knows, maybe I will hit the trials someday)
2) Price (If I ever have to give up biking, oh well, I've only spent $500)
I've read some of the other posts in this forum and I think that the first thing I should do is check out the local cycling clubs. Maybe I can find a used road bike...if not...back to square one.
Am I missing anything? Is there anything else that I should consider? Advice?