Recreational & Family - Looking for advice on a first bike for short recreation/communte.

Hey everyone! I've been trying to research bikes and figured I had enough info now to try and ask some of the experts some of my nagging questions.

Basically I'm looking to start riding. I live in the middle of nowhere (this also makes it hard to check out the bike shop because they are an hour away). the roads I'm going to be on are "ok", but have lots of potholes, uneven patches and are quite hilly. The travel distance I'm looking at is maybe 5 miles each way but I'm probably going to start out alot less than that.

I've been looking for a cheap bike I could grab to basically just see if riding is something I would enjoy. I don't really want a super cheap bike for $80 from walmart, and I'd love to get a higher end used bike but there's almost nothing on the craigslist by me or in the newspaper.

I've been eye'ing the Forge Saranac (http://www.forgebikes.com/saranactrail.asp) and some other bikes in that price range.

So my question:
Would the wider tires on that bike make an appreciable difference vs 700 tires I see on most road bikes on the type of terrain I'll be on?

Other Info:
5' 7" / 135lbs
1-2 days a week plan to ride

Something like the hybrid/conform bikes where the tires are wider but still mostly smooth like a road bike.
I look around the craisglist cities with reasonable driving distance, a couple hours to get a bike in another city even figuring in some gas you can still come out ahead vs. new. Plus you can make a day of it and see a meuseum/zoo/somehting in that city afterward.

I've been looking for a cheap bike I could grab to basically just see if riding is something I would enjoy. I don't really want a super cheap bike for $80 from walmart...
These bikes are sold at Target. About the same as Wal-Mart isn't it?


So my question:
Would the wider tires on that bike make an appreciable difference vs 700 tires I see on most road bikes on the type of terrain I'll be on?
Yes, wider tires will give a more comfortable but slightly slower ride.

Even though they're a few miles away, have you visited a few bike shops in your part of NY to see what bikes are available? It may be worth the drive.

If you want to buy online, why not try one of our sponsors like BikeDirect.com?

Thanks for the info on how the different tires ride. I'm leaning toward a more 'hybrid' style mainly because of the seating position being lower.

For price I was mainly referring to components, I don't want to jump into a $700 bike yet but I don't think I'd get a a good "feel" for riding on the absolute cheapest bike they had, the store it came from doesn't really matter to me I just had no idea who else would sell bikes that cheap (supermarket? haha).

I'll also check out bikesdirect, thanks for the link.