Originally Posted by gaspin

I guess I'll start with a bit of backround... When I was an early teen I used to BMX race, but being 24 now it's been a while. I haven't been on a bike in 5+ years but am looking to pool some money together with a birthday and get a new bike + car rack.

What I'm looking for is a hybrid bike, i think, that can take me 1-2 miles in town getting me to local destinations. However, I also want it to be able to withstand modest dirt/offroad trails. I wont be getting too crazy unless I get hooked once again to this pastime. If I do get hooked I know I'll need to specialize one way or another, road or mountain. My goal at the moment is to get a bit more in shape while having fun doing it.

That being said I have a few questions:
1) What bikes would you recomend and why please?
2) Will it be worth it to buy a specialized bike, mountain or road, then change the tires out as needed?
3) Is there any trunk mounted bike rack (for two) that shines above the rest as far as ease and cost efficancy.
4) What advice do you have for a newbie rider!

As a total package I'll have around $400-$600 to spend on the package (bike, rack, and possibly tires) Any little tidbits of information would be much appriciated! Thanks for taking time to read my post!

-Kaleb