I am making my first bike purchase that is not a clunker out of the newspaper. I have done my research and visited my LBS and narrowed my options down to basically 2 and hoping to get some advice so i can pull the trigger and start riding.
I plan to use my new bike to for 2 main purposes: riding 5 miles to work and back and light trail (south florida). let me say first I WANT TO BE OFF THE PAVEMENT. Even when riding to work and back i will be plowing through grass and riding rough by some old train tracks and jumping curbs, i am not looking for a leisure ride on smooth pavement and my trip to work will only be 5 miles each way so i am not overly concerned about comfortable geometry for street riding. I also want to hit some trails in my area, obviously south florida is not know for its mountainous climbs so these trails will be mostly level but rough track.
My LBS steered me toward the JAMIS ALLEGRO X "hybrid" style...i liked the feel of the bike but the smaller/skinnier tires concerned me. I was picturing something more like a trail bike with fatter wider tires. I know these tires will slow me down on pavement, but can you switch to less treaded tires on a trail bike to be a little more "street friendly" and save the more rugged ties for hitting trails?
My question comes down to can the JAMIS ALLEGRO X really handle some rougher terrain than average street use or am i just trying to wish i needed a more rugged bike than i actually do? Is putting smoother tires on a trail bike for more street use just a stupid idea? My spending cap is $1000. Any other suggestions would be appreciated. I do go to the blue ridge/appalachian mountians 3-4 times a year and would love to have a bike that could handle a little more pain there but that is more of a wish list and i know i shouldnt buy a bike based on what i will do a couple times a year.
Thank you for ALL IMPUT!