ok,
I am sorry to do this. There are a hundred posts on what biek to buy, how to build etc etc etc. But none of them address my questions...so here goes another post.

I have a Mt Bike...It is a pretty decent little bike. hardtail Treck 3700. I am starting to use it to commute to work and back, but I can not really turn it into a commuter. My son loves to MT Bike, and this is my bike to spend time with him etc. I cant put racks, and fenders and all of that on this bike. I have been using it to commute (5.5 miles each way) a few times...this week I am doing more. I want to continue to do this as much as possible, but that means getting a new bike.

I really dont think that I am going to convince my wife to let me get a new bike...esp by time I get racks, fenders, etc etc etc added on. Plus it is still 30-45 days before I would have money to do that anyways. The pawn shops around here have TONS of bikes....mostly walmart/Target bikes....but occasionally a schwinn 10 speed, or some other nice but older bike. GoodWill around here just gets some old Murry and Huffy 10 speeds that are always rusted chains, and look REALLY rough. And Garage Sale season is over. So I am thinking that pawn shop is prob best place to look right now.

My ride is 5.5 miles, small neighborhood streets, and about 1 mile of asphalt bike/walking trail around part of a lake. It is all Up hill, Down hill. I am not in that great of shape right now, so I am constantly changing gears over and over to get up and down them. There is no off road, and nothing that is really hard other than the hills. I am leaving cloths at work, and ridding in shorts and t-shirt and changing at work....but there is NO shower place, so I am taking it easy on the way TO work, and ridding a little harder the way HOME. Me and my son HAVE gone on a couple 30 mile rides on the trails around here, and may do some more of that.

I know if I get another MT bike, I need to get no shox front OR rear...but then I need to get smoother tires, and other than that, should be OK...but ridding position wont be maybe AS comfy...but 5.5 miles is not that long...but it would not be much better than what I have now for the occasional longer ride.

I could get an older 10 speed or similar road bike. would be good for longer rides, but I dont know if they accomodate the racks and fenders as easily. and I know tires are sometimes a bigger issue as far as flats etc...and then I hear that alot of people put on Mt Bike type handle bars...why?

I cant really use the "cruiser" type bikes, because they are all single speed, adn I dont think that I can do that...so that leaves all the hybrids etc etc...adn I guess I dont really understand them much...so any ideas on which bike I should look at most, and anything else that I should think of? advice, tricks, tips, etc.