New bike for city and country
 

Looking to get a new bike . . . last one was a Trek 820, and it was fine, but a little sluggish on the road.

Here's my situation:
* haven't ridden anything in a few years
* Live in NYC, but would like to be able to go on a trail upstate once in a while
* Would like to lose a pound or two!
* Money is an issue! Semi-broke student

Wierd dude at the bike shop suggested hybrids . . . showed me a Trek 7000 and 7200FX and 7.2 FX . .. hard to tell the difference between them all, and the difference between $250 and $350 is a big one for me.

And then he said he could put street tires on a MTB 3500 . . . more confusion . . .

And now I see that there are 1,629 other bike mfrs in this price range . . . oy . . . OY!

What doth ye bike mavens say?

There are many styles of bike than can be used for general purpose getting around town but they have alternate uses. If your alt use is trail riding, then it makes sense to get an MTB and fit some slick road tyres. You can put knobbly ones on for trail riding.

Other styles of bike would be better suited to alt uses of racing, touring, endurance riding etc.

Assuming you want an MTB, then you need one that is good for general purpose use, and not too specialized for sport riding. For a rider on a tight budget, look for a good used bike with front suspension only and threaded eyelets at the rear for a luggage rack and fenders. Some people prefer rigid, non sus forks for general use.
Make sure it is the right size. Look for crash damage and signs of hard use such as worn transmission (shark's tooth profile cogs).
Any major brand will be good (Trek, Giant, Specialized, GT, etc etc...). Get the best one you can find, something higher up the product line. It will probably be fitted with Shimano components so look for (in rising order of quality) STX, LX, XT grade components.
Buget for helmet, lock, lights and possibly some additional stuff like rack, fenders and luggage system.

With a hybrid (7200) or comfort (700 same frame as hybrid, but with 26" wheels) you will sit more upright than on the mountain bike. The hybrid comes with 27c wheels and wider tires than a street bike. The 26" wheels are the size that are on most mountain bikes. If you plan to do any air or semi-rough mountain biking, I would suggest getting a bike with double walled rims. The specs on Trek do not state if the rims are double walled, but someone on this forumn may know. The Giant DX series in Hybrids comes with double walled rims.

If you prefer to not sit upright, then the mountain bike would be good. A mountain bike may not respond as quick as a road bike, but can be ridden fast on pavement. As mentioned above you will want slicks for tires. The dealer should be willing to swap tires for you at purchase

Also, the higher the nimber the better the components , like shifters, gearing, wheels derailleurs, etc. The Trek 000 series is a 21 speed, where the 200 series is a 24 speed.