[Porsche-O-Phile]

I'd get a cheap-ish road bike for starters unless you'll be doing a fair amount of riding on trails. Look on Craigslist and buy a beater for 300-400 bucks until you're sure you're going to stick with it.

If you're seriously going to do trail/off-road riding, then look at a similar mountain bike. It's annoying to ride on streets/paved paths on a mountain bike since the gearing is lower, you won't be able to go nearly as fast (or as far), the suspension takes power away from your pedal strokes, etc. The knobby tires also make the ride a little annoying over time. Yes, it can be done (I've done 40-50 miles rides on paved streets on my mountain bike) but it's one of those "right-tool-for-the-right-job" things.

I bought an old Pinarello road bike for $300 for road cycling and love it. I don't see the need to "upgrade" (translation: pay >$2,000) to something else unless I'm going to be competitively racing or anything. I ride for my own enjoyment/health. This does the job perfectly. I even upgraded a few components (gears, derailleurs, shifters) so it was more suited to my needs and I probably COULD race it competively if I wanted, all at a fraction of the cost of a new one.

I also have a Cannondale mountain bike which is ideal for trails. A bit old now ('96 model I think) but more than adequate for my needs. You should be able to find something similar in classifieds for $500-ish.