Road bike, mountain bike...how many bikes do I need?

Since 2001, over 90,000 cyclist's have joined Cycling Forums to discuss topics from general cycling to equipment, training, racing and travel or vacation destinations (especially in europe during the tour de france). We also feature an great deals in our online store, 100's of articles, classifieds and product reviews.

Road bike, mountain bike...how many bikes do I need?

I bought a K2 Attack 1.0 near new mountain bike for $150 and I wanted to hear from those who ride mountain bikes as well as road bikes.

If I ride on a paved rural (sometimes bumpy) road into town (about 12 miles round trip). Will I find it an huge chore to ride a mountain bike with suspension on pavement for this distance when compared to a road bike? Try to be unbiased!

If I admit to myself the K2 just won't cut it for the asphalt, I am considering a Specialized Sequoia Elite but that will cost me $900 to $1,000.

So I ask myself, can I get by with the K2 and if not, will Is the Sequoia be my best long term investment for a road bike that will give me value and versatility on the pavement?

I am 47 and I don't care about speed records and I also want to bring my rangefinder camera and may stop at times to shoot during my rides in the countryside. I am thinking I don't want to be hunched over ass up and have to absorb every bump in the road.
I have a Trek that I paid $450 for about 12 years ago and it is a hybrid. The tires have dry rot it is so old so I think that will go to goodwill.

Although a MTB is not the best choice for road riding, you can make it work better.
switch out the tires for slicks or smooth tires,keep the tire pressure up.
another choice would be to get a newer hybrid or a cross bike. Which would be more at home on pavement than a MTB.
i have 3 bikes, the MTB rarely if ever sees the road,just not fun on the road.
road bike for club riding and long road rides
cross bike for everything else,