Not familiar with Tachyons unfortunately.
In that price range, another option to consider is the Novara Safari. It's steel, so on the heavy side, but a nice smooth ride. It already comes with a rack. Good gearing for hills. I have an older model and love it as my commuter bike, but I've also done long rides on it (it's designed for touring so can handle distance). I have mine decked out with fenders, lights, cheap panniers, kickstand - the works.