Originally Posted by dynaryder

Welcome to the Hybrid Forum.

Hybrid bikes are for people who live and ride in cities. They generally don't have to ride far,and they must stop often for traffic lights,which allows them to let go of the bars and sit up. They also need to keep their hands on the brakes to deal with things like swooping taxis and zombie jaywalkers. All these things add up to moot the drop bar's advantages. Drop bars also add cost due to the brifters being more expensive than flat bar controls. Cross bikes are also usually cyclocross geared,meaning they have a somewhat narrow range compared to most hybrids,which doesn't fit well with hilly areas like DC. And finally,most cross bikes come with cross tires,which rarely have puncture protection,and just plain suck on the street,so after spending the extra dosh on a cross bike you get to spend more for a set of proper tires.

Hope this helps.