DBL0ZER0

Ive been reading around the forums for a couple days and Ive come to the conclusion that I need some real help.

I havent ridden a bike for about 5yrs. The last time I did was in college. I used my ex-girlfriends MTB (no suspension) to ride around campus. After I got a little confidant I started going down stairs, up stairs, and all sorts of things that eventually landed me in the hospital.

Which brings me to my question.

I want a bike to commute (not far 10-20km a day) but would also love to do some trekking in it. This led me to a hybrid, specifically, an 09 TREK 7200.

The problem is I know that I will eventually want to go down some stairs or off of some curbs at great speed, etc.

What bike would be right for me?

I was thinking of a 29er MTB but I wasnt sure how it would handle trekking? All the trekking bikes ive looked at have fenders really close to the wheels. I'm not sure how well that mixes with the racks, etc...

My price point was about $600.

I want to start on the right foot with this purchase and I dont want to figure out two weeks from now that I bought the wrong bike.

I figure I can always upgrade the components but, I need to start out right.

In other words, I know what I want to do. I need your help to figure out what the best tool would be.

Thanks for the help. Great forum.
John