I would go with the Trek 8.5 DS if you are set on the idea of a bike that came closest to bridging that gap. The 8.5 is basically a 29er with slightly more road worthy gearing. You could always put on some beefier treads for some offroading or put on some slicks for the road whichever suits your needs. The grips are wide for comfort spreading your weight across your palm. Now don't expect to get extreme with this bike on the trail. Non technical hard pack dirt trails like canal banks, river trails, etc are about all it can handle but its a very good bike regardless.