Originally Posted by
a1penguin
The Cannondale Quick series is popular. The Quick 3 is in your price range. Specialized Sirrus also has a couple of models in your price range. I don't like the gearing on them. The Trek FX has an 11-34 cassette on it and I HATE IT! The gear spacing is too large. I much prefer the 11-28 cassette on my road bike. The Fuji Absolute looks like a real winner because it's geared like a road bike and uses road derailleurs and has 28mm tires. I would not go any wider than 32 tires.
The Giant Rapid 2 should be in your price range. That bike is also a flat bar road bike. The Jamis Coda line are steel hybrids. They are popular here, but suffer from the 11-32 cassette from hell.
Are you sure you don't want to consider a drop bar bike? A hybrid isn't going to feel much different than the Navigator, which looks like a comfort bike.
Go out and try some bikes and see which ones appeal to you.
I totally agree with the painful 11-34, 11-32 gearing. I rode bikes with this type of gears and I hate it also. Feels like I'm missing gears in between gears. My 2010 Fuji Absolute 2.0 has a 12-25 cassette, 9 speed and with a 30/42/52 crank set and it is great. Very fast and light.