Originally Posted by
waynesworld
If drop bars are ok, buy a Kona Jake, put 28s (or maybe 25s) on it, and be very, very happy. The Jake is my personal choice, but the point is that a cyclocross bike seems ideal for your needs.
If drop bars are not ok, the Cannondale, Trek, Giant, and Specialized hybrids would all work, as would others. Plenty of good suggestions here.
I'd buy a Jake
Yeah I don't really know if drop bars would be ok, the last time I rode my fuji road bike with drops I really hammered a nerve in my hand, by the end of the ride I could barely close my hand from the pain, the next morning it had traveled all the way up my arm into my shoulder. I sold that bike a couple of months later. I still get some occasional pain in that hand. Of course some nice riding gloves might help avoid those kind of injuries as would paying attention for sneak attacks by potholes.