Hmmm. I love my road bike which was purchased about a month ago. It's fast, comfortable, and fits my needs. However, if I were in a city environment, I'd probably go with a mountain bike.

Reason being. Debris, curbs, and having a suspension would be nice. Flat bars also seem more ideal in traffic.

Dig riding a road bike on bike path's and smoother surfaces/long distances, but if I were dealing with a lot of traffic, it would probably be a MTB.

I did own a flat bar road bike. Great commuter. Could be a good option for you. But it's nice to have a road and an mtb. Seems the hybrid makes you want 3 bikes (road, hybrid, mtb), when if you start off right and get a road or mtb, you end up only wanting the other style (and having 2 bikes). So on/off road are possible. Makes life a little cheaper.

Not sure if any of that made sense.