I agree with the suggestion of strongly considering a hardtail MTB. I was in a similar quandary--in my case I wanted something other than my road bike for sort of all-purpose riding: a little fire road, riding with my kid, errands, goofing around in general. I thought a hybrid would make sense, but I'm glad my LBS talked me into getting a hardtail MTB. Even on an easy fire road, there's no comparison to how it behaves compared to a hybrid IMHO, at least the ones I've ridden. It's MUCH more fun, for starters, you have way more control, etc. (Now, I've really gone to the dark side and am totally hooked on trail riding--haven't ridden my road bike in ages). If you're thinking of getting even a little bit more into off-road riding, seriously think about a hardtail MTB. Also, I made a point of getting one with a lock-out, which does help when you're on the road.