Due to some knee problems which are causing me to look for different forms of cardio, I have really gotten back into cycling. It has been years since I have done daily cycling, and my current bike is showing some age.

Presently, I am riding a 1992 Trek 830 Antelope. (a hard tail, solid fork mountain bike). I have had it since new, and likely have a couple thousand miles on it now. It is mostly stock, but I did have to replace the rear railer a couple years back as the original broke. I also have some more street/road oriented tires on it since I do mostly street/path/trail riding. However, I have had a lot of issues with little things breaking, failing, etc, lately too. My LBS has gone over the whole thing, and I have gotten a solid 400 miles on it over the past month. Still, it has been problematic, and I have been shopping for a better/newer tool for my use. (PS, I also have a 2010 Giant Sedona DX comfort bike, and although a quality bike it is not very good for aggressive cardio riding).

After visiting a couple LBS's and riding a few bikes, most are pushing me towards a performance hybrid or a dual sport. So far I have looked at the Giant Escape line (Probably would focus on the Escape 2). While I really liked the bike and how it rides, I have some concerns over the wheel/tire package on it, and how they will hold up to some parts of my ride. Due to lack of bike lanes and save areas to ride on some of the busy roads around here, I get forced to sidewalks. Some are fairly broken, with uneven spots when crossing roads, and I know my wheels and tires are taking a big pounding on them now. (Luckily my Trek's wheels are virtually indestructible).

How durable are the wheels/tires on these performance hybrids? Will they take this kind of pounding or am I just asking for trouble?

Another LBS steered me towards a Trek 8.3 DS due to my concern. This bike had somewhat more robust tires on it than the Giant I looked at, which may be a little better. However, this bike is really stepping up in price too (although does seem worth it since it has a lockout suspension fork, which I would likely be taking advantage of... but on the downside I don't need to pay for any suspension fork).

Should wheel durability be such a big concern? Or will this kind of use be ok with the performance hybrids? Or should I be looking at something else?

I can easily find a bike that rides nice and is a good fit... but whether it will be durable I am really unsure.