Truth is there's very little difference from one $300 hybrid to the next. Trying to compare specs and such and choose the best is sort of a waste of mental energy. If anything, go for the brand with less cache and maybe you'll get a slight improment for the money. There's a premium for the Trek name even though there's nothing Trek quality about the bikes at this level. The writer who said choose more by bike shop than bike at this level is right on. Fit is very important, though, but that gets back to choosing the right bike shop, which will make sure you roll out with something that fits.

I have a non-suspended Schwinn hybrid that I bought about 5 years ago for commuting. It's been very low maintenance and I've enjoyed it on some 50+ mile rides too, choosing it over my road bike when my trip has required racks and lights. But if it were any

Here's a completely different suggestion though: read about Downtube in the folders forum. For less money (under $300 with a bunch of accessories thrown in) you may get a bike that has greater communting utility because you can bring it into buildings and on most mass transit. I have one of these too. I'd never take it on a long charity ride, but it does A-OK on my 14 mile commute.