Responding to a few comments:

1) No, putting a North Road or similar handlebar on a road bike does not make it a hybrid. It makes it a customized/modified road bike.

2) The gearing on many hybrids is exactly the same as many mountain bikes. In fact, hybrids often use the same front cranks, rear cassettes, front and rear derailleurs as used on mountain bikes. However the gearing can run from standard mountain bike to standard road bike, or be anywhere in between. Most will tend to have the more hill friendly gearing of a mountain bike.

3) Hybrids are not "fragile." Many have quite rugged frames. The shocks are lighter duty than a mountain bike, of course not all hybrids have shocks. A cheap hybrid might have cheap wheels that could get beat up, but you get what you pay for. They might get beat up on tough mountain trails, but a decent hybrid be fine for just about anything else.

4) A hybrid weighing 40 pounds is a rare beast. Most are around 30-32 pounds. Fitness hybrids tend to be closer to 25 pounds, with some of the higher end, road bike-oriented ones being down around 21-22 pounds.