Hello! I have been searching for a hybrid for about three weeks and I am now thoroughly confused. I am looking for a bike that I can ride mostly on road and paved bike trails (about 80 percent of the time) and on the occasional gravel or packed dirt trail. I know that I will have to rent a mountain bike for single-track rides. I gotten mixed advice about whether I need a bike with a suspension fork, disc brakes, etc. I have tested the Trek 7.2, the Specialized Vita, the Specialized Aerial, a few Giants that I didn't like and the Schwinn Searcher Expert. I liked the 7.2, but felt the bumps a lot - a problem one sales person said could be fixed by lowering the air pressure in the tires. Just FYI - I am 5'1 and 107 pounds.

Any guidance?

A suspension fork isn't required for your purposes and more than likely lead to a false sense of security off road, encouraging you to go beyond your skill level. You may choose one for comfort, however, just make sure it has a lock out feature for the pavement.

Disc brakes comes in handy if you're riding in anything wet- mud, rain, snow, icy sludge, or long, steep down hills. Some hate on them, others swear by them, so it's gonna be a totally personal preference issue.

Wider tires offer more of a cushion, reducing the amount of air pressure can improve the ride quality a bit, but you don't want to run too low of pressure on any given tire or run the risk of pinch flats.

Over the years I have experimented with arranging a few of my bikes with Hybrid components - In the long run it did not work for me - When you need a mountain bike it must be a mountain bike even if its a cheap one - And a road bike is best for the road - The closest to the two for functionality is the cyclo cross bike...

In other words when your on a Hybred on the road you want to go faster - And when your on a trail with the Hybred you want to go faster - So if your on a Hybred you end up going slower...

But many riders will defend their Hybred to the end as it should be...

As a hybrid owner with suspension forks, a Trek DS 8.3, I would agree that you don't need the sus. forks for the off road you're talking about.At your size lowering the tire pressure should help. The sus forks add a few pounds of unneeded weight. I like the disc brakes on mine but they can be quite squealy at times.My lbs has been great dealing with that issue.The rim brakes on my road bike work great but haven't tried them in the rain which can be the big advantage of discs.

Good luck in your search.

That sounds exactly like the way I use my Trek Verve 1. Probably more like 90% on road/paved trails, but I do take it down an old gravel road and across an earthen dam that has a smooth packed dirt trail on occasion. It could benefit from wider tires off road, but for the little bit I do they'll suffice. The Verve 1 has a rigid fork and rim brakes and its fine for the light offroading I do. I haven't had it out in the rain so I can't really comment on wet stopping power of the rim brakes, but with the rough machined rims on my wheels I expect the brakes would work well enough. At 107 pounds I'd think you could probably get away with the minimum air pressure in your tires and get a softer ride. I'm 230 pounds (and dropping) and ride near the maximum pressure.

I have a Specialized Sirrus Limited and my wife rides a Specialized Vita Comp. Each is outfitted with 25mm tires running about 125 lbs of pressure. We love the bikes and find them to be perfect for our style of riding - mostly on paved paths and around town. The flat bar and narrow tires of the hybrid offer a lot of versatility and at the same time they are good performing bikes on longer rides. As for your discomfort, I think that's to be expected when you're just getting started. After a while, you'll learn to avoid locking your elbows and your bottom will build good tolerance for life in the seat. My wife's Vita came with 28mm tires rated for 85 lbs of pressure and they were fairly comfortable and quick. We changed hers to a more flat resistant tire and while at it decreased the diameter a little.

Any of the bikes that you listed would be excellent on paved roads. Skinny tires don't care much for gravel and dirt, and our Specialized would not handle tires much larger than 28mm, but for our purposes they are excellent bikes.

Humm, we had 700x25C tires on our bikes, then decided we didn't like the "ride", it just seemed harsh, went to 700x28C tires and the ride was less harsh with no real speed loss. Now the BEST thing you can do is RIDE lot's of styles and brands of hybrids, only then will YOU find the one that, "talks" to you and feel's right, jmho. IF your going to be doing a lot more, "dirt path" or hard packed off road, then don't get a "barely treaded" tire, they are slippery on the dirt/gravel paths. Look into a "cyclo-cross tire in a 700x28 or even 32C for dirt path useage for more stability. No you don't need suspension UNLESS your going to ride "rough/rocky double or single track" off road! Try the ride of a "chrome-moly" steel frame and fork, it's smoother than alum. and not as fragil as carbon fibre. I use my Jamis Coda Sport for everything, trailer hauling, dirt path riding, road riding, utility runs, etc. with a 700x32C Vittoria Randonneur Cross tire and it works well.