Hello all, first time poster here.
I've had a couple of "good" bikes in my lifetime, both of them hybrids. The first was purchased in the early 90's, a Bridgestone XO3. I loved that bike, but it was totalled in a car versus bike accident. Came out with a bad concussion myself (even with a helmet), but the bike's frame was beyond repair. On a sidenote, the left crank took the brunt of the hit; had my leg been fully extended on that side, my ankle and lower leg would have been crushed. This was in late 1997.
So, I had to buy a replacement, and I settled on a Cannondale Silk Path 300. My feelings about this bike are ambivalent. Beautiful frame, but the components are mediocre. The derailers are imprecise and touchy, and the brakes constantly need adjustment. Professional tuning hasn't helped.
I could change the equipment on the Cannondale, but I suspect that the grip-shifts are part of the problem, so I don't know if it's really feasible to make a change.
But I digress. I do mixed on- and off-road riding, both for leisure, though I ride more than the average person (at least, I did at my peak several years ago, which I hope to work back to). I live on Long Island, NY, so the off-road isn't what you might call adventuresome, but I've still come across some hills that the Cannondale simply cannot make it up; the wheels just spin. By circumstance, I've used the Cannondale in more situations that I did the Bridgestone, but I feel that the Cannondale is an OK road bike at best (I can't quite find a comfortable gear), and just barely acceptable off road. (I thought the Bridgestone did better in both situations.
Were I to get a new bike, should I stick with a hybrid and hope I can find one that is better in both situations? I'm tempted to get a "true" road bike or a "true" mountain bike, but I can't shake the feeling that I need a little of both. On one route I often take, I ride about 10 miles on pavement, then anywhere from 5-10 miles on dirt (with sandy areas, hills, gullys, etc.), then back the same way.