When you go to shop for a hybrid bike you are in for a treat. When you go shop for a road bike or a mountain bike there are a ton of high end options costing up to 5000 dollars. Luckily for you, there are no ultra high end hybrids and there are a ton of separate options to pick from in the range of 300 to 800 dollars. The more you spend on a hybrid, the lighter it is going to be, manufacture it easier to pedal and it will include more durable and long persisting components. Many hybrids offer a lot of easy options for customization and color choices, so be sure to ask nearby if looks are going to be foremost for you. Often times they make 4 or 5 separate color choices of each model each year. Just because a bike shop does not have it on the floor does not mean they cannot get you your dream color choice.
Some models will come with a slightly knobby but still narrow tire. Do not think that means you can undoubtedly ride this bike off road. It will be fine for crushed gravel trails on parks and old rail beds, but for steep climbing and descending or turning at speed, they will speedily lose grip causing you to crash. The disadvantage for you of running these tires is that while they don't accomplish that well on dirt, they do not accomplish that well in the street as well. They have a much higher rolling resistance than a narrow street tread. The knobbies also do not offer any sort of good cornering on pavement. When you go into the shop, unless you know you will be doing a lot of light offroading, ask the shop to turn them for a regular street tread tire. You will be more comfortable riding on road as well as faster and safer.
