New Hybrid
 

I imagine this has been beaten to death but here I go. I have a road and mountain bike and I ride the heck out of them by myself. I am looking for a Hybrid to ride with quote, normal people. I want it to be used on rail trails that are tar and tinder but I want it fast enough to get to the trails on the road but when I see a new trail I don't want it to be afraid of it. I am budgeting $500-$1000 for this purchase. I'm thinking Trek FX3, Specialized Sirrus 2.0 or a Cannondale. Thanks for the input, I know it is like trying to find a Ktell record with the best of everything.

EBC1....I like to take my Hybrid off the MUP once in awhile to explore. It has the OEM tires (meant for hard pack surfaces) and is the limiting factor for riding aggressively in the "loose stuff".
If you're hoping to ride your Hybrid "fearlessly like your MTB" then you'll have swap out the tires. It might be easier to buy a set of road tires for your MTB and swap them as required.
But then again.....it's never a bad thing to have more bikes:)

Im not talking full trail riding but once in a while I can see a little trail off the beaten path and if I am on the Hybrid I would like to be able to check it out.

I think they will all get the job done, if they're available.

Where I live the Trek FX line offers the best bang for the buck, so I'd go for that. But the Cannondale is a solid option as well. At this price point, different manufacturers' offerings are pretty standardized. :)

Well, maybe not all standard. The Norco Indie 2 for example has 27.5x2.00" tires.

How about something like the Trek DualSport? I’m a roadie, but I use my DualSport for “normal” rides with friends. I just lock out the suspension. And if I do see a trail, it has decent enough tires to do pretty well.

I also use it early in the season as my training bike until the weather gets nicer. It rolls pretty good on the pavement.

Ah, touché! :)

Glad to hear you find that it works for you, but my experience has been that at the price point the OP mentioned, bikes with front suspension are (sometimes considerably) heavier and have lower spec components in other parts of the bike.

Although I'd prefer rigid forks to avoid long term problems, I can't say the cheaper forks on lower-end bikes are always a problem since some of them have rack or fender eyelets which is useful for people who like racks and fenders.

For the use you've described, I would look at a rigid-fork hybrid with 650b tires. Something like the Kona Dew, the Jamis Sequel, or the Salsa Journeyman (flatbar version). My personal pick would be the Kona Dew Plus which has a 1x10 drive train and is significantly less expensive than the other two options.

are hybrid bikes better than mountain?

The Giant Escape line checks a lot of boxes for a capable Hybrid that won't break the bank.

If your mountain bike is not of the downhill variety and the 'normal people' you intend to ride with are casual riders, i.e. not as fit as you, you should be fine on the mountain bike, no other bike needed for that.

The DS is fine for dirt/gravel roads and trails, not so fun for rocks, sand, or potholes.

I love my Sirrus, and you will too!

For your described use, I suggest looking at the Sirrus X models if you go the Sirrus direction.

I love my Sirrus X as well...