My first bike as an adult was an MTB, a 1993 GT Corrado, which I rode on pavement 90+% of the time. By today's standards it would be a fat tire, steel, rigid-fork hybrid. My 2nd MTB, which is a 2004 Raleigh M60 "Mountain Sport" (read: NOT a real MTB), has been modified so much it's really all hybrid now. And I own a 2012 Specialized Sirrus Elite.
.
- I like the positioning of the shifters and brakes.
- Comfortable upright-ish riding position.
- Takes bumps better due to larger tires.
- I feel safer on rides through busy streets as I feel like I can stop much quicker. Plus I'm not going as fast to begin with.
- Old guy friendly.
I'm not exclusively a hybrid rider as I now have 3 road bikes and 2 hybrids. Last year it was the other way around. But with a hybrid there's just a quality of ride I don't get with a road bike. I guess I could have bought a gravel bike for 2 million dollars
, but hybrids can be found for much less!