From my chair, the early 1990s 700c hybrids were as good as this kind of bike ever got. Well-made, well-designed frames, often that manufacturer's touring frame. Solid-but-not-great parts. 700c wheels, cantilever brakes, flat bars. (If you don't like 'em, grab a cheap set of North Road bars, cables, and housings, swap the levers, and ride off down to the bar... the conversion costs like 40 bucks, an hour or two, and a couple of beers.)
And, the best thing about 'em is...
Rigid forks.
Seriously. The suspension forks that every bike company puts on every affordable hybrid bike are totally worthless garbage that make bikes suck.
Rant mode off, but I really do think that a top-of-the-line early 90s hybrid would do you up right.
The two that I remember:
Cannondale H-series (model #s are Hx00, all models used the same frame and fork as the T-series touring bikes.)
Trek Multitrak, especially the 750.
But there were many other, For a few years, every good bike brand had one.
--Shannon
Bonus: They're C&R now!