I have a road bike that I am in love with. I've had her almost 2 whole months now! When I started looking at bikes, it was suggested to me that a hybrid would be easier to learn on and better for a starter bike. But I'm really glad I just went with a road bike instead. We have lots of hills here and I can't imagine trying to ride up them on a hybrid. Plus going down all these hills on a road bike is really fun...I'm starting to enjoy all that speed! Should I ever want to ride off road, I'll get a mountain bike too.