I have been trying to watch for a used mountain bike, I just haven't been lucky enough to find a decent one around here. Sure, there are trashed huffy and Wal-Mart bikes around at rummage sales... But, I haven't found used Giants or Treks or anything like that. I've looked around on ebay, but it seems like it is more difficult to find a deal on there anymore. A lot of the used bikes seem to be going pretty high still. I will keep watching.

I suppose cyclocross tires might work on the hybrid. I had looked into getting them for my roadbike, but the people at the shop said that they wouldn't fit.

Hmm, the gravel roads around here range from fine to coarse. There's some decent stones in the mix with sand too. Generally they're packed pretty well, though they get a little loose sometimes too. If the maintainer goes down a gravel rooad, it scrapes it up a bit and leaves ridges of dirt along the side.

I haven't been on the road that I'd mentioned previously that the bike club tends to use. The gravel roads near my house are packed in the middle because that's where traffic travels and then looser on the edge near the ditch.