Comfortable, Long Lasting Hybrid that looks smart

[a_nic_an]

Hello all and thanks for any advice you might be able to give;

I am looking for my dream bike.
I have a road bike which I love to ride with friends and cover miles on but I have a naughty secret, I have to admit that the most joy I get when cycling is when I am rolling slowly along the country lanes where I live, never in a rush and always looking around, on top of my heavy FELT mountain bike that has large Big Apple tyres on to make it a little more efficient.

I am now looking to replace that mountain bike with something that will continue to provide that joyous feeling of stability, comfort and relaxed summer-evening-bliss of not having to rush, being able to take in the scenery at leisure and not breaking a sweat in the process so that I can continue a conversation. The main problems with the mountain bike are that it is extremely heavy, not very smart, has required a fair bit of upkeep and it came with a very early model of disk breaks which have not always been reliable.

I assume that what I want is a hybrid, my wife has a £400 Ridgeback hybrid that I find comfortable but still a little heavy. I can spend up to £1000 (cycle to work scheme) but for that I want to find my dream bike; please, with your wealth of knowledge, can you suggest a few options?

The criteria are these:
Very comfy from which I can look around at the countryside - upright position?
Smart looks
Can pull a trailer with a child in it - light weight, low gearing for the very hilly Cornish town we live in.
Low maintenance - would this mean having a chainguard?

I have found a couple of suggestions - Evans Cycles have this http://www.evanscycles.com/products/bmc/citystreamer-cs01-xt-2012-hybrid-bike-ec031097 I would work on making it a little more attractive as a project over the years.
Older relatives keep suggesting getting a Pashley as they seem to last forever but I am not sure if they might be very heavy and difficult to get up the hills around us.
And I have found a brand called Retrovelo which look amazing but they are very expensive.
I have also heard that gazelle are good at this type of bike.

Thanks so much for any tips you might have.
Regards;
Nic

 

[jowwy]

take a look at the bmc alpenchallenge range of bikes, they look very smart indeed.

 

[compo]

If you want low maintenance it is possible that a hub geared hybrid would suit you. I cannot say if the gears would go low enough for hauling a trailer up hill though, this is something others can probably advise you on. If you go for a disc braked bike check that you can attach a trailer. I am not able to fit my trailer onto my Trek hybrid because the disc calliper fouls the hitch. Fortunately I have another bike that I can use with my trailer. I wont say any makes, but as you say a hybrid seems to be the direction you are heading, unless you get a mountain bike and fit road tyres which would go some way to sorting you out.

 

[a_nic_an]

Thanks, I have been looking at the Charge Grater, or maybe seeing if I can get a Charge Zester from last year as that would be a little cheaper. What do you think? I have also come across the Cotic Roadrat, it seems to have great reviews.