I would like to buy a bicycle. There is a reasonably well equipped bicycle store nearby, and they tell me that the prices on their '05 models are reduced at the moment. Because I live in the middle of nowhere, I expect to get moderately screwed on the price, but hopefully won't get utterly bent over the table.

Questions:

1. I wish to do some extended trips, and in a perfect fantasy world would even do spacejack length extended travelling. (Note: Because life blows, this is wildly unlikely to ever actually happen. Still, I'd rather not rule it out.) This makes me think I might want a road or touring bike. However, many of the places which are worth going to locally (and hence, more realistically) have terrible roads. At least some time spent on dirt roads is a near certainty, but I'm not sure I'd have much need of the ability to go through backwoods trails or anything. They're bad roads, but they're not so bad you couldn't take a car on them. You might not want it to be a car you especially liked, though.
   
   This seems to encourage a hybrid design. Is this something I should consider? I fear a hybrid could be the worst of both worlds.
   
   What sort of design should I be looking at?
   
   
2. What are reasonable prices for a new, low to medium end bicycle of this sort? I'll be happy as long as I get within 30%-40% or so. I'm willing to pay the living-in-the-middle-of-nowhere tax. I'd rather not pay significantly over, say, $900 CDN. (~$780 USian, 635 EUR, 437 GBP) Is this a realistic number?


3. Are there particular features, parts, brand names, etc I should look out for or avoid?

Thanks to anyone who can help. I'll probably go to le store in the next day or two, hopefully armed with the collected knowledge of husi.