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...and OF COURSE someone aiming at 10-mile fitness jaunts doesn't NEED a sweet XC bike. They just don't necessarily know that they want it yet. 
I favor disc brakes because they're dead simple. The disc trues itself, there's no second step business when removing the wheel, you don't get all that brake rub when the rim comes out of true. They just work, and a set of replacement pads can be put in without tools, without tinkering, without any nonsense- and they can be carried in one's kit, very easily. I've made do for years (as I think on it, I rode for 30 years with brakes like that) with caliper brakes on my rims, and they certainly work- I just see no reason to go back.
I favor extra rubber because that goes a long way toward reducing the amount of time you spend with a truing stand, repairing pinch-flats, or doing any of the other fun stuff that comes with thin tires and rough roads. Less maintenance, more reliable, and if you care about rolling resistance, pump your 1.8" road slick up to 90 psi and you're in business. That way you can hammer up cobblestones, hop curbs, and get all the 10-mile exercise jaunts you like, only without the joys of breathing patch-kit glue while sitting on the side of the road, as bus fumes and dust stick to you on a 90-degree day. (which, of course, is when 50% of pinch-flats occur- the other half happen in a torrential downpour with sideways winds).
Suspension is cush, obviously not necessary, but if you can get it, you should consider it. Because it is awesome. (and it reduces point-stress on all components, meaning you spend less time doing maintenance on things like rims and tires, and allows you to stay in the saddle more)
Clip-in pedals are likewise not necessary, but then neither is beer or boating. Live a little!
I use cleats on my shoes and click in just so I can spin fast and never worry about slipping a pedal. I've still got scars from my bmx days when I'd slip a pedal (you know, the kind with nasty cleats designed to prevent you slipping your pedal?) and have it whip around into my shin... ughghghghh. Plus, a good pedal/binding system and good stiff shoes make it easier to pedal efficiently, spin fast and live in lower gears.
So sure, you can get by with pretty much anything- that comfy hybrid will certainly do, but it will bring with it certain limitations. I have one of those hybrid bikes (actually, it's an old fully rigid Gary Fischer mtb outfitted with road slicks) and I rode it everywhere and changed tires when I wanted to go mountain biking with the guys... and it worked. It's just that now that I've got a full-squishy, I would never in a million years go back. It's just that much more fun, and not that much more expensive. ...so when someone asks, "what should I get?", my answer is this: don't settle for what'll do. That bike will sit in your garage. Get what will thrill you, every time you ride it, and you will ride it.
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fair enough. New 
BoaterTalk 
