Hybrid bike question

Yes, yes, and there are tons of places to buy online, but I'm not a huge fan since I like to sit on the bike I want to buy.  Even among bikes the same size, the differences in fit can be pretty big.

http://bikesdirect.com/ is one place I see people talk about a lot. 

Another hybrid rider here. Hoping 2009 will be the year for a new bike, but all things considered it has been good to me, I've added road shoes/pedals and road rims/tires and rode the trainer all winter. Average 18 on it .

You certainly can ride a hybrid in a triathlon, but I think most people ride them because that's what they've already got when they start getting into tri.  I'm not sure I'd recommend buying one--if you get serious about the sport, you'll find yourself wanting a road or tri bike after a season or two. 

If you're at all confident that you're going to continue in cycling/triathlon, you probably ought to consider a road bike--still fine to ride recreationally, and you can install clip-on aerobars for triathlon.

Yes, they do - myself included.  I have a hybrid and a road bike and have ridden both in tris.  The road bike is faster, but the hybrid is easier on my shoulder when it's acting up because of the flat bar setup.

X2