That trek bike looks fine. In NZ hybrid bikes are not common because they are not really up to off-road use - even gravel roads here are beyond them, but from your photos, your gravel roads look very compacted and smooth.
A gel seat is good but that is very easy to change - swapping seats is pretty std with new bikes.
In the early 90's hydraulic disc brakes hadn't even been invented - pro downhillers were racing with rim brakes.
When they came out they were $1500 an end - so $3k to set up front and rear, plus about another grand for the hubs - so setting up a pro level downhill bike could cost over $4k just for the disc brakes.
Here's is a pic of me, pre discs, pre full suspension, so basically racing on a bike not too dissimilar from what you are going to ride on the flat with...yes, I'm dinosaur!
