[QUOTE=BCRider;12556757]But my point is that if you shop for a slightly different bike you may not have to change all that much other than the bars. Besides there's that little issue of Jamis not making a low top tube or step through frame in the Coda lineup anymore./QUOTE]
For my own bike I carefully calculated all the parts to correspond exactly to my needs---age, fitness level, anatomical problems, terrain, etc. This is the most comfortable bike I've ever owned. I put 750 pain-free miles on it last year, after years of pain on other bikes. It gets me up the steepest hills with ease. It's a do-all bike that can be used for touring.
My friend feels her needs are exactly the same---same age, fitness level, skeletal problems, terrain. She has ridden my bike and wants the same bike. I shouldn't have said "step through." I should have said "women's." The top tube of the Coda Femme slopes more than the men's.
Not sure why folks are surprised that someone would want this type of bike. It is very common in Europe and around the world. The U.S. is one of the few places where you can't obtain this type of bike. People stop me in the street to ask me where I got my bike and are disappointed when I say they can't buy one off the rack.
I've been using the equivalent of mountain gears on my bikes since the 1970s. One of the most common complaints about stock touring bikes is that the gears are not low enough for steep terrain.
Thousands of people are now setting up their touring bikes with something other than a dropped bar or a straight bar. Having had carpal tunnel surgery necessitated by long-distance biking, I am now very careful about my handlebar. I've ridden up to 2000 miles a year on a hybrid with a backswept bar. My mileage fell drastically when I went briefly to a road bike.