Originally Posted by dfw
One thought is, setting up a performance type bike in an upright riding position might give me more options because once my flexibility improves and I get used to riding a road bike, I may want to drop into more of a lower riding position. Is this a viable option, or should I just go with the comfort geometry and plan on buying a performance bike if I want to change later on? Any thoughts on this subject are appreciated.
It doesn't take much sometimes to make performance geometry a bit more comfortable. I recently put in a more angled stem on my Trek 1500 to raise the handlebars. Also, you are correct that your position will evolve as you get more used to road bikes. I am much more stretched out and infinitely more comfortable riding on the hoods than I was a year ago.
If you're worried about length of your steerer tube, you might see if they can get one that's cut a bit long to give you more room for spacers. If you find it's too long, you can always have a spacer above the stem.