Well I kind of went leftfield a little. Test rode a Giant Dash 3. I really liked it! The position it put me in isn't awkward even if it's more leaned over; it goes so fast (for me) with not a huge amount of effort. It can do rear rack and stuff, so I can carry things around. I test rode it twice and liked it even more the second time around.
I ended up buying it (I did read up on it a little before buying, helped ensure I wasn't making a grave mistake xD). But lack of speed was my primary gripe with my previous bike and boy does this take care of that!
I think it'll hold up as well as any of the other bikes I looked at, as long as I take care of it, right? At any rate, I'm super excited! Here's to many fun miles!
I appreciate you all.