Originally Posted by
ash0
I currently ride a Schwinn comfort bike. Its a fun bike but I feel like I sit too upright and I'm always straggling behind my husband on his Fuji Absolute. I'm looking for something faster with a little better position (but not too aggressive - I'm much too uncoordinated for dropbars) and I'm thinking a flat bar is probably the way to go. What do you think of the Diamondback Insight or the Fuji Absolute 2.1?
Those bikes are perfectly fine, but I don't see why you want to avoid drop bars, or why you feel they need more coordination. Drop bars can be set up in a less aggressive position, just tend to pick the "endurance" line of road bikes and use the stem flipped up. You can keep them even with the saddle or even a little higher. The drop bar offers a lot more hand positions which is just good for comfort as your distances increase, keeps your hands from going numb and offers options on how aero you want to get on different portions of the ride. When your fitness & flexibility improves and rides start getting really long, at some point you might flip the stem down or take out a few spacers. Or not, it's personal preference.
The flat bar bikes are a bit cheaper, but one can always go for a used drop-bar bike.