I started to respond to another thread but thought it would be better to start here from scratch.

I guess I'm spoiled by living in the Netherlands when it comes to shopping for bikes. I looked at the US web sites for Trek, Giant, and Jensen USA, and the overwhelming majority of bikes aimed at the commuter\urban market had dropped handle bars. Even when they offered a more upright handlebar they were woefully incomplete - no fenders, no lights, certainly no bell, all standard fare over here.

If you walk into a store over here or even shop online, the bikes almost always come complete. (Mine came without pedals but that wasn't an issue for me as the dealer simply gave me a set from another known brand.)

I haven't been in a bike store in the US for four years and all the bikes I saw reflected what I've already described.

There's no question here, just an observation.