Do frame research and ride a variety of bikes before you buy. Know what size you need. That took me a long time to figure out, believe it or not. Handlebar and seat modificaton, bike geometry all play a part of bike sizing. I found that hybrids fit me better than road bikes, because of the shorter top tubes and longer HB stems. If I buy a road bike, I need a riser stem or preferably an uncut fork. Frame material, tires and seat choice all make a difference in comfort, especially on longer trips. Try a variety of saddles. At my age, I prefer my handlebars level or a little higher than seat level.

Choose a bike for the kind of riding you will do. I have several bikes for different purposes. You should feel more road vibration with aluminum. My road bike has 700x25c tires, which I find have fewer blow-out problems than 700x23. I prefer to fill my tires about 10 psi below max. recommended pressure. There are a variety of tires out there. I think Continental tends to be a bit more comfortable than Michelin, but it depends on which model. The more puncture protection, the heavier and sometimes harsher the ride. Puncture protection is good, however, esp. on longer trips. Brake pads are important to me. You may want to switch out the black pads that come on your bike with some Kool Stop Salmon pads or gray pads. They stop better and won't mar your rims. Hope some of this helps.