What I did also a Clyde was look at touring bikes. More spokes, stronger frames, better geometry to start with, etc. I didn’t worry about the initial setup as I planned on correcting some things to suit me, but I went back in time (old school) with the frame fit and went with what we used to call a French fit. Larger frame than what would get selected normally. The larger frame lets you drop the seat closer to the top tube and has the effect of bringing the bars up and to you a little. The saddle lower means you need to take it back some to get the crank location correct for a more relaxed prolonged ride position. You will mostly be riding in the saddle. I then went with an adjustable stem as I wanted to use that to find my perfect location, little higher and shorter than stock. What I found is the adjustable stem is what I wanted all the time as I could adjust it for how I was feeling on any given day and the type of riding I was doing. So I never replaced it. I changed out my front gears from road gears to just what I wanted and also changed out the rear cassette to suit my needs. I changed the saddle to something I liked better. My bars I redid with a padding under the tape and changed the angle and moved the brakes/ shifters up just a spec so I was at my perfect position on the hoods. A change to the tops or the drops allows the back to change position and it works to help with that riding in the same position too long problem. Drops slightly below saddle hoods slightly above. You need to fit yourself or find someone willing to set you up for long distance and not most aero position. The worst thing you can do is get into moving the saddle forward to get more upright. When you do that your feet move back and weight is transferred to the arms. When you do that the arms get tired and transfer the weight to the lower back and core. Your weight needs to be balanced out with your legs. The forward position is great for sprinters and powerful riders that are putting much more into the crank on any given stroke than the casual tour rider.

I have a Windsor Tourist from Bike Direct that I started with and after all the changes I still don’t have much over a grand in the bike and it is a pleasure to ride on a long day.

Hope this information helps you plan what you want.