Originally Posted by
holytrousers
Great conversation,
greatbasin 
First of all, don't buy an expensive bike for the moment. I suggest you buy a road bike, a used and cheap one, small size, and ride it for a couple of weeks. Try out different positions and setups. I'm sure you'll love it, and then you will know what bike you want for your touring plans.
Here is an excellent thread talking about riding position, and how counter-intuitive it is to most of us
Riding Position Discovery.
I will second this.
I bought a brand new Hybrid last summer and while it’s great around town, after I get to the 15 mile mark… I’m done. I thought it was my level of fitness for a while, but realized I had a lot left in me and the bike just wasn’t fitting me well for long distances.
I went back to the LBS and got laughed at and then handed severs different road bikes to ride. Right away I was able to push 20 and 40 miles before fatigue and saddle sore came into play. I fell in love with one of those bikes (Trek Domane AL2 Disk) but I was told to wait a few months because they had a “special bike” on order that would fit my bill better.
I rode the Domane back to back with the “Special Bike” for several weeks… and they were right, and the end of the test, the Special bike won out…
now back to the hybrid…. It sits locked up and not ridden. As for the special bike… it’s not really that special, just a Grando 520.