Have you seen the 2020 Giant Fastroads? Giant Australia has had the 2020 models up for a week or two. Obviously they're a flat bar road bike, as opposed to the more traditional hybrid that is the Escape. They're a few hundred dollars more in all markets, but they look like an excellent option for flatter riding. The Fastroad 1 SLR (rather than the composite/carbon framed Fastroad Advance) really looks like a great deal this year, as it has Praxis cranks and 105 components. Those cranks take a road double spider (to hold two chainrings) or you could replace that with a single ring for a 1x11 set up. It's about $400 more than the Escape 1, but it has the components to justify that difference. Also, crucially, the Fastroad 1 SLR has a composite seatpost to smooth out road chatter, unlike the Fastroad 2 SLR, which has an alloy seatpost.