xrayzebra 

Drop bars and bar end shifters do not a racing bike make.

As others have pointed out in other ways, you need to decide what your objective is in choosing a bike, and then choose based on that objective. If your objective is to obtain a bike that meets a pre-defined category of bikes - touring, mountain, comfort, commuter, etc. - then compare similar bikes designed to fit that category.

LHT is certainly meant to be a "long haul trucker:" a touring bike that will carry lots of weight long distances dependably. You pick 26 inch tires if you are willing to sacrifice (take on) a little rolling resistance in exchange for being able to obtain replacement tires in locales where it might be harder to get 700s, or if you want 26 inch rims because they might be a little sturdier for heavy loads.

If you don't intend to tour long distances under load, then this might be the wrong bike. Don't buy an expensive new bike based on available colors, or on marketing fantasy scenarios like articles about some guy touring across Viet Nam on his bike if you intend to commute on it or do short rides on trails with nothing but a water bottle, bare bones multi-tool, and your cell phone. Figure out how you will REALLY end up using the bike.

I recently bought a new bike, and I was torn between all the categories at first. I quickly found out that no manufacturer was targeting me as a rider. I wasn't looking for a defined type of bike that anybody was pushing. My needs and desires were fairly mundane and boring - "Volvo-esque " to coin a phrase. Nobody intentionally sells a bike that is "designed to be boring and to go short distances on fairly smooth gravel trails and to haul a minimal amount of day trip comforts, but to do so in fairly understated high style, not very flashy but very dependably."

Instead, what you will find is that bike makers are trying to sell you dreams: a bike that will climb Mount Everest and pull a travel trailer, or a bike that will jump over tree stumps and land on a six foot drop without breaking your leg, or a bike that will win the Tour de France.

So, I had to invent my own category of bike. The closest thing to what I wanted was a commuter with components at the top of my price range. So, I got a higher end commuter and tarted it up with some comfort features.

But, I looked at the bikes with shock absorbers, and the bikes with aerodynamic frames, and the carbon fiber wonders, etc. After dazing over all the choices, I finally realized that the average rider doesn't really need a specialized type of bike. People are out there enjoying all kinds of bikes, and many of them are using the "wrong type of bike" for what they are doing on their bike, but doing so with a lot of joy and no problems.

The important thing is to stay within your own reasonable budget, and to ride the bike. Buying the bike is not a life time commitment. You can sell it and get another one, or do like many readers here and just buy another one, and collect a bunch of them that you like over the years. If the decision gets too difficult, then maybe you're buying more bike than you need.

Years ago, I was about to buy my second used car. I wasn't spending much on it, but I was agonizing over the decision. As I was walking through a department store, I saw this kid in the model cars section, holding two model kits in his hands. He was looking at both of them with this grim look, like it was the most important decision of his life as to which one to buy. When I saw him, I thought of when I had done the same thing myself as a kid - and how it seemed silly now, something I had entirely forgotten about until I saw him.

I went out that afternoon and got the car. I spent a little more than I should have for what I got, but I liked it, and it served me very well for a long time, despite all the crap my buddies gave me about how I should have gotten this other car that was faster or got better mileage, etc. There will always be somebody telling you what to do, or how you should hold out for something different. Unless they are a very trusted close associate and someone who has special expertise, ignore them and do what you want, then enjoy it. If it doesn't turn out so well, go to plan B, and cut your losses as much as you can.

It should be fun, not a difficult thing. Have fun, and do it.