Originally Posted by
mstateglfr
I advise you to decide what style of bike you want- flat bar or drop bar before asking for suggestions on which to buy. They are fundamentally different in feel and use. One isnt better than the other, they are simply different enough that it matters.
Nobody here can(should) advise you on which style you should choose because there isnt a 'right' or 'wrong' option.
This. In addition, consider a swept bar. All of my bikes now have them. Drop bars are useless for me because "my neck don't bend that way no more," and flat bars pound the hell out of my wrists. You can buy attachments for flat bars that address the comfort issue, but at least for me, a swept bar gives me hours of riding with no discomfort.
But it's hard to find bikes with swept bars that are also versatile and sporty. The industry is phenomenally style-conscious. On the other hand, it's pretty easy to adapt most flat-bar bikes to swept bars, not so easy to adapt a drop bar bike.
Flat bars make sense for mountain bikes due to controlling the bike on rough terrain, but not for pavement use. This is evident when you see people riding with their hands cupped around the ends of their bars, or with their fists on top of the grips. They're trying to give their wrists a break.