I'm going to get on my soap box and say that if you are going to get some leisure riding bikes, the typical American hybrid with almost straight handlebars is not your best choice. It is what people in the US think in their minds is what is best. It has become the road version of a mountain bike - which was often ridden on the road and seldom on trails. What is more comfortable and natural to ride is "north road" handlebars like on English 3 speeds. The Dutch - which actually use bicycles constantly to ride to school and work and just to get anywhere - use M shaped handlebars for solid reasons.
My antidotal case in point is that I turned my wife's touring bike into a hybrid style with MTB straight bars (I say "straight" but they have a 6º bend). This was for slower recreational rides - especially on bike trails. She has always enjoyed riding it (with triple cranks and 8 sp Campy cogs). Having done a huge amount of exploration on what bikes work best for leisure or errands, I made my own bike with north road handlebars. It was the example of how to braze a frame in one of my framebuilding classes. She tried it out one time and that was it. She had to have one too. She loves that style a lot more than her old "hybrid".
The only reason more Americans don't insist on this type of bike is because it isn't what is commonly sold and not because it isn't a superior.
