>>1169223I'm going to disagree with the guy who said mid range alloy road bike. A little too stiff and not enough tire. If you're young and want to go fast at the expense of comfort okay, but unless the bike is designed for comfort (endurance bike?) it probably won't be that great
I would hunt for something with drop bars and tires that are about 700x35. You'll want something with long chainstays if you want to carry panniers. The problem here is that it will make the bike handling feel slower. This can take some if the fun out of fast urban riding for sure. There are some adventure bikes that are best suited for bikepacking or front bags.
The surly cross check and Soma double-cross are designed for this sort of riding. Overpriced though, I think. I would look for a hybrid bike to their drop bars on, but that's a big project too.
The new salsa is $800 and looks great for this
https://salsacycles.com/culture/introducing_journeyman 