Interesting that you should mention arthritis in your hands. When my son set up my new road bike for me (he is a summer bike mechanic) he put some specially made thin foam pads on top of the handlebars between the stem and the outside curve, and than the handlepar tape over that, to help alleviate pain from a torn ligament in one of my hands. It really helped.
My new bike is a Litespeed Capella (with triple chainring to help on our Maine hills!) and I love the smooth ride and light weight. Anything to make it easier and more pleasant. I also had the Shimano short-reach shift/brake lever set up put on. Big help!