Originally Posted by
RomeoTango
My goals are to become a fairly decent rider in speed and distance, ride several times a week and maybe even get in with some local groups. I'd like to have a bike that is as comfortable as can fit into those goals.
There isn't a radical difference between the two styles. Neither one would get in the way of what you are saying here.
The purpose of the "aggressive" positioning is better aerodynamics (when in the drops), trading a bit less comfort for that. Anyway, most people use the hoods for most of the riding (ie, not many people spend a lot of time in the drops). It's possible that many people would use the drops more if the handlebars were positioned a bit higher.
The ranking (best to worse) of the aerodynamics would probably be the following:
1) in the drops on the racing frame.
2) in the drops on the "endurance" frame.
3) on the hoods on the racing frame.
4) on the hoods on the "endurance" frame.
I'd guess that 2 and 3 are close (and the order might be reversed!). And it would depend on how the bike is actually set up.
From what I have observed, very few people spend much time in the drops. It's possible that a more upright frame (the "endurance" frame style) might encourage more people to ride in the drops!