We finally got a chance to ride the bikes for a while. Not too far, about 50 kms. I really like the feel of the bike, it rolls beautifully and the gears are perfect!
I like how smooth the bar-end shifters are, but I wish I didn't have to reach so far down for them.

The only real problem was with breaking, which is a big one. I had a really hard time reaching the levers, but then figured that if I lean my body forward, I can reach the breaks much better. Still, the space between the bar and the lever seems far away, and even after such a short and easy ride (this is a ride we do when we don't have time to go for a "real" ride, and have done it hundreds of times), my hands are killing me. I can't imagine touring on roads with cars, it just doesn't feel safe. Any ideas how could I fix this? Is the stem too long? The hoods too big for my hands? Are drop bars not for me?