Originally Posted by khutch

I haven't done it myself, I'm considering it, so I can't tell you what to buy. I can tell you what issues you will face and there are threads on this group about doing this with component information if you search for them. Drop bars are larger in diameter than flat bars so your shifters and brake levers will not fit on them. Flat bar brake levers don't give you "hoods" to rest your hands on so you probably would not want to use them anyway. Now you can get brake/shift lever combinations, "brifters", but they are all made for short pull road bike brakes not long pull hybrid brakes, and they are expensive, typically >$300 for the pair. If you want to go that way you can fix the braking issue with "travel agents" or on some bikes you may be able to change to road brakes easily. Brifters may not be available in the shift configuration that you need so check that before laying down the big bucks. Another option is to get long pull drop bar brake levers (Cane Creek makes them and they are quite affordable) and then either try to find shifters that fit drop bars or mount your shifters on something like a Minoura Space Grip or Swing Grip mounted to either the handlebars or the stem. This is the route I am considering if I try drops.

I went with trekking bars which fit the flat bar brake levers and shifters and while I find them them better than the flat bars alone for long distance riding on roads and improved trails I still feel like drops or aero bars on the flat bars would suit me better. If you take your hybrid off paved roads at all you will appreciate the extra control the width and stiffness of a flat bar gives you when the terrain tries to wrench your wheel this way while you want to go that way. The hard part is that until you have a few hundred miles on a given handlebar setup you just don't really know how it will suit you for the totality of your riding. So I could easily try a couple of other handlebar setups and conclude in the end that trekking bars are the best. Another person's experience is no certain guide to your own preference.

Ken