I have trouble with my hands and sometimes my neck, and find I can't tour on straight or dropped bars. I've toured with no problem in the past on Northroad style bars, but now I'm putting together a more rugged MTB style tourer, and I have a handlebar quandary. I have some bigish swept back bars off a Kona Ute, and I really like them on my new bike, but they're too narrow a diameter to fit bar end shifters (my favourites). I also have some cruiser style bars which are pretty close to old Porteur bars. They look like this:

http://www.freshtripe.co.uk/Freshtri...o%20B602-1.jpg

But are pretty wide at 57 cm.

These accept the bar end shifters, and are a pleasure to ride on, short term, at lease.
As I said, I'm used to the upright position, and never really speed on tour, so am not really concerned with wind resistance (though in very heavy wind, I have been known to grab the centre of my present Northroads and get a bit more streamlined).

Just wondered really if anyone had toured on anything like this, and how they found it in the long term.