Originally Posted by Schwinnrider

There's a reason that touring bikes usually come specced with drop bars. When you ride a flat bar, even if you have bar ends, you really only have two hand positions. With a drop bar you have at least double that.

The key is changing your hand position regularly. I move from flats, to hoods, to ramp, to drops and back again when I ride.

Change your bar. Flat bars aren't meant for long distance riding. I like the Nitto Noodle bar, model 177. It's wide with a flat ramp, so it keeps excess weight off my hands. Also it's a good idea to raise your bar. My cockpit is at saddle height, and there's nothing wrong with having the bars higher than that, if necessary.