IME there's a basic compromise between the ergonomics on the drops and on the hoods (which is a lot more of a compromise with Ergos); IMO your pics show a pretty optimal setup for the hoods, where they continue a fairly straight line from the top of the bars. To make a better position for the the drops, they might be a bit lower on the bars. Mind you, that's assuming a bar position like the one pictured, with the drops pointing down like that.
My feeling is having the levers pointing directly ahead looks and feels a bit clunky next to having them angled slightly inwards, say with the inner edge of the hoods being close to parallel and the outer edges angled inwards at 5-10°.
But it's your bike we're talking about here; the only way to be happy with it is to try a few variations and home in on what feels best for you. Disregard any dogmatic crap about the proper height for your levers being determined with a straight edge along the bottom of the drops or whatever; at any rate, the compact bars you have preclude this. It looks to me like you spend most of the time on the hoods; if so, I'd say you're pretty close to ideal, and small variations on that theme should get you there.
The only thing I can tell you for sure is the best way to get both levers at the same height once you've dialled it in: remove the stem/bars and place the bars on a flat surface, using the ends of the drops and the bottom of one lever as a tripod, and adjust the other lever until you have four even points of contact. Care must be taken with the inwards/outwards angle when doing this, as it also affects the height.
Originally Posted by
bobotech
To me your brifters look too low on the drops. I would raise them up so that they are angled up a fair amount with the bars positioned how you want them. Would make riding in the hoods more comfortable.
A higher lever position would probably make the hoods a bit easier to grasp for climbing etc, but where they're at now is spot-on for a stretched-out position with the heels of the hands resting in the hooks, with the fingers curled over the front of the levers, a good cruising position.