This is precisely it, if you're most comfortable on top of the bar when things get rough then your bar isn't high enough nor your drops splayed enough. It is actually very uncommon for most off-road bikes to have a head tube high enough for a drop bar. Hence people feel most comfortable on the top of the bar. A splayed drop bar cannot be compared to a regular drop bar, they are completely different beasts. Apples and oranges. They need to be set up completely different and ride completely different.

When you are in the drops on a splayed drop bar you should be about where you are when you're on a straight handlebar but with a more natural hand position. Perhaps just a hair lower and perhaps even wider then manny narrower mountain bars. It is a wide, stable, and comfortable stance when set up right. Perfect for rough and even steep terrain seated or standing. Very few 29r's can be set up this way even with long stems and steer tubes. It requires a very high head tube. The bar must be raised some 3-5" from that of a typical mountain bike straight bar.

The Fargo as seen in previous posts is one of the rare birds with such a geometry.

All I know is that when I ride my woodchipper splayed drop bar on my fargo I can sit almost bolt upright with my hands on the top of the bar. One handed it rides like a hourse and indeed that's what I call it with it's brooks saddle that makes those leather saddle squeeks, but when I'm in my drops it is a completely different beast. The splay causes the drop to be more radical then that of a typical drop bar. The hands not only move down, but furhter out then a typical drop. I'm low and stable and ready to attack a climb or pounce. I have noticed that I'm STILL a huge air damn when I'm in them, but then I do have an aerobar (sans elbow pads) for my bivy roll and I do make use of it for fighting headwinds.

I use my drops on my fargo far more then I've used any other drop. Indeed I love the setup so much... I tend to spend long hours at it. It's my leaning post, my bar, my table, my desk, my reins, my cockpit and much else. I make use of every position depending on mood, terrain and conition. It is hard if not impossible to say which position I use most. Perhaps it would be best to say how much I love to use all of the positions on my handlebar weather tooling around with a hand on the reins with not a care in the world to relaxing on the hoods, to damn near sleeping in the drops... or maybe I'm in the drops attacking a hill or flying down some singletrack.

BTW, these wood chipper / splayed handlebars when setup right also put your hands nearer the bar end shifters. This makes bar end shifters work better in the technical stuff since you barely have to reach for them if at all. I can actually hit mine with the heal of the palm without moving my hand or the pinkey... but... I still prefer and use STI shifters for even more responsive action on technical terrain. The STI are though a constant chore to keep clean and working 100%. They don't take the mud and dirt and rain as well. They also require canti brakes or road disc brakes. Luckily road disc brakes are becoming more popular. I have not had success with cable doublers, they introduce to much slop into the system. Since matching Avid bb7 road brakes with my sti I've been one happy camper. I will eventually have to replace my old STI levers with new or go back to bar end though. Some really dirty, dusty, muddy, rainy trips have worn them out to the point a parts bath will no longer bring them back.

Pardon my rambling so much. My fingers move faster then my tongue and allow my mind room to wander.