I have used drop bars and flat bars and find the drops are better for performance especially when windy but are far less comfortable than flat bars. Flat bars with about a 10 deg rise are better for riding in traffic so you can be a little more upright to watch your surroundings. I don't like a fully upright position so I chose a MTB to build up as a commuter with a riding postion in between upright and hunched over. One thing to remember is road bike frames have a geometry that has the headtube closer to the seat tube and a mountain bikes geometry has the headtube somewhat further ahead. So the hoods on drop bars are ok for road bikes but will have a very long reach if installed on a mountain bike. And of course flat bars on a road bike frame will have the hand position much closer to your body. Also not to get too technical here but a point to make would be flat bars are a little wider and provide better steering response as compared to drop bars. Thats why mountain bikes have flat bars because you need alot more body language and quick steering response when riding single track or rough off road. To answer your question, are drops comfortable? well, they can be for some people but you generally need to be fairly flexible. The lack of flexibility and muscle stiffness is the main reason why some people including myself find them uncomfortable.