Originally Posted by
northernlights
lol, no. Wider bars provide greater comfort but don't make you more aerodynamic. But unless you intend to race in the Olympics aerodynamics is not very important. Comfort is.
Because drop bars have more hand positions many would argue that they are actually more comfortable than a flat bar. Comfort is also quite subjective. An upright dutch position may be comfortable for some but less comfortable for others. Likewise some might enjoy riding into a headwind (or up a hill) on an unpright bike while others might actually prefer a more aerodynamic bike (or a lighter one).
But why would I want to go through the trouble and expense of swapping out my drop bars for mustache bars just to improve comfort when I can simply by a hybrid that comes with wider handlebars already on it?
Clearly drop bar bikes are very popular in the USA. Why are you so concerned with the kinds of bikes that other cyclists ride?
As a casual rider why would I want a road bike at all? I'm not training for the cycling Olympics. So I would keep it simple.
I was not aware that surly crosschecks or salsa vayas (see above) are popular road racing bikes.