I didn't give up road bikes either but just switched to a flat bar road bike. My reason for switching is that the flat bar riding position suits my use of the bike better than a drop bar bike does. I daily commute and do long fitness rides with the occasional group ride and I almost never got low on the drops on my old Specialized Roubaix so for my 60th birthday I took the plunge for a 2014 Sirrus Comp Carbon and couldn't be happier with it. Except for the handlebars it's everything my old bike was and more.