I'm all for making do and trying to cobble together projects on the cheap, but if the end result is your position is off, it's not a fair test. But I'm sure you know that already.

As far as the bars go, is there a co-op or such where you could at least look for some old rando bars? They would be at least a little more like dirt drop bars. One thing I would pay attention to is the bar reach. Midges don't have a lot compared to many/most standard road bars. I don't know about the Somas, etc. but I suspect they are similar.