Grafting road bike fit to 26" MTB with drop bars?
I've been toying with the idea of making a 26" drop-bar mountain bike for winter riding. I have a 26" flat-bar MTB but I just can't get comfortable with the flat bars on long rides. I want to do drop bars but my concern is getting it to fit correctly. I'm worried that the short seat-tubes and long top-tubes of MTBs are not going to work.
So my question is: can I take measurements from my well-fitting road bikes to determine whether a MTB frame will work before buying it and trying to build it up? I have three road bikes that are quite different that fit me very well. A 1984 Fuji touring bike, a 1972 Fuji road bike converted to fixed gear, and a 1994 Trek 730 (700c hybrid) converted to drop bars.
Thanks!