Originally Posted by grolby

My frank opinion is that drop bars aren't a great choice for a very upright position and that there are strong ergonomic reasons for backswept upright bars being the preferred choice for such a fit throughout history. The major reason for this is that, despite what Rivendell will tell you, a more upright riding position means you need your hands closer to your body for best comfort, and drop bars work against this, pushing your hands further away instead of closer. The closer you are to vertical, the less you need the multiple positions offered by drop bars, and the more uncomfortable the riding position on the hoods will be unless you really roll the bars back - which in addition to looking terrible makes the brake levers much less usable from the drops. Swept upright bars like a North Road style give a neutral position to your wrists when sitting upright and there's a reason that upright-style bikes have used handlebars of the same general style for decades.