Originally Posted by
dr_lha
The problem will be, what happens when you spend all that money and get on the bike and find it uncomfortable? This is the biggest risk of doing a flat bar conversion.
Perhaps thinking about the drop bar is a red herring / diversion, though it's the cheapest fix, maybe $30 for bars, $50 for a stem, and some handlebar tape. The other $500 could all be spent to make the bike better regardless of the drop bar.