I've been riding a Giant Escape 3 for a little while now, and I really like the bike considering how cheap it was. I mostly ride for fun/exercise and I ride less than a mile to class, and will soon be riding a couple miles to work. Everything has been pretty satisfactory, but now I'd love to switch it over to a set of drop bars.

Can anyone a little more experienced with this try to shed some light on what this will all entail?

If I switch to drop bars, I'll also have to switch my controls over to match, right?
Does this mean I'd probably have to upgrade from the Shimano Tourney setup that's currently on the bike, or would I be able to switch to an integrated shifter/brake lever setup without changing derailleurs etc? (I realize the Tourney setup is a pretty cheap, and I think I'd like something a little faster at some point anyway!)


A followup question:
Do you think it's worth investing the money to switch bars and controls (and shifting components if necessary) on this bike, or do you think I'd be better off starting a project bike with a new frame set?