As I've aged from 30 years old to 41 in a couple months, I've come to prefer drop bars with a saddle-to-bar drop of a couple inches. It took awhile for my body to adapt, but now I'm more comfortable and more efficient. And efficiency matters even for my 5 mile commute where I would like to average 15 mph without extraneous exertion of fighting air resistance.

i tried riding swept back touring bars that were upright. Fine for goibg around the block. But ride for 6+ miles and your body is a big flap in the wind and the lack of hand positions becomes an issue.

I used to loath my Surly LHT. It felt slow and uncomfortable. While the LHT is not a spring chicken frame...it wasn't the frame to blame. It was the upright setup. I've now got the bars a solid 1.5" lower than they used to be and it feels so much better.