The "not seeing more than 40 feet straight ahead" thing is the main reason I don't like them. I just don't see that as being safe when you constantly have to watch for people and cars doing things they are not supposed to be doing.

If you are not a racer I also don't really see the need for that kind of aggressive posture to gain a few % points of efficiency. I am old and fat nowadays but as a teenager I used to whiz along on an old cruiser a lot faster than many people did on a road bike.