I just ran across some good photographs that illustrate possible and interesting stem-bar combinations. The bars on the Puch (pictured on the link below) look comfortable to me. Larger diameter gripping surfaces with shock-absorbing and vibration-absorbing padding is something I've found to be very good. It's much more comfortable and less fatiguing than the hard, small diameter tubing with thin tape over it:

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=49471&page=4

(If those bars on the Puch were even higher, the drops would be more useful -- at least I would use them more often. I would consider having the top (flats) of these bars high and inside, for a more comfortable upright riding position. Those bars would also allow for lower positions, and low-and-outside positions, when desired.)(I have also considered rigging up a stem that is adjustable on the fly. I don't know of anyone who has done this, but I'm sure it could be arranged.) Those sorts of bars, like the ones on the Puch, are sometimes called ergonomic drop bars because of the more comfortable hand positions when you are out and forward on the drops. There are a number of other variations on drop bars as well. Some are significantly more comfortable than others.

The stem on the next bike down (the Lemond bike) is more standard, as is the bar position (or the bar height: in relation to the saddle, the bar is lower). Most people find that a higher position is far more comfortable, and more useful for much of the riding they do. (I would far prefer to have the setup in the first picture.)