I go back and forth, preferentially and literally. My regular commuter has a flat bar that gives me a half-crouching position, which I think I prefer to either extreme. I've never been a fan of the full crouch. But I use an upright 3-speed for rainy or snowy winter days, because of the internal hub. (Certainly not because of the steel rims! ) It's also nice for leisurely rides around the neighborhood with the family, especially because my wife has a similar one (which she has had since she was 15!), so it puts us more on the same level. But on my 5-mile commute, I generally prefer to go a bit faster than rec riding, and I find the upright position to be not as comfortable for pushing, especially uphill. (That and the fewer gears. The ratio of just 3 gears are a little too far apart for me sometimes, but that's another topic.) So I'm vascillating between keeping the upright as my bad-weather bike and possibly putting more money into modifying it (it only cost me $33!), or just buying something else newer that is already configured more to my liking.