Hmmm .... Smorgasbord42 ... you may be looking in the wrong thread. Sounds like you are looking for alternatives to road bike drop bars, like moustache bars. Something that will accept road bike brakes and shifters that would in turn be compatible with road bike brakes and derailleurs. I haven't addressed those options here.
If you are looking at putting together a "flat bar road bike" or equivalent, using brakes and derailleurs that are compatible with mountain bike bar components, then this thread is relevant.
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"Too often I would hear men boast of the miles covered that day, rarely of what they had seen." Louis L'Amour
There are two types of road bikers: bikers who are faster than me, and me. Bruce Cameron - Denver Post