My two cents worth...

Are you really planning on touring with this bike, or do you just want to do local rides with a touring bike?

The reason I ask is this. If you're going to really get out there in the great outdoors, sooner or later you're going to run into some hellacious headwinds, the kind you didn't know existed. You're going to wish you had the drops when it happens. Drops are never comfortable, but they serve a purpose. They will get you through the winds when nothing else will. You're going to be a long way from home, and probably more than a few miles from the next campground, and you're just going to want to get through the day.

The drops will help make that possible.

Just my humble opinion. I hope this helps.