Thanks for all the advice, everyone. I don't think I'll be doing what that guy did to his bike for curved bar ends.
The idea about attaching drop style bars to my hybrid seems more feasible. A few questions......
Are there drop handlebars that fit typical ATB stem widths or would I be required to switch out stems? And, if there are such handlebars...
A lot of people tell me if I switch to drop handlebars I'd probably have to replace some components on the bars such as shifters and brake levers. Why? Incompatible handlebar widths I can understand but saving that, shouldn't the components work OK? I'm not looking for a top-performance bar configuartion, rather, just something that's more comfortable to ride long distances.
These may seem like ridiculous questions but I'm not mechanically inclined as far a cycling goes, don't know what's available as far as parts and don't want to get finacially rooted in the process of trying to improve my handlebar situation.