Originally Posted by MichaelW
38 tyres are on the wide side. think about some 32mm touring tyres. I find that these have plenty of cushioning and they are standard fare on loaded road touring bikes.
The only steel drop bars you can get are for track racing. There is nothing wrong with Al, but consider some shaped for comfort as well as efficiency. 3TTT Morphe is a good bar for comfort.
Some decent bar tape can also help. You can double-wrap bars, or use an inner tube wrap. Padding can never make up for poor position but is useful if you ride a lot of rough roads.
Actually the 700-38 aren't much wider to the eye than the 700-26 I took off. The reason I went for a wider tire was because the thin ones were giving me flats. OTOH, my wide mountain bike tires hardly ever get flats. I haven't had a flat in 3 years of riding w/ them. So I got myself a couple of flat-resistant Conti; so far I'm pleased with the ride and haven't had any flats after a year commuting. Thanks of the reco (3TTT Morphe), but "no thanks"
I'm not "into" drop bars. I like riser bars.