Thanks BlackTom/Brian.

I feel exactly the same about drop bars, although I acknowledge flat bar goodness in its own right, for certain things. I plan on using the makeshift method for the shifting mechanism that I've seen from Thorn and Sheldon Brown. It doesn't look *that* bad, and it seems to work just fine. I do hope they come out with something ideal for drop bars soon though.

...and I likely will just go ahead and get the custom drop-outs. I am set on the Rohloff, so I might as well live and die by it right here, but... I am still very curious about the severity of the ordinary drop-out compromises, and it is hard to find info on it.

And thanks for the disc brake recommendation. I will take it under advisement, but I'm still uncertain what I'm going to do there. I like the simplicity of repair with cantilever brakes, which is an almost laughable thing to say for a guy who's dead-set on a Rohloff, but I have to admit the disc brake option is attractive to me. Any suggestions on brand or type? If not, I can do some hunting.