Update -
The Defy would only take 28c tires, not 32 (as predicted). Gave it a try for my route and the tires are just too thin for the surfaces I commute on - most of my commute is along an access road shoulder; too dangerous at rush hour to move out in the traffic lane and the shoulder has too much debris, rocks, potholes, etc. for me to be comfortable.
So I resold the Defy and am now on the lookout for a dropbar bike that will take at least 700 x 32 tires, preferably wider.

dam, good luck with that

Or look for a good deal on a group / parts to swap your current bike or something similar (not too familiar with the model) to drop bars. Brake only levers and bar end shift is easier. You'll need 'drop v' or 'linear pull' levers unless you swap the brakes for canti's.

I've thought about this. I've got swept-back bars on my Escape right now; might transfer those over to the Revel I just picked up and get some drops for the Escape. Salsa makes a couple of bars that would work, though they're a little more than I want to spend. But I think Origin8 has some MTB-compatible dropbars with a little bit of sweep to them.

Don't get hung up on 'compatible', the stem is easy to swap for a road one. Bike shops usually have bins of used ones as they are a fit item. Front derailleur may have to be changed to a road one to be compatible depending on the shifter used, but Shimano rear derailleur pull is the same.