I know there are tons of threads. But what would be a good bar for riding around town, but comfortable for long rides. I really dont want to be switching out bars and rewrapping bar tape all the time. Yesterday I went for a 20 miles ride and noticed I was lacking hand positions with chopped drops. Also as a rule of thumb how do you know what size bars to order?

road drops with hoods.

measure from the center of one shoulder to the center of the other.

yay dutret with the sensible choice

If you get road drops with hoods, and find that you are always on the hoods and never in the drops, then bullhorns (with shorter stem) are more comfortable. It affects the steering too (in a way that I like).

I think there is no right answer to this question. It's like saddles - everyone swears by their own favorite solution, and no one can agree. I can't even agree with myself, so I switch bars about every month. One thing I can definitely recommend is that you invest in a stem where the clamp comes off completely so you can remove bars without unwrapping. Also, brake levers with a hinge. Either that, or have lots of quill stems and lots of brake levers, and create a series of different setups. Then all you have to do is switch cables. Better yet, don't use brakes.

OR just keep the brake attached to the bars, and remove the bars with the brake. This is what I do when I switch from my bullhorns to my brakeless flat bars.

Dutret is right. Road bars with hoods.

If you have genericbikedude's issues get shallower drops (Rando bar!), raise your stem, or (and I know this will sound crazy) learn to ride in the drops.

i tried ergo bars for the first time this weekend on a friends bike (easton ec90s). they look like poo, but DAMN they're comfy.

I like my risers with bar ends right now. I switch often and have a quill stem with removable faceplate. Also have a brake lever on all 3 bars for changes.

Bit of trial and error.

For road drops, a good point to start off is to measure your shoulders (this guide recomends measuring the distance between the "points" on the front of your shoulders - https://www.bicycling.com/article/1,6...056-1,00.html). Can also from armpit to armpit.

This will give you a good idea of bar width. But each manufacturer seems to measure a little differently and this measurement is only a starting guide. I generally find it helpful to go to the LBS and handle a few bars to really get an idea of what seems comfortable.

honestly, i LOVE my nitto rb018 handlebars. i find them comfortable, and i use all (?) the hand positions they offer. i also like the leverage i can get making skidding/skipping easier.