Hi Diliff,
<nods> Yes, I understand your dilemma exactly; you've described the problem well. There are several suggestions I can make which might help --
1) If it is possible to actually ride the handlebars without taping them (use electrical tape to hold the brake cables temporarily in place, leaving the brake cables overly-long to allow adjustment), try various combinations of 'bar tilt and lever placement. I realize you've already likely made many adjustments, but it is sometimes different when one is riding, and perhaps that will make a difference and provide that "ah-ha!" just-right position if you have not yet tried it. If I may suggest, having someone take a profile photo of you atop the bike can be a real shortcut to getting the proper setup arranged more quickly. Even better than a mirror or riding past a reflective shop window, it freezes a moment in time and a person can see just where things are "off" and how better to correct them.
2) If you have the steerer length to accommodate, sometimes a slight rise in handlebar height will make the difference with regard to rotation and lever placement. I added a 12mm spacer and suddenly, things "went right" with my Zoom Anatomics, which appear to have a generally similar bend.
3) Where your bicycle formerly used straight 'bars, then the top tube is likely longer than a frame intended for use with drops from the start. If so, you may need to bring the handlebars closer, using a shorter-reach stem to make up the difference. I was in a similar situation when switching from my Sherpa to the Nomad...the longer Nomad top tube required a shorter stem. Moving the brake levers up 1cm and going from a 110cm stem to one of 90cm (equivalent to an 80mm stem) did the trick for me, after adding that 12mm spacer (which also moved the 'bars back slightly, due to the head angle).
4) The Gilles Berthoud shifter can be used with other handlebars, but at the cost of some hand room atop the 'bars. Still if one rides mostly on the brake hoods, this tradeoff might not be so bad if you find a handlebar that better suits your needs.
Forum member Keleher found by leaving the Berthoud shim out, he could use the setscrews only to place the shifter on a Nitto Noodle handlebar. Perhaps this would provide a similar placement for you if you change handlebars, though I would caution not to use this method with alu 'bars, as the pinch bolts might cause a stress riser that could prove peoblematic. On steel 'bars it would be fine...or perhaps I am overly cautious when it comes to the possibility of breaking an alu 'bar! If the bare pinch bolts pressed on an outer sleeve, then it might well be no problem or concern.
A 44cm handlebar I've found and like is the Nitto B115, which has a very shallow drop with the lower hooks bending nearly parallel to the tops. Very easy to get the brakes "just right" for an easy reach in all positions, and I found myself using the drops more frequently (on the tandem that uses them) because it wasn't a huge drop. On the single bike (Nomad), the deeper drop seems to be fine. I had thought the Zoom Anatomics might prove problematic for me when I first specified them for Sherpa, but they turned out to be fine, which was a very pleasant surprise.
5) Finally, if the Thorn Drops/Gilles Berthoud shifter combo don't meet your needs, it is still possible to use drop handlebars with a Rohloff shifter by a variety of other means. I took a very different approach (one that is aesthetically controversial but extremely functional) and mounted my Rohloff shifter to a T-bar *atop* the stem, with the shifter centered above the 'bars. Strange-looking, yes, but about as ergonomically perfect for my needs as I could imagine, and a setup I'll keep even if I someday change handlebars ('bars can be changed without affecting shifter or cable routing with this mount, so simplicity itself to change). There is a thread devoted to the topic of Rohloffs and drops here:
http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=4049.0Photos of my own, rather unusual setup are here:
http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=4523.msg22081#msg22081Me in a flat-back position, activating the brake levers from the drops (shutter snapped just before I could get into my regular position, with hands a bit higher and with straight wrists instead of bent as shown):
http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/forums/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=4523.0;attach=2037I hope something in the above suggestions will prove helpful. Getting the right setup can sometimes be a real challenge, and what works for others -- even a majority -- will sometimes not work for oneself. We're all different, and thank goodness for that!
Best,
Dan.