Hi Andy!
Best of luck on trying the straight handlebars...you won't know till you try, and they may prove ideal for that particular bike and your riding style on it. If nothing else, it's education, and that always has value.
Last year when I still owned Sherpa, I worked up a photo collage to send to a friend who had never ridden drop 'bars but was considering them on his new bicycle. The simple task of taking the photos proved a bit daunting when I needed one hand to pose and the other to take pictures, so some positions look a bit more strained than they do in real life. Still, the attached collage shows my 7 favorite hand positions when using drop handlebars.
I have the interrupter ('cross-top) levers in place on Sherpa here (soon to be on the Nomad), and they gave me secure braking in positions 1 and 2, also used when descending really steep goat tracks and I want to get my weight as far back on the saddle as possible to prevent an endo. When tired or wanting a stretch, I use position 3. My most-used and favorite position is 4, atop the brake hoods. Positions 5-7 are for go-fast efforts or going into headwinds.
It is very difficult to pay attention and act normaly at the same time. (Some people even say I never act normaly)
<nods> Andy most people pay attention to me 'cos I'm not acting...ehm, normally. I'm bike-crazy in a car-culture. Its a matter of anthropology, not mental health.
All the best,
Dan. (Who thinks there's a dissertation in there somewhere...)
