Originally Posted by
MRT2
If you ride more than a couple of hours, you will really appreciate drop bars. Less than an hour, flat handlebars are fine. Rides of 1 to 2 hours, drops are better but you can get by with flat handlebars.
I'll second that. I'm significantly more comfortable on drops due to the variety of hand positions I can use compared to the flats on my Giant Escape. I don't foresee ever going back unless I get a MTB.