Trekking bars for 1200s?
I like flat-bar touring bikes. A lot. Specifically, I like trekking bars for the oodles of hand positions, the tons of room for gear, and the ability to use Rohloff shifters without modification, cheap MTB hydros, etc.
My favorite bike of all time was a 1983 Peugeot MTB that got fresh paint, a B-17, v-brakes, and and some trekking bars. I commuted on that tank for 5,000 miles before burning through some rims and upgrading to a bike that cost 50x what i paid for the Peugeot, but I miss it.
That Peugeot was great for 60-70 miles, but I wonder--as I build a rando bike for PBP 2023 qualification, do I want to recreate the glory (with better components), or should I suck it up and build a drop-bar bike. Despite multiple fits from some of the best (no, really) fitters, I still only ever spend time in the drops if my hands are killing me or I'm in a stiff headwind, but if a 1200k is going to subject me to hours of sustained winds, maybe it's worth it.
My longest-ever ride was roughly a 400k (205 miles), on drops. My hands hurt a bit at the end, but that's largely because that bike had Paul Racers, rather than the hydros my new road bike has.