That’s an interesting idea. What effect did that have on riding out of saddle?

Since I first posted this thread, I bought another new to me vintage road bike and resurrected another from the dead with donor parts so I went from 1 bike with drop bars to 3 in 3 days. Further, they all have the same size bar. So along with my various stems I may have some opportunities for experimentation.

Back to daily commuter bike topic, one of the first iterations of the drop bar conversion was using the stock riser stem and it affected a position similar to what you describe. I was just always in the drops so it didn’t make sense to keep it that way. The hoods were actually uncomfortably high. Maybe I’ll revisit that setup in the coming days.

That’s too convenient. Wait, which bar?

If your current vintage drop bar is too long and deep, I don’t think you’ll be happy with any of the Nitto bars being recommended. Nitto makes all of their bars with long reach and relatively deep drop. They’re pretty, but kind of old-fashioned in how they’re designed and built. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it sounds like you might want to try something different.

Modern drop bars tend to have much shorter reach and shallower drop. I would look for a “compact” bar or a newer ergonomic design. The original “ergonomic” bars had awkward flat sections with sharp bends in the middle of the bar. Newer designs retain a smooth curve while also tending to have comfortable spots to place your hands in the drops as you cruise along. Examples that come to mind are the 3T Ergonova and Deda Elementi’s RHM series. You can find less expensive alternatives from brands like Kalloy, Dimension and, to a lesser extent, Salsa. Look for reach measurements in the 75-85 mm range.

Something to keep in mind is that, having used an older bar, you may need a new stem as well. You probably have a 25.4 or 26.0 mm clamp. There may be some modern designs available in this clamp size, but most will be available only in 31.8 mm.

As for whether a particular drop bar might be better for commuting, versus other uses, I don’t know. I haven’t had a dedicated commuter bike in some time, when I’ve had a bike commute I’ve used my road or cyclocross racing bikes and they both work fine. I do think a lot of people prefer to have their head up a bit when commuting to make it easier to see in traffic. I’m so used to a racing position at this point that I don’t care, but I remember feeling the difference before. But that’s going to be a function mostlly of reach and bar height rather than bar style per de. A modern bar will have a shorter reach and that will sit you up a bit.

I know some are recommending significantly increasing the height of your handlebar. I’m more hesitant to suggest this for a couple of reasons. First, most road bikes aren’t designed for such high handlebars and it can negatively affect handling in my opinion. Not in a dangerous way, just in a less pleasant and confident way. Second, it’s not well understood that a higher handlebar has to be considerably closer in order for you to reach it comfortably. Take a look at the horizontal distance between saddle and bars on an upright city bike (like a Dutch-style bike for example) to see what I mean. The more upright the fit a frame is intended for, the shorter the top tube must be. A road frame with a super-high drop handlebar means uncomfortably straight elbows and, again in my opinion, further compromised handling. I know some people like this, and that’s fine, but it wouldn’t be the first thing I tried. Drop bars really aren’t made for that kind of position.