kenshireen

I have always ridden a bike with downtube shifters.
My hands are usually on the top of the bars so I can access the levers.

I have a new bike which is a bit more modern and has STI.
Should I be riding with my hands on the hood for easy shifting access

I am just a recreational rider who does not race and rides at about 15 mph

rms13

Most riders with STI levers spend most of their time on the hoods. But you should have easy access to shifting and braking from hoods or from the drops. You can certainly cruise around with your hands on the tops but you just don't have access to brakes or shifting. On longer rides I am probably on hoods 75-85% of the time. 10% in drops when descending or sprinting and 5-10% on tops usually on longer straight aways where I know I won't have to brake or shift. The advantage of drop bars is having different hand positions to avoid fatigue

Homebrew01

Whereever they feel most comfortable at the moment.

I ride on the hoods most of the time. Lot's of short hills here, so I need to shift a lot.
YMMV

Lazyass

After 10 minutes of riding you shjould be able to figure it out yourself. Drop bars exist so you don't have to keep the same hand position the entire time.

Doge

Anyplace you like with bent elbows and straight wrists.

Campag4life

Ride the bike like you used to ride the last one. You just no longer have to reach to the down tube to shift.
In my experience the height of the handlebars has a lot to do with how most riders ride their dropbar bikes. Many that don't have good flexibility however like to set up their bike with drop to look more pro, rarely use the drops because they aren't comfortable. I am the opposite. I ride with a higher handlebar on an endurance geometry and ride in the drops all the time because they are comfortable. Variety of handlebar positions is the best hedge against body fatigue as LA mentioned. If you set the bar low, for most you minimize the variety because drops aren't comfortable. I ride with several good riders who never use the drops.

caloso

I spend most of my cruising time with my hands on the ramps, which are where the tops of the bar start to curve forward. I can keep my fingers loose and comfy and it's just a short reach forward to the hoods if I need to shift or brake.

bonz50

same here, I can count on one hand the number of times i've been in the drops in the past 2 yrs. occasionally i'll move up top for a mile or so, for the most part though its the ramps and hoods.

SpikedLemon

I rarely use the drops and more often then not rest with my hands on the hoods.
I'll switch it up every so often and turn my hands around on the hoods (fingers forwards, fingers on the brakes, gripping tightly...) but they usually stay there.

ltxi

Back in the day I used bar end shifters and rode a whole lot in the drops. These days I ride STI on the hoods, sometimes on the bar tops, and rarely in the drops. If you're used to downtube friction shifters I'd think you'd find STi easier access from any position other than the drops.