@codemagpie - I did change to Ritchey drops, Tekro v-brake levers and Shimano bar-end shifters, it turned out OK, but I have to agree with HLaB - it's never going to be as good as a purpose built bike. The gearing isn't the same as a road bike's - and I found the bar-end shifters a real pain in the butt - nowhere near as good as STI or equivalent. I've put the original bars back on the 7.3 and moved the drops to an old steel framed Pugeot road bike I'm building as a single speed. All in all it was worth the experiment, but if you want a road bike, buy a road bike.