I'm a chicken on my road bike. I use the drops A LOT when I ride (not just descending) because of the extra stability.

I have the Ritchey Bio Max bars and love them. I ordered one size larger than the width of my shoulders as I was chicken about how twitchy the bike would be if I went any narrower. It would be interesting for me to try a narrower bar sometime, just to see.

There might be something about the odd angles on the Ritchey bar, but I think that it did improve the hand reach for me and my tiny hands, but I really can't quite remember.

Have fun buying new bars!!

H&B
~T~