I've just started out on the cycling adventure and have upgraded the old MTB beast I was burning about on to a Norco hybrid.  It's essentially a road bike with flat bars.  I am trying to ride about 30km a day to work and some long rides on the weekends with a view to building up to some long organised rides of the 100km plus kind of thing.  Most of the riding I do during the week is on sealed bike tracks around Adelaide,  with the long rides on weekends on roads.

I notice that a lot of the bikes out and about on the rides are the more traditional road bike set up with drop bars.  I was looking for advice on whether,  as I move along,  I should be looking to replace the flat bars with drops?  To be honest I'm not even completely sure what difference the two styles make, be it comfort, performance or whatever.  I understand this is probably a roll yours eyes kind of basic question,  but I'd really appreciate someone having the patience to provide some advice on the subject.