Converting from Dropbars to Straight - Worth it?

I was looking to convert a hoy hybrid once myself as they use the same frames on some of their road bikes. I priced it all up and it just wasn't worth it at all

I have both, but fitted bull horns to a boardman hybrid to make it a bit more aero but still have the brakes in tne best place for commuting

As somebody said the brake levers are in an odd position - before you do anything too drastic  I'd try moving them further up the bars closer to the flat portion of the bars.  You'l probably need to buy some new bar tape but thats not too expensive. There's plenty of videos on youtube showing you how to re wrap the bars.

I have gone twice the opposite direction, from flat bars to drop and bullhorn and I cannot really imagine how a flat bar can be better suited for tarmac. Your problem probably is that you need a more upright position, not to change your bars

It seems unanimous then! Not a trivial task anyway if you want to end up with a bike which is both comfortable and handles properly. Its a lot more than simply changing bars over. I assume you are looking for a more upright position, and as you can't shorten the top tube, you would need a shorter stem, which would probably screw up the handling.

That's a sweet looking bike for £26!

I’m not surprised you don’t like road bikes if that’s your only experience of them. Shifters in the wrong place and I bet those brakes are dreadful. Sell it on and buy something else. 

Where did you get that for £26?!

i would hunt for flat bar bike and with your purchsing luck @ £26 itll be cheaper than than converting that roadbike, and wont have any of the inherent problems of converting a roadbike into a  flatbar.

Simple question - is the bike the right size for you? Thats often the real problem.

In that particular case, no. Sell it on and get a bike that suits you and your riding. Might cost a little more, but the marginal benefit far outweighs the marginal cost.

Go for a hybrid but dont waste money converting that old bike, by the time you have changed shifters, brake levers, cables, bought new bars, handlebar grips and what ever else crops up you will have spent a good proportion of the cost of a new bike.