Hoods - Hoods are pretty comfortable, they keep you more upright than the drops while keeping your hands comfortable. Hoods are ideal for flat riding when you're not sprinting. You can use the hoods for out of the saddle climbing more effectively than the drops. Use these most of the time.

Tops - The tops are the flat part of the handlebar. Unless you have inline brake levers (interrupter levers) they are incredibly dangerous to ride at high speeds flat or especially downhill. If you ride fixed gear the tops are slightly safer but still don't offer as much control over the bars so as to skid as the drops. Never ever get out of the saddle on the drops! That being said, the tops can be a very good place the climb. You'll see a lot of pros using the tops on flat cobbles or going up hills, try to do the same.

Drops - The drops are ideal for sprinting on flat ground or getting aero on descents. Since most both the hoods and the drops as positions offer the ability to brake, they are equally safe going downhill. Try to use these exclusively when sprinting or on flat ground, climbing in the drops can be awkward if they are too low.

Important to note that a lot of all of this advice with vary depending on how high your handlebars are in relation to your saddle height, and how far away they are. Also important to keep in mind are your handlebar width, drop style, and drop height. I did not mention the fact that hoods and drops give you the oppurtunity to shift gears because many electrical groupsets offer shifters for sprint positions and climbing top positions.

Hoods - Hoods are pretty comfortable, they keep you more upright than the drops while keeping your hands comfortable. Hoods are ideal for flat riding when you're not sprinting. You can use the hoods for out of the saddle climbing more effectively than the drops. Use these most of the time.

Tops - The tops are the flat part of the handlebar. Unless you have inline brake levers (interrupter levers) they are incredibly dangerous to ride at high speeds flat or especially downhill. If you ride fixed gear the tops are slightly safer but still don't offer as much control over the bars so as to skid as the drops. Never ever get out of the saddle on the tops! That being said, the tops can be a very good place the climb. You'll see a lot of pros using the tops on flat cobbles or going up hills, try to do the same.

Drops - The drops are ideal for sprinting on flat ground or getting aero on descents. Since most both the hoods and the drops as positions offer the ability to brake, they are equally safe going downhill. Try to use these exclusively when sprinting or on flat ground, climbing in the drops can be awkward if they are too low.

Important to note that a lot of all of this advice with vary depending on how high your handlebars are in relation to your saddle height, and how far away they are. Also important to keep in mind are your handlebar width, drop style, and drop height. I did not mention the fact that hoods and drops give you the oppurtunity to shift gears because many electrical groupsets offer shifters for sprint positions and climbing top positions.