Originally Posted by
stevegor
+1 on Jur's comments,
After many years on roadies with drop bars that sit lower than the saddle, I can say that the comfort level on a long ride is far superior than on a bike where the bars and saddle are on the same level. Strange as it might seem to some, my hands and wrist ache a lot more on that sort of bike set up.
I personally would agree. With an aggressive set up, I find that my legs carry most of the weight and not much is on my hands or saddle. I like the feeling of "floating" over the seat and saddle that I get when everything is just right with my form. I suspect that most riders never achieve the form required to to this.
OTOH: most long distance touring riders have the bars a bit above the saddle "for comfort". I don't quite get it though and have my bars 3-4" below the saddle for multi-month touring (Just about the same as my road bike).
Unfortunately I can't get that position on my Helios and the best I can do after minor modification is to get the bars level with the seat. It is fine for around town errands, but for longer distance riding I would like a more aggressive position. Since I mostly use the folder for short rides it is fine.