Commuting Light Touring new bent ride

[evblazer]

I have about 60 miles on it so far from riding this weekend and it is pretty nice. A little more like piloting then riding a bike but it rides along really smoothly. I used to ride a BikeE years ago during my commute so I feel confident enough that I'm going to ride it in tommorow. 42+ miles round trip

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2104/2325615250_dfda3dc7cf.jpg?v=0
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3212/2324799103_777606f72e.jpg?v=0

For christmas I'm hoping for a nice SONS hub so I don't need to swap batteries quite so much. If I'm good and I have dropped some more weight that is ;)

[v1k1ng1001]

I wonder why they opted to put the bars above rather than below the seat?

[evblazer]

There seems to be a big mix of above or below depending on the manufacturer. The bike I first looked at but never road comes in both styles but it was far too expensive for me (challenge touring).
I probably would have stayed with above because I think below would not have been able to fit in the door at home. With the severe recline on the seat it does really seem like the bars above are right in my line of site which is why I really need to keep them bare as possible.

[unixpro]

The handles above the bar mean you can have a direct linkage to the front wheel through a headset, just like a Diamond Frame bike. The ones I've seen with below the seat steering require additional linkages. Personally, I keep my seat inclined enough so that I don't have any trouble seeing over the bars. That being said, the only things I have on the bars are two mirrors, a bell, and my 'puter.

Nice looking bike. I'm sure you'll really love it once you get used to everything. I'm riding a Giro 20 for my commuting rig these days. Very sturdy and quick.