Commuting - Upright position for commuting?

I like commuting on my Bianchi road bike, but I can see a benefit in a more upright riding position, especially as I cruise through our downtown area. I much prefer a road bike geometry for riding over a mtn bike position unless I'm off road.

Have any of you made modifications to a more upright riding position for your commute bike and if so, did you regret it?

I ride a Bianchi Volpe, which has the advantage of having a +10 rise stem which gives a little more comfort as far as looking ahead for traffic w/o straining the neck.
I have even adjusted the drop bar in a way that allows me to have a happy medium of aerodynamics (not quite upright) and visual ease.
With my Vigorelly is a different story, because of the 90 degree stem, the position is alittle more aggresive, but then again I just ride it on weekeends or so.
Corsaire

There is no obligation to ride a particular style of bike in a particular position.

I use a road bike in a more touring kind of position, with a shortish stem, set just below the saddle. I also use a post with an in-line clamp, and my saddle quite far forward. Its cheaper than a custom frame, for my odly proportioned legs.

I ride cruiser style on an Austro-Daimler frame - swept back handlebars and a sprung saddle well below handelbar height... its a single speed and pretty light and rolls real nice with the 700c 23mm tires -- with a pannier rack in the back and a basket in the front and a nice stiff ISIS crankset. For flat land and little wind its pretty nifty - especially in winter when clothing is generally a little more restrictive. I have a short ride though - about 2.5 miles each way - but its also the cycle I use to get all over Boston/Cambridge/Somerville... actually right now its the only bicycle I have that is operational. I blow by most of the people on the ride to and from work to boot. Its a franken-bike that NO ONE would look twice at.

My bike (Giant OCR 3) is a road bike, but in addition to brake levers in the standard position it also has them along the horizontal part on the top. This way I can sit up straight and still brake. Nice feature. I don't think it's standard, although the bike shop where I got it just had the bike sitting around configured in this way.

Tim

You can get taller stems so the road bars are at or near saddle height, it makes for a more comfortable commute & it's not as likely to give a sore back after a long ride. I have some of my bikes setup that way, add a Brooks saddle & you can rack up the miles in relative comfort. Don

I use my mountain bike with flat bars and two sets of bar ends. One set points forward and is mounted toward the stem, to nearly simulate the width of road bars. The second set of bar ends is mounted about a thumb's width outside the first set, and they point back to mimic a swept-bar. This setup gives me lots of options including the upright riding position, the feel of a road bar, and the standard flat bar hand position for confident braking in tricky situations.

All my bikes end up set for a upright position most of the time. Including my fixed gear. I just find it more comfortable, since most of my trips are done at a leisurely pace.

I personally like northroad bars quite a bit. They have a modest rise, but do sweep back significantly. A couple of my bikes have rather long stems and northroad bars, allowing for a bolt-upright position.

In such a upright position, I find I prefer a wider, sprung saddle for most comfort. I have no particular brand recommendations, mine are mostly cheap and functional.

Also, in such a upright position, I find multiple hand positions are less critical, as less weight is put on the hands.

A couple other bikes have riser bars of various heights up to about 5". My fixed gear usually has a riser bar about 3" tall and a very short reach steel stem. Originally a road bike, the current setup puts me in a more comfortable position.

Steel is my friend. The extra long stems I use are chrome steel. One is a Wald, the other a similar Taiwanese model. Also Wald handlebars. All cheap and durable, which count for a lot in my book.

I feel so dumb for not thinking of what several here suggest. A higher stem.

Mine's a quill stem so it should be easy to do!

I guess I was thinking of a different handlebar and trying to reinvent the wheel.

Thanks.

Yesterday I ordered an adjustable stem from my LBS. I like riding in a more upright postion. With the adjustable stem, you can set the handlebars to the height that suits your riding, for any particular day/ride. When I go to pick it up Saturday, I'll also be replacing my saddle for one with more padding/comfort. For me, the more comfortable I am riding, the more I ride.