Gresp15C

So, I have this issue with my neck, and to aid my recovery, I decided to raise the handlebars on my commuter bikes. Winter bike... install North Road bars and taller stem... check. Now for my summer bike. There's a nice shop in my locale with bins of used parts, and I found this super tall stem with very little reach. Cool.



What a horrible ride! I forgot that the head tube is angled, so raising the bars means moving them back too. I'm sitting almost bolt upright now. Possibly the main drawback is that I get much less efficient use of my legs, especially going up hill. So, I'll chalk this up to experience.

CrankyOne

90% of my riding is sitting upright on Dutch city bikes. Not so good for climbing Mount Ventoux but for all of my transportation it works quite well. Over the years I've found that I like bikes from Workcycles, Azor, and Batavus but I find Gazelle and some others cramped feeling with the handlebars seeming to be too far aft (too close to the seat). You may want to try finding a stem that moves them forward a bit more. Also, I've found that being slightly bent is much less comfortable than fully upright or on road drops. You shouldn't be putting any weight on the bars but simply resting your hands on them for steering.

CrankyOne

BTW, there is considerable difference in Dutch geometry and non-Dutch. A very key element of Dutch geometry is that it aligns your head, neck, back, and sit bone which is both comfortable and more healthy, especially as we age. Pseudo city bikes and cruisers from Electra, Trek, and others don't result in this alignment and are not as comfortable.

mcours2006

I'm trying to do the opposite of what you're doing. My hybrid has a riser bar which is much too upright for my liking. My body feels cramped. I've turned the bar forward to get more reach, and even installed bar ends. Just took it out for a ride today. It felt great.

That's the one thing I've learned over this past year; I don't like the upright riding position. It feels much too restrictive.

Gresp15C

All good points. I'm trying to find a happy medium. I can't ride drops any more, because my neck just doesn't bend that way. Straight bars pound the hell out of my wrists. I like swept upright bars, but still like to reach forward a bit. I lowered the stem on this bike today, we'll see how it goes. The bike was comfortable before my neck started acting up, and I expect in time to have it back to my favored geometry.

kickstart

All my bikes are upright now, my neck and wrists simply won't tolerate drops, low or straight bars. The transition may make hills seem tough, but really you're using different muscles and they need time to get into condition. Search on line, there are fitting guides for upright bikes just like for road bikes, one can't just throw on any old thing and expect it to feel exactly right.

CrankyOne

@kickstart, good point about the different muscles.

kickstart

Did my first decent length ride on my new Gazelle Toer populair t8 today, just shy of 30 miles with plenty of hills, and loved it. Its not a surprise though, as I chose it because it combines all the favorite features of my other 5 bikes in one. The ones sold here in the US come with a longer reach, adjustable stem, making it feel roomier than my Flying Pigeon.
Roadsters, commonly referred to as "Dutch" bikes got a bad rep here in the US because 5-10 years ago they were trendy, meaning they were bought by the wrong people for the wrong reason and rarely ridden, being used as an expensive toy to be seen on, rather than for serious transportation. Ironically the Seattle Dutch Bike Co no longer stocks Dutch bikes, and I had to order one from Calhoun cycles in Madison Wi.

FanaticMN

You might be better off with a larger frame to get more elbow room. From the height of your seat, it looks like you could go a size up.