Originally Posted by
staehpj1
I won't speak to what is "generally the rule". I will say that the same aggressive position that I have on my road bike is what I prefer on my touring bike. For me that means bars 4-5" below the saddle and knees over the spindle. In my experience it is most comfortable for long days day after day.
I don't get how folks ride upright for comfort and then have more weight on the saddle and road shock going up the spine as a result. To me that is not comfortable. Others find it works for them.
This, plus don't change the saddle-pedal relationship for any reason, once you find the one that works for you. That's identical for me between my two bikes. My tour bike is set up with the bars 1cm below the saddle, my roadie the bars are 2cm below the saddle (I'm quite short, so that is actually a drop for me). This difference is unintentional and honestly, not noticeable amongst the rest of the very different handling feel between the two bikes.
Like staehpj1, when I tour, I'm riding fairly hard quite a bit of the time, not toodling along craning my neck "smelling the roses." I ride in the drops fairly often, stand up, attack hills and hammer.... of course, all at a glacial speed due to the heavy bike, but I'm still riding more like a roadie than a tourist.