Got back into biking last year after a decades long absence & did, indeed, replicate the feelings I had cycling at 17..... after 15 minutes of exhilaration, the hunched over riding position, pressure on my wrists, shoulders, back, & rear end was already compromising my pleasure. The freedom biking afforded, & getting to where I was going (ball games, friends houses, candy store, etc.) was the primary joy of biking for me. Obtaining a car pretty much ended that phase of my life.
After a frustrating season fruitlessly attempting to convert a couple of diamond frame bikes into what I consider to be a "comfortable" mount, I lucked out with the discovery of my current semi-recumbent/extreme crank forward marvels, a Rans Cruz & a Rans Fusion..... now I feel like I wish I would have felt riding at 17..... had this been the case, I would never have stopped initially.