Thank you so much for your detailed and exhasustive post. With my Giant-Sedona (17 years old) but good durable bike, I definately need to change hadlebars. It has the short straight out, big tappered bars and they added another pair which branches forward about 3-4 in. and then parallels the original (probably for standing on pedal maneuvers) but none that go way out so you can lay down and stop making a sail out of your body. This would help on relieving weight pressure and I actually find it better to slide back on my seat significantly to get the most power out of my pedaling, so for me a set back could have a two fold benefit. My hands get so numb I lose feeling and can't maintain a hold of bars or shift gears and that is with moving hands around constanly and putting them down at side periodically and shaking them out.