Originally Posted by
RobertHurst
I'm one of those guys who can ride all day with no hands, going around corners and such. I don't recommend it for a long ride. Putting some of the weight on the hands is much more comfortable, not to mention a lot easier.
I can also ride a bike without hands. As a kid, I did it a lot. As an adult, not so much. I prefer the stability of three points of contact. I also prefer having immediate access to my front brake. Somewhere along the line, I was living in a jurisdiction that required at least one hand on the handlebar at all times. That's pretty much how I ride on the street.
Originally Posted by
RobertHurst
Yes and the rest of the weight should be distributed between the rear and the hands. But Dutch bikes and 'comfort bikes' tend to have very wide cushy seats which actually makes it more difficult to use the seat properly. Good luck to you not distributing weight to the hands but somehow not distributing too much to your rear. It doesn't really work like that. The most comfortable riding position is a bit more stretched out than the masses realize.
Ideally, for comfort, the hands are used for stability rather than bearing weight. Riding upright has the additional benefit of taking advantage of the spine's natural shock absorbing properties. I suppose many American riders might find such a non-aggressive posture unsatisfying, given the general lack of consideration bikes are given in transportation planning.
Saddle preference is a very personal thing on any kind of bike. Find what works best for you, just like you would on any other bike.
Originally Posted by
RobertHurst
The most comfortable riding position is a bit more stretched out than the masses realize.
It's riding a bike, not practicing yoga. The "masses" seem to be a bit more knowledgeable than you.
Originally Posted by
RobertHurst
You are talking about different hand heights, nothing else. Just put riser bars on a road bike and you'll have the low rolling resistance of a road machine with the ill-advised hand position that you love.
Uh … thanks but no. I prefer the clearance for fenders and wider, more comfortable tires (which provide much lower rolling resistance in the real-world than hard skinny tires). For a commuting bike (as opposed to a recreational bike), bearing little, if any, weight on the hands eliminates the need for multiple hand positions.
For an awful lot of people out there, the difference in the time it takes to ride to school or work at 12 mph or at 22 mph isn't enough to impact their day one way or the other. Not everyone wants to turn their commute into a workout. Fortunately, there are bikes designed for those people. Unfortunately, they aren't widely available in the USA. Yet, it seems pretty clear that, in places where bicycles have a high modal share, comfortable upright bikes are quite popular. I
seriously doubt that your personal knowledge of transportation cycling exceeds that of the collective populations of such places.