Originally Posted by
achoo
Hmmm, is a straight bar on the same geometry really going to be more comfortable? Your hands are going to be about the same place as they would be if you had your hands on the tops of the drop bar, just wider. And don't forget straight bars only have one hand position, all of them uncomfortable after a long enough time on the bike.
Can you get a higher/longer quill stem and redo the geometry to get a more upright posture? Maybe all you'd need to do is move the saddle forward a bit to go with the higher bar position.
That way you wouldn't have to get all new shifters and/or brake levers.
I'm mainly looking for a wider bar. The one i currently have has the brakes also on the horizontal part of the bar, so i hold it there most of the time, but it is way too narrow. I don't feel stable when holding it there and when i use the drop bars it is not very comfortable and i still have the narrow issue. I just want some normal flat bars with brakes on there so that I can hold on to those at all times, whether i'm going downhill or if i'm just cruising around campus. I only ride my bike to school and back so I don't stay on the bike for too long; that's why I think that the flat bars will be much more practical for me. Perhaps relocating the shifters would be helpful as well, because now i have to release one hand while i'm riding to switch gears (which i know is common for people who like riding older bikes), but it is just not practical for me.