Originally Posted by Retro Grouch

I do still ride my diamond frame beater bike but I had to raise the handlebar due to upper back and neck pain. Another issue is range of motion in the bad leg. My 175 mm crankset is right at the limit of what I'm able to tolerate. I'm on the lookout for a low cost, black, triple crankset with 165 mm arms. If I ever find one, that'll mean raising my saddle another 1/2 inch which I don't really want to do.

The recumbent question is a double edge sword. Plusses are comfort, zero pressure on my elbows, and a more natural feel to my neck and upper back. I really like it for those reasons. Negatives are it is a new skill that I had to learn at a time when my anxieties made that more difficult. The process of putting down a foot is a much bigger deal than on a diamond frame bike. Also, looking to the sides at intersections is more difficult because it's harder to twist my torso. The negatives have definitely hindered the recovery of my confidence. Knowing what I know today, however, for my kind of riding I wish that I had taken up recumbents a long time ago.