My new Giant is giving me a little neck stain. My older Jamis does not even though when I measure distances on the two bikes they are extremely close. I finally realized the big difference between the two bikes is the "flat bar" vs. the "city bar". The Giant spreads my hands out further and turns my hands differently. My Jamis places my hands closer together and angles my hands inwards. For me, it would seem to make a great deal of difference. However I have realized I need to train my posture and adjust. I love both bikes and I will build up stamina and adjust.
That being said, I have considered the idea of shortening the bars on my Giant. I might cut a half inch off on both sides just to see what happens...
Originally Posted by
chikon2000
# 4 is really the big issue for me. In hindsight, my neck was kept tight and my shoulders were tense. My previous bike had curved, "city bike' handlebars so this was never an issue for me. But my saddle was definitely too high, and adjusting it has helped some. I may need to raise the stem a little as well. You're right, though, that mindfulness about posture (i.e., note tensing up) is perhaps the best prescription.