Originally Posted by
Corgi
Anyway, I'm worried about the constant leaning forward positon that it seems like you have to hold on most bikes (I haven't been on a bike since I was about 10), is most of the weight on your arms/shoulders,
No. Most of your weight is supported by reaction forces pedaling or your core muscles.
or do you have to use your lower back muscles a lot?
Yes.
Has anybody on the forum had a herniated disk and found it affects riding?
Mine (L4-L5) became asymptomatic after a while, and until then I rode a cheap fitness bike.
As far as bikes go, I'm not sure what kind I should be looking at. I will be mainly riding on the road, but will also need to go on some gravel/rocky roads and I will be pulling a trailer most of the time. And suggestions on what type of bike I should look into would be great as well.
Gravel grinder with a triple crank (your power to weight ratio will stink with a loaded trailer, a compact double low gear like 34x34 is far from the 26x34 you could run on a road triple), and higher closer handlebars.