Hey everyone,

So I have been conflicted. I have always have road bikes since I was a teen. This summer I was hit by a car while biking to work which left me with a broken arm. Since then I have really been thinking about sitting more upright. The other month though, my main do everything semi-touring commuter bike was stolen (it was gorgeous). Since then I bought a Trek 420 sport touring road bike and a Schwinn Crisscross 90s hybrid bike. Im building the Trek with a back rack for groceries and using it for going on longer rides around the city. The Schwinn I’m building as a casual city beater bike with a small front basket, wider tires and commuter handlebars (maybe even only a rear derailleur).

My main biking is done around the city, I am a true commuter. I don’t go on long tours or races or nothing like that. I live in the city of Detroit where there are no hills, wide streets, long distances and no cars. This being said keep in mind I rarely exceed +25 miles in a ride (although my weekend rides are around 15-20miles).

I am interested on how I can make my posture more upright on the Trek 420 road bike while keeping an aggressive posture available for when there are head winds. What got me started about the handlebars were mustache bars which I had the pleasure of trying out on someones bike and I quite enjoyed them for city riding. So I have been wondering what I can do to my Trek since I NEVER use the drops and pretty much leave my hands at the conners where the first bend starts (from flat bar to bar end spots) unless I have to break or cut through wind.

These are the options I thought would solve my issue:

1) Taller stem: Get a new stem that brings the drop downs to the height of the seat. Probably the cheapest of the options. The idea would just bring up everything, making the flat bar spot more upright and everything else less aggressive.

2) Mustache Handlebar: What got me into this conflict. Taller & shorter stem and mustache handlebars. No new brake would be needed. Although what I have been reading online this may not make me anymore upright than drop bars. I like the idea of getting away from the drop bar style as well (from a purely vanity stand point).

3) Inverted Albatross/North Road/Swept back bars: This is where I have been leaning. Taller stem and the bars. Will this setup lift me up at all? I know it would bring me closer (un-stretch me). Can you use the bends like mustache bar (as in does it feel alright to do)? It would look cool and provide more leverage as my current drops are really narrow.


I am bring this to you all because Im in a pickle for ordering and sizes. My drop and trekker bar (on my schwinn) are both 25.4mm diameters (as well as the stem I have with them obviously). I would like to just order a taller stem and see if that fixes the problem but if i were to get the inverted swept back bars then id probably go with 26mm diameter cause it cheaper (the mustache can be found in either 25.4 or 26 for reasonably cheap prices). So I don’t want to have to order two stems and not use one. Also as I said, part of me wants a style change but I don’t know if inverted swept backs are actually enjoyable to ride with or just look nice. I did always figure if I didn’t like the inverted swept backs I could always use them right side up on my schwinn hybrid.

What do you think my best course of action would be? New bars or old bars? Mustache or swept backs?

-Aaron