Originally Posted by
dualresponse
I'm betting he's going to get another suspension fork, and that's fine!
Ironically, I've found my upright bars on my dolled up schwinn to be the best for absorbing gravel, and washboard. They work better than the specialized suspension stems. Just showing for info. Top of the mountain with a bunch of fireroads to get there. As pictured, the bike was heavy as was, and would need more weight reduction for longer distances. Gratuitous Pic from last weekend.
My back doesn't take well to a position that upright on any rough surfaces (or any riding really). I can see where it works great for some folks though. I rode with narrow flat bars very low in my MTB racing days, but these days I find comfort with wider flat bars just a little higher on my newer MTB (front suspension only). I figure I could tour in reasonable comfort on that newer bike.
I do still ride the old rigid MTB with the very low (~4" below the saddle same as my road bike) bars, but it has drops on it these days. I ride moderate trails with it including some single track and have used it for a mixed surface tour and to run errands. I still like it.
I have toured on old road race bikes aggressive posture setups as well and found I liked that as well. At 71 I am not sure if I will start to get too old for that or am too old to change
