Originally Posted by I-Like-To-Bike
Are you sure you want your hand position lower? The picture looks like the handlebars are far lower (in comparison to the seat hight) than normally set up on a bike of this type. I f it were my bike I'd raise the current handlebars at least 3" or 4", replace nothing and see if it feels comfortable for my use. I suggest you try the same. If replacing anything try a Brooks B66/67 saddle on a bike with the handlebar and seat set at approximately the same height. Not the racer's edge position but is a good one for comfort and reasonable performance on a bike that you presumably bought for its comfort and practiability advantages. If you want to convert the bike to a racing/roadie style bike, consider trading it in for what you really want.
I see where you are coming from. I raised the bars as high as they can go (pulled em up to the "min safe" mark). They are still a tad lower than the seat. This is an XL frame, and I'm a tall rider (6'4"). I definitely don't want to convert this into a racing/roadie style bike, just looking for ways to extend it's utilitarian use by giving it an extended range comfort. My thinking is that by getting my butt off the seat a little and spreading my weight over my hands and legs a bit more I could ride longer distances without comfort issues.
The sprung brooks saddle sounds like an interesting option. Would it matter that my bars at max extension are slightly lower than the seat? I'm not too terribly fond of this super plush saddle on the Breezer. It seems to have a lot of "cushion give" and on top of the play in the suspension post it changes my stroke enough for me to notice. I often have to get off the seat to "reset" the post. I've requested a "heavy spring" set from Breezer, and I've put some pre-load on the spring and tightened the bearing ring a bit to combat this for now. Why Breezer includes a spring made for 160-180lb riders on an XL frame is beyond me...
Maybe it's not that I need to get lower, it's just that I need to stretch out and get forward? Would this pull some weight off the seat? Any suggestions for acheiving this? My saddle position seems right, putting my knees in the correct position over the end of the cranks, ect. I still need to get out a string and weight to check this, but it feels right and I don't have any discomfort in my legs or knees.
I'm exploring all options to get to my goal, making the ride a bit less "butt heavy," and gaining a little comfort for longer rides in town. As mentioned above, the bike is very comfortable for short distances, I just get a bit uncomfortable anytime I'm on it longer than 30 mins.