Bar Position Critical As I Age
 

To day over did it and ran off into dirt at high speed - Held up the bike but during severe bumping in the dirt I knocked my bull horn handle bars down a bit - Just about 3 degrees down - But low and behold it made things so very much uncomfortable - As a younger rider I never really had problems if things were off a bit but today I experienced back pain, shoulder pain, upper body discomfort till I stopped and got the bars tilled up where I had them before - Wow - At 57 I'm feeling really old...

Still - It was a good ride...

I'm 57 too and am having problems that I never had before too.

As for bike comfort problems, I recommend getting a prescription of Viagra and staying home.

I'm also 57, and have had lumbar and cervical disc issues for a few years. After a lifetime of riding my road bike, I spent about 5 years riding only my mountain bike, and when I returned to the road bike the posture felt real uncomfortable. I'm gradually working back to that style of riding with the help of a much taller stem, but I know that proper fit is much more crucial to me now than it ever was when I was a kid (and by "kid," I mean in my 20s and 30s). Consequently the new bike is coming from a shop that's known for being fit fanatics, and who include a 2-3 hour fitting in the cost of every bike they sell. Oh, and the new bike is one of the "endurance" types with taller head tubes.

zandoval, I never had any of my road bikes set up very aggresively due to a childhood back injury, which maybe the reason they're mostly the same as 20-30 years ago. Possibly another reason is that in spite of some periods of non riding, I wasn't off the bike for too long.

After the touring bike build earlier this year I do feel that I have a narrower range of fit tolerance than I did when I was younger.

Brad

57 here too.... next month.
I've discovered on my various motorcycles over the years, that handlebar position, wrist angle, and the amount I lean forward is CRITICAL for comfort for the long haul. I coupled what I figured out about motorcycle seating/handlebar-position.... with bicycle 'textbook' handlebar & seat position, and concluded that the first 300 miles on my new bike just wasn't 'correct'.

After replacing the stem with something half the length, and getting rid of the 'too narrow' handlebars for something more appropriate for my wide shoulders, my ride is MUCH improved. I am no longer hyperextending my arms to reach for my bars, and I now have a little more bounce/flex in my lower-back to absorb the bumps. I opt'ed to angle my drop-downs such that they more resemble a "touring" set-up. With time, I will lose weight and gain flexibility, gradually dropping my handlebar height until I am comfortable to reach for the drop-downs.

Got up last night to garage check my bike at 01:30 - It seemed strange to me that my heavy duty stem and bull horns would bend down 3 degrees and set my ride so bad - Had I bent my frame tubes - Was my fork bent back - Was my head set crushed - After an exam nothing was bent - Reset and checked every thing again - Then came back inside to put on my shoes and go for a 03:00 AM night ride - IT WAS WONDERFUL!!!

OK - I feel better now - My baby is OK - And I'm just getting old...

Yeah, I myself would have been more uncomfortable about this.:D

Plus, hitting a bumpy road shouldn't move your handlebars. I'd loosen the stem, remove bars, clean etc then reconnect making sure I got a good safe connection. ;)