bolt--upright lightweight diamond frameset or complete bike?
 

I'm thinking about switching back to uprights from an underseat-steering recumbent and wonder if I can get a lightweight "Dutch" bike. I don't need fenders or a chaincase. I'd like a lighter weight cromoly or aluminum frame. I prefer a derailleur to hub gears.

Lovely Bicycle covers the uprightness range nicely.

The Breezer Uptown EX is interesting, but it's more of an English 3-speed geometry. I'm looking to put no weight on my hands. I know it'll slow my (11 mi. each way) commute down with the terrible aerodynamics, but I'm still willing to try it. If it's just too slow, I'll still have a nice bike for neighborhood grocery runs.

A bike with a quill stem could be changed a bit with a super-tall stem like the Nitto Periscopa and I could reverse the seat post to get the pedals closer to the bars, but many of the almost-Dutch bikes use threadless headsets. Threadless extenders don't seem to come long enough to fully Dutch-ify.

Even some of the Dutch bikes only come with the handlebars sky high on the loop frames with the "opas" a little less upright.

I'm 6'3" with a 36 inch inseam, so sky high (elbow hight when standing) handlebars is *really* high.

Moved from General at OP request. Help him out, folks. :D

Cushy saddle and hi rise handlebars should work on just about any bike.

Traditional Dutch bikes have rather low angled head and seat posts,
but they are not lightweight frames.
[OTOH, they have been serviceable for a couple generations]

lightweight diamond sport riding frames have a steeper seat tube..

One of the pieces Clever Cycles, PDX actual NL bike importer,
(they will sell and ship one)
and Brompton folding bike dealer,
say they do is to add a Brompton part, Saddle Adapter Pin atop a standard
stepped down [7/8" top] seat post.. the SAP provides a horizontal tube also 22.2..

then the saddle clip is attached to the SAP,, which , pointing backwards,
gives you a couple inches..

Tall frame the angle change will be less, obviously, than a shorter frame.

Oh yea, there are still 'apehanger' handlebars made and sold in bike shops.

my late father another 6'3" had a bike with bars like that..
[I think he got it late, type II diabetes had already done in the nerves in his feet.]

perhaps less driving, more bike riding would have delayed the onset..

I keep pedaling to prove my theory, to myself..

Ape hangers may be the ticket, if you don't mind the result looking odd. :thumb:

I,too, can't have pressure on my hands or wrist when I ride. I found that these bars with a 11" Wald stem are just the ticket for "resting" my hands with NO pressure at all.

http://www.amazon.com/Nirve-Cruiser-...cle+handlebars

http://www.amazon.com/Wald-Steel-Qui...ords=wald+stem

This bike almost fits your desire; put those bars Nightshade recommends and it would be pretty close (only 2-speeds though). My point, though, is you can take a tall diamond frame and cruiserize it. With cork grips and the long, wide bars, there is almost no shock into my wrists.

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...n/103_4527.jpg

The breezer uptown is more upright than a typical British 3 speed. The old British light roadsters basically have the tops of the handlebars level with the top of the seat.

You can adapt an old three speed by using a longer stem if you need to be more upright than that. I have an 11" stem on my grocery-getter/beater:
http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q...rang/wald1.jpg

And I still have about 3" of height I'm not using.

I don't know why you want to have no weight on your hands for, but I personally need to be leaned even just a tad forward to save my butt and back. The grips I'm using on that bike allow me to grab the handlebars by the ends if I want to sit completely upright, but I generally do not ride like that.

Thanks all. I hadn't really been thinking flexibly, but now I've got a lot more ideas. Somehow I convinced myself the Breezer Uptown has a threadless headset, but it's threaded so a Periscopa and longer reach handlebars would work.

Ape hangers are a great idea. I like this example. Rans even makes a 3-way "chopper" bar adjustable for rise, reach and angle.

The no weight thing is because of repetitive strain injury from typing w/ bad posture & switching from electric to acoustic guitar.