Originally Posted by
CliffordK
It also may not hurt to talk to a bike fitter, even with a road bike.
You're supposed to get a fair amount of support with core muscles and ride fairly light on the bars.
So things like moving the seat back or raising the bars some might make a significant difference.
And, of course, pay attention to your body. If something doesn't feel right, find a better grip (or ride one handed for a bit).
But, I'd also encourage starting slowly, so with either the recumbent or the tadpole.
This ^^^. A fitter may suggest moving the drop bars to a different position (up/down, forward/backward), maybe some wider bars, or maybe a new type of bar like a flat bar or riser bar (think BMX handlebars but with a smaller rise), or some of the different bars shown in the posts above. I've got two 'regular rider' bicycles and one has flat bars, the other drop bars. Both are comfortable to ride up to 25 miles, but the drop bar wins at anything over 25 miles just due to the ability to vary my hand positions. FWIW: The flat bar is a 'BMX-style riser, about 4 inches of rise, and puts my hands above the level of the seat by about 2 inches. The drop bar is about even with the seat and is 46cm wide, very shallow drop.