Originally Posted by atomship47
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so how do you know if a particular bike is going to be comfortable on a century if you've never tried it? also, how does relaxed vs. aggressive geometry enter into the picture? some of the bikes pictured appear to be set up for more aggressive riding.
Personnally I am not clear yet how "aggressive" a position I prefer. I have ridden quite a few centuries on bikes where the handlebars were a few cm lower than the saddle, a setup I would qualify as "rather aggressive". I have recently bought a dedicated randonneur bike which is less so, with bars almost level with the saddle. I am not actually sure I prefer this more relaxed position. It could be that because my hands are higher I put more weight on them, it is hard to explain. It could also be that the manufacturer (despite his great reputation and undisputed experience) laid the cables in an inadequate location along the bar, meaning that my hands don't rest on the nice flat surface that is normally provided by Campagnolo levers. One of these days I will probably try redo the cable routing and taping - I hate that - and see if it improves.
One advantage of these highish bars is that I can ride on the drops without feeling too cramped.