Originally Posted by
ellaryk
I have a 40 year old Raleigh racer with 27" wheels that I'm trying to use and make comfortable. I'm 72 and very fit but have a bad back.
I am replacing the racing seat with a wider seat so I can avoid groin discomfort.
I have raised the handlebars so I don't have to lean over so much but with the racing handlebars I'm still leaning forward about 20 degrees from vertical. On a long ride this puts a lot of strain on my arms.
Can I replace the handlebars with standard handlebars? Is the only limitation the length of the brake cables? Any recommendations on this?
A more radical change would be to upgrade the derailleur system. Mine has levers that are attached to the handlebar post. No numbers. Shifting is done by feel. This isn't a comfort issue but a convenience issue. Am I right in assuming an upgrade would require replacing the derailleurs and cables?
Thanks.
It's very possible to get this bike set up differently so that you are more comfortable on it. Pics of your bike (especially of the drive side showing the complete bike) would be a big help but the site will not let you post pics until you have 10 posts. You can upload pics to your profile and someone will post the pics to the thread.
I'm a fan of trekking or butterfly bars. Just think of them as a drop bar squished sort of flat. You will have to replace some parts to make this work (you will need new brake levers and thumb shifters plus the right cables). If you can do your own work, that will keep the costs down. These are the trekking bars on my Trek 950 to show you what they look like. That's an old school mountain bike but it will work on a road bike as well.
