Originally Posted by
woodcraft
Lowering the seat to get an upright position would make for unhappy legs. An adjustable or high-rise stem is better.
One of the benefits of modern bikes is that with integrated shifters, you don't have to take your hand off the bar to shift,
arguably making the ride more stable and secure, especially in traffic.
The older active folks that I'm around don't talk about their age
you have to pry it out of them, or see it on the double century finishing roster etc. that they are well into their 70s.
Hmmmm... Take a look at my C&V 1985 Fuji. Look closely at the seat height, handlebars and stem, and see how close they are in relation to one another. The bottom of the seat is just about the same height as the top of the bars. Then again, we're going back 31 years in technology. The old Fuji weighs in around 24 pounds, quad butted steel tubing, Suntour components, etc... To me, it is a very comfortable ride, even if it is built like a tank. It would take a few rides to get the hang of STI shifters, and adjust to a very lightweight bike at like 16 or 17 pounds if that.