dougphoto

So Even though I'm only 52 arthritis in my hands and some other issues have made riding super painful, and I don't want to take to live pain medication. Sooooo I've been thinking recumbent or a more upright city bike. My concerns are with a more upright style city bike type, A. heavy and slow, B. I don't think I'm old enough for a city type bike. With a recumbent A. I live in a very high traffic area, so will people see me? and B. I wonder how long it will take to get used to riding one.

njkayaker

Upright doesn't have to be "heavy and slow".

downtube42

Not all recumbents are equal. Low racer, high racer, 26/26, 26/20, etc. Difference in rider height and maneuverability vary greatly. Tradeoffs are typically around performance.

As far as learning curve, if you're committed you can get comfortable in a couple hundred miles. The more you work at it, with dedicated low speed practice sessions for example, the quicker that will occur. It takes a season of riding to fully adapt.

Ken

seypat

Racing trike, with one of those orange flags?

Tomm Willians

If you’re happy with your current bike (except position) perhaps use a riser stem?

koala logs

It's easy to make recumbent highly visible with pole and brightly colored flags and/or lights.

But my main fear about recumbents is getting under a vehicle in an accident. That said, crashing on a recumbent without involving a vehicle is actually safer than upright bikes since there is less height for you to fall to the ground. The low riding height would also make it more stable.

curbtender

There is a recumbent bike group that rides on a regular basis near me. Some of them have 700 wheels that sit pretty tall. My only venture into a recumbent had underseat steering. I just couldn't get used to it. They have a lot of flat bar adventure bikes available now that might be worth checking out.

beng1

Try cutting all sugar out of your diet except what is natural and see if your arthritis goes away. No soda, beer, cake, pie, candy-bars, energy bars, no anything with sugar, corn-syrup etc. as one of the main ingredients. Eat apples and other fruit for sugar. Most arthritis is greatly magnified by poor lifestyle choices. Both of my parents have bad arthritis in their mid-80s but have had it for decades, twisting their fingers and feet and making them wince with pain. I know I have it too, and if I eat crappy food and sit on my butt it pops up, but if I eat mainly a fruit, vegetable diet and keep on moving it disappears and I don't even think about it at all.

big john

What are you riding now and what is the position like?

chaadster

I’m also 52 and I’ve had great success using weed cream, with both THC and CBD, on my arthritic knees, so that may be something to look into for managing the pain and allowing you to continue riding on your current bike.

Also, my arthritis came on strong initially, but has ameliorated over the years, and I seem not to get the really debilitating and painful flareups I once did. Dunno if this is a newish thing for you and whether you can look forward to the possibility of a similar trajectory, but I hope so.

beng1

I am usually always down on the drops, because the brakes do not work well enough with the upper levers to do any good. I will have to work on that someday when I get a chance. I am sixty years old.

BTinNYC 

Change your bars and hand grips to something comfortable. They don't have to be set to a totally upright ride position.

(Keep getting your arthritis advice from your Rheumatologist.)

timdow

What are you currently riding? I cannot put weight on my wrists due to nerve damage there. I opted for a bike with a sloping top tube and put a higher stem on it. That got the bars significantly above the seat. Disc brakes help me a lot, also. Ditto to drop bars where I can ride with a light touch in the hoods. There are lots of options, including but certainly not limited to a hybrid.

dougphoto

I'm currently riding a GT Grade carbon, It's a gravel bike so it's not as aggressive as a regular road bike and it has 32mm tires so it's much softer than a traditional road bike.

big john

By the position of the saddle it seems the top tube is too long for you. If you want to try and fix it up without spending a lot you could try a tall Nitto stem. A tall, short stem will bring the bar up and back toward you.
Reposition the brake levers up a bit and get some padded bar tape. I've even double wrapped the bar tape on a stiff riding bike.

Some new pads and maybe even new cables will probably help the brakes a bit.

Also, work on supporting your upper body with your core muscles instead of leaning on your hands so much. You should be able to motor along with just a light pressure on your hands, even ride with your hands just "floating" above the bars.

big john

I just realized I responded to a different poster but the "light touch" on the bar thing still applies. How is your bike set up? Are you stretched out too much?
You should be able to ride with your elbows bent.

dougphoto

It's fit well, more for comfort than speed for sure

big john

Here is a quill stem touring bike with a tall Nitto stem. It brought the bar up a few inches from where it was. I sold the bike last year.

big john

I worked as a car mechanic so I had hand and wrist pain over the years. While I was still working I had to run hot water over my hands in the morning. Several years ago I kept a slab of gel inside my left glove. Sometimes I would tape my wrist and I used double tape on the bar. Lately it is much better. I retired in 2019 and my position on the bike is better for my hands.

xseal

When I’m not in a hurry, I ride my fat bike to work. Nothing better than passing a roadie on 27.5x4.5 tires. They are fun to ride, always get kids pointing at them and super comfortable.

and get these grips.
https://www.rei.com/product/884444/e...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

dougphoto

Last summer I rode all summer with a small piece of pipe insulation around my brake hoods.

GhostRider62

On a recumbent you are around 42 inches off the ground or the height of a child and maybe 50-60 inches off the ground on an upright. Do cars not see children due to height?

I am faster on my recumbent compared to an upright city type bike ......over all types of terrain. I am slower on hilly routes compared to a racing bike. I do not find an upright city type bike to necessarily be easier on hands. That is a complicated thing to resolve.

Motorists have tended to give me a wider berth on my bent, I suppose they assume I am disabled or really uncool bias being what it is.

It took me a lot longer to get comfortable on my bent BUT I started with a racing style recumbent that is very hard to ride. There are all sorts of bents, some easier to ride than others.

dougphoto

Excellent, things seem to be pointing to a bent

t2p

funny thing - those ergo grips that most rave about are one of the only grips that bother me

they bother me when I ride - and bother me when I'm moving a bike around and the extended part of the grip gets caught on something ... ughhh !

many love them - but there will be no endorsement from me lol

t2p

yikes

if the fit of your current bike is good - doubt a move to a city bike / hybrid will provide much relief (?)

and some will find a flat bar bike less comfortable than a road bike with drop bars because the drop bars provide additional hand positions)