huffman 

I'm wanting to replace my 2002 Litespeed Arenberg with a new bike but want a more upright seating position & larger tires for comfort. Have already raised the stem & lowered my tire pressure. Can I determine how relaxed the bikes seating position is based on measurements? Not sure I can get much more relaxed than the Arenberg. Test riding is out of the question for several of the bikes I'm considering. I'm sure there is not an easy answer but throwing it out there hoping something sticks. Looking at gravel bikes with a more road leaning for riding. Want to start riding at a cabin near Clarksville, VA. Need something that can handle 1 mile of coarse gravel to get me to the main roads paved with loose chip & seal. Most of my riding will still be on fairly good roads. The largest tire I can run now is a 25 & it rubs in the back when out of the saddle. Once I decide on something will try & test ride but if I get another Litespeed going to have to go with what they recommend. and hope it works when it arrives.

terrymorse 

Can you determine the measurements of your existing bike? Yes, of course.

But what does "relaxed" mean to you? Is it how far behind the crank spindle the saddle sits? Measure it. A saddle that's farther behind the crank spindle is considered more "relaxed".

Is it how far from the saddle nose the bars are? Measure that. Bars that are closer to the saddle nose may feel more "relaxed" to you, since you won't be as stretched out.

Is it how much below (above) the saddle the bars are? Measure that, too. Since you report wanting a more upright position, this may be the most important measurement for you.

davester

What Terry said. The fore-aft saddle position is especially important. Many people ignore this adjustment, or worse, slide the saddle forward so they'll be closer to the bars, which results in distributing more of the rider's weight to the handlebars which is the opposite of relaxed. The more appropriate adjustment for reach is to change the stem length and height.

Classtime 

You should consider a 650b Wheel set and long reach brakes for your Litespeed. Some newer bars have a shorter reach, you can get a shorter stem and there are ways to raise your bars more.

Leisesturm

"A more relaxed position" and the drop-bar road bike platform are mutually exclusive. Short of (IMO) silly and dangerous measures like flipping the bars on a road bike, the only way to achieve a more relaxed riding position is to purchase a hybrid! Gravel bikes take bigger tires, but they are still drop-bar road bikes at the end of the day. I make a distinction between moving a saddle 15mm front or back or getting a 20mm shorter stem to fine tune position on a drop-bar road bike and purchasing a different kind of bike for a different (very) rider position. The o.p. needs to decide whether they really only need to tweak a drop-bar riding position or whether they want to sit up on a hybrid or flat-bar road bike.

BTinNYC 

I think an all-rounder flat bar bike like the Canyon Pathlite would be where to look. Most manufacturers have a similar bike.

terrymorse 

I disagree. There's a wide range of positions between "aggressive race bike" and "upright beach cruiser". The best bike style for you depends on how relaxed you want to be.

Road bikes with relaxed geometry exist, and are typically referred to as "endurance road bikes". They're not the upright, most of your weight on your butt bikes, nor do they offer stretched out positions with big bar drops of a go fast race bike. They are in between the two extremes.

Endurance bikes have shorter top tubes and taller head tubes. Less reach, more stack.

As Cycling Weekly writes:

Leisesturm

Noted. But, just saying, I followed the links in the quote and, God help me, I saw the same bike. I don't think I will be the only one. But you and the o.p. probably would think there is something to be gained in centimeters here and there of tweak in the drop-bar configuration. The rest of us get a hybrid when we want a "more upright seating position". <shrug>.

oldbobcat

I don't know how you're sitting on the Litespeed. But generally, an "endurance" road bike, with a longer head tube, shorter top tube, and slacker steering axis, can serve as your last stop before giving up on drop bars. I don't know how old your Litespeed is, but if it's more than a decade old and it has the original handlebar, you might want to simply look at a modern compact, short-reach, short-drop handlebar. Handlebar ergonomics have improved immensely over the last 10-15 years.

PeteHski

Yeah it's all relative. "Endurance road bikes" and "Road race bikes" are not very far apart in the grand scheme of things.

Bogey Speedwell

your right, there is no easy answer.

as you probably already know the endurance to gravel to touring geometry will have a progressively more upright riding position before you transition to flat bars and move to the Fitness/ hybrid. So do you want to stay with Drop bars? That may be the first question.

Secondly I would say test rides are more valuable than our opinions, so even if you feel you have to order a bike that may not be available locally, utilizing something like 99 spokes to find something with a similar geometry to test drive may be worth its weight in gold.

big john

It all depends on what the OP is looking for, how much change from his existing bike he needs.
The 2 bikes Terry linked are 2 inches different in stack. That's huge to me.

Maybe he could see a fitter and sit on an adjustable fixture used for fitting. Maybe he has a friend with a bike he could try. When someone has discomfort with position related stuff sometimes a small tweak will be all that's needed.

It isn't drop bars that matter, it's the position of points of contact. You can set up drop bars so the top is in the same position as a flat bar would be and you would have the drops to use when it was windy or you were chasing. If you never use the drop position, then you won't miss it with flat bars.

big john

I think you need to figure out what you want before you order something. If you could ride a bike with the feel you want, then measure it, that would be ideal. Maybe put an adjustable stem on your bike and move it around to see if it helps?

If you can figure out your position then you can order something that will fit the size tire you want.

Wildwood 

A week+ with no feedback from original poster.
Rhetorical?
Resolved?
Rescinded?

oldbobcat

Some people just want to talk.