Healthiest bike posture for slower long rides I'm looking for some evidence on bike posture and overall best positioning for healthiest rides that might be &quot;long&quot; (say around 30km) but also where speed is not a concern - think of bikepacking or bike touring.
It seems like the default is drop-bars because if speed is your concern that's obviously the most efficient. But looking also at upright bikes like Dutch bikes I wonder whether touring in such position can be better for your back/shoulders/ass on long distance.
Does anybody have any data that compares a few of these variables like &quot;Upright + 30km + 15km/h&quot; vs &quot;Drop-bars-30-degrees-bent + 30km + 20km/h&quot; -&gt; &quot;more bum sores in first one but less back strains&quot; etc.
If you are looking for the most ergonomic riding position, you should give some kind of recumbent bicycle a serious consideration.
I don't have any references to data, and soreness is subjective. But in my personal experience, the recumbent and velomobile riders on longer rides (Paris-Brest-Paris 1200 km, London-Edinburgh-London 1400 km and such) are the riders reporting the least amount of posture-related problems.
You can still get sore on a recumbent if you overload your knees and leg muscles. But a reasonably fitted recumbent bicycle is probably the most ergonomic ride you can get: Your weight is spread out over a proper seat, your hands and arms are neutrally positioned and don't carry any load, and your back is supported. Also, almost every recumbent seat has a slight turn at the top to support your neck, and many have an ergonomic headrest (preventing problems like Shermer's neck).
I ride recumbents myself for longer brevets and touring, as well as &quot;regular&quot; bikes. The different in comfort on longer distances is noticeable, and the most interesting part personally is that you can increase your distance remarkably fast without soreness penalties. I have finished both 300 km sportives and longer brevets (up to 2100 km), and while the legs muscles feel quite worn, and I may look forward to some sleep and rest, my back, wrists, and seat does not hurt.
If you give recumbents a try, you should check the angle between your shoulders, hips and the bottom bracket. A large angle, with the three above almost in a straight line, is similar to an upright &quot;city bike&quot; - and may limit your power output, as well as put a bit too much weight on your seat. This could be the case for some older recumbents like the Tour Easy.
A sharper angle between shoulders, hips and bottom bracket is more similar to a typical road bike position, just rotated backwards and supported by a seat. This is typically found on short-wheelbase higher bottom bracket recumbents, like the Bacchetta highracers or the HPVelotechnik Speedmachine.
(a Schlitter Encore high bottom bracket road recumbent pictured below)