"Comfort" oriented road bikes?

[Cyclist33]

So, I have now had three road bikes, and although the comfort issues have been different (yes, I'm getting older and the odd injury has probably had an effect too), in the case of all three, the more upright and shorter ride position proffered by them has led to unpleasant levels of discomfort. In the end I've found myself stretching them all out, using stem length and position and saddle setup to make the riding position longer and it is much more comfortable over the ride, and especially afterwards.

So I'm wondering, is this a quirk of "me" or is this idea of shorter and more upright geometry a bit of a myth, and actually comfort is defined by allowing your body to stretch into a bike's geometry, rather than squashing the geometry up to meet your putative body's requirements...

Thoughts?

 

[Dave 123]

A couple of years ago I went for a bike fit. He fitted the bike for my upper body to be more stretched out. This was achieved with a seat post with a bigger lay back and a longer stem to the bars.
The noticable results have been less fatigue on longer rides.

 

[Globalti]

Perhaps bike sellers are guilty of setting up bikes too "comfortable"? When I bought my Roubaix from a Specialised concept store they asked me my age then built the bike up with the stem in the highest possible position looking like a ridiculous shopping bike. First thing I did on reaching home was to reverse the stem and the wedged shim and remove a spacer. Not everybody of more advanced years needs an upright position!

 

[Soltydog]

I reckon everyone is different & age may be a factor in some cases but not all. I used to like a stretched out position, but due to back problems now I prefer a more upright shorter position. It's like most things in cycling saddle height, cadence etc etc do what you are comfortable with, rather than what you have read is 'right'

 

[Katherine]

Too upright isn't good for your hips.

 

[Globalti]

Eh? Why? How do millions of Dutch and Asian cyclists manage to ride around on sit-up-and-beg bikes without hip problems?