Compulsory upright riding position advice

[bobg]

Due to health problems ( I need to minimise the pressure on my arms/shoulders ) I've been obliged to adapt one of my bikes to allow a far more upright riding position. It feels awful, pedalling is inefficient and none of my saddles are comfortable enough. In future I think my max distance will be limited to about 20 miles at probably 10mph but I'd rather do that then stop riding altogether .I just wondered if anyone else has adapted to this either by choice or necessity and whether they coped with it by one of those suspension saddle stems or just a bloody great saddle .... or is there a middle way?
Ta Bob ( with a numb bum)

 

[lazyfatgit]

What about a recumbent?

 

[montage]

What about a recumbent?

Almost scoffed at this....but actually a very good idea.

 

[Jonathan M]

Bob, could a riser bar do instead of the higher stem? What type of bike are you having to alter? If it is a road bike you may struggle with getting a position high enough plus the need to change brakes/shifters etc, MTB may be easier to modify & fashion wise a riser bar would be more acceptable.

Saddle wise would one with a cut out be of use?

Other question to ask of you Bob is how long term is your problem? If it is short/medium term then would a compromise be to halt cycling for a while and use an exercise bike? Most of these have too upright a position for cyclists to feel comfortable.

If it islong term/forever then what about considering sitting with a frame builder an looking at something built to your individual requirments.

 

[Dan B]

Take up skating. No arm/shoulder pressure at all (unless you fall on them, anyway), and you can still go at "racing" speeds - albeit that the said speeds are a bit lower than you would race on a bicycle - and not look like a granny.

 

[bobg]

Thanks for the replies and sorry for the delay in getting back to you.
In answer to your questions, its long term ( poss permanent) muscle wastage and I'm more than a little p****d off about. I'm told that my legs will deteriorate over time so I'm just living with it and riding as and when I'm able. So spending money on a recumbent is probably not an option. I've set up my touring bike - loveley old Claud Butler Dalesman, 531 throughout,with Mary bars ( from On One ) silly name but well designed , a long handlebar short reach stem and STI levers on the bars. It rides very well albeit sedate except minimising weight through my arms puts it all on my bum hence my wondering about suspension seat pins and comfy saddles. There are some big Specialized jobs on Edinburgh Cycles site but I wonder if seatpin suspension as well might be overkill. This is such a shame cos I have some lovely old restored jobs just begging to be used but its out of the question. May have to stick them on here for sale eventually

 

[Baggy]

Sorry to hear about this bob. There is someone round these parts who rides 100k Audax rides with a very upright set up on a converted mtb, they use butterfly bars which give a range of hand positions. They also have a suspension seat post. They're not the fastest, but still get round the distance! A slightly more padded touring-style saddle might help if you don't want to go down the suspension route.

 

[ufkacbln]

I don't mean this to sound negative, and it is not meant that way....

I would have said a recumbent trike (or even an upright tricycle) as that way you do not need to use your legs to support the weight of the cycle. Although especially with the lower models getting in and out can be an issue.

The next thing to look at is a drive system which can be retrofitted to most machines, or these days a dedicated machine can be purchased quite reasonably. That way as the muscle wasteage gets more severe you can counter with more input from the drive system. I know my brother who lost full use of his legs due to swelling and tiredness (renal failure) found that an electric bike gave him a whole new fredom.

 

[byegad]

Recumbent trike. You need no balance or balancing strength unless you really push it hard in corners, they are comfortable and great fun.

 

[bobg]

Thanks guys ( and Baggy ) for the suggestions etc, and I'll give some thought to them all. Sorry if I sound a misery, it could have been a lot worse, so I'm gonna ride one way or another, maybe I'll end up on one of those cyclometer jobs, that the French used to use,at least I'll keep up

 

[tyred]

I would look at a Brooks B66 or any other saddle with springs. Sprung saddles were normal on the sit up and beg bikes of yesteryear for a very good reason.