Handlebar choice - hand discomfort and lower back injury

[the stupid one]

Evening all. Many thanks for the continued responses. Tilley, there's a recumbent trike user locally, and it terrifies me how close he is to the road! Not for me! But thanks for the suggestion - I'll take a look at them for the sake of an education.

Heltor, I still haven't quite wrapped my brain around the moving-the-seat-back thing, although it's very well documented. I moved the seat on the MTB back, anyway, though I have yet to test it out.

Anyway, the butterfly bars arrived today, so I threw them onto the old Ridgeback, bodged the bar tape and a couple of old grips and then . . . well I'd also ordered some new brake cables and blocks, so I spent a while changing those (another first). And THEN I went out for a quick blast up and down the road, and first impressions were really good: three good hand positions plus there seemed a lot less weight on the saddle too. Quandary - do I take out the bike I'm used to or the new-fangled old Ridgeback for Sunday's Bikeathon?!

 

[the stupid one]

Long ride today, so the new handlebars gave me a workout. After five and a half hours in the saddle, my hands are very mildly affected, just about on the edge of pins-and-needles. I'm very happy with that. And for the great majority of the time I was in the most upright position, which is closest to that of the straight MTB handlebars. The difference, I think, is that my hands were turned in rather than out, and slightly closer together. Possibly too I'm putting less weight through my hands due to the seat position.

Anyway, a little more fiddling with the seat and handlebars might be required, perhaps just raising both a smidge because when I stretched forward to get lower into the wind I felt that my legs were bending a little too much.

I think these butterfly bars will be a success, so thanks for all the help and suggestions, folks.

Steve

 

[Cycleops]

I'll throw this into the mix FWIW. These ' Grab on' grips might help you. Had some a few years back and they found help with cushioning of your hands.
http://www.grabongrips.com/bicycle.php

 

[the stupid one]

Thanks Cycleops - they look mighty comfortable, so I shall bear them in mind.