Quote Originally Posted by mimitabby View Post
very interesting. Lisa, what about holding your head up?
how's the neck feel after 30 miles?
Mimi, I am not having any neck problems- did 30, 40, and 50 mile rides this past week.
It's possible that part of that is because DH and I have Rivendell bikes which have a semi-touring geometry where the handlbars are basically at the same level as the seat. So we don't have as radical a racing position as most road bikes have. Here is a photo of DH and it shows pretty well how this arrangement results in a posture that is not giving us neck pain on long rides- in the photo he is riding with his hands on the hoods, but in the drops is really not radically different:
http://harmonias.com/riding.jpg
We purposely chose Rivendells for reasons such as this, because we are more interested in staying comfortable on long rides than we are in going really fast. Especially since we are not in our 20's anymore! So no, am not having neck pain. Actually I felt quite good after the 52 mile ride yesterday which took over 5 hours in the saddle. Mostly highway riding.

I found that if anything, the shoving back of the saddle helped me feel more comfortable all over! I know it doesn't seem to make sense, but that how it is. I'm more behind the pedals now instead of right on top of them. I feel like I have more power and can also relax more. Hard to describe well.