Quote Originally Posted by Trek420
bikeless in WI asks
Bikeless, do I recall a tale of you having a moment like that the first time you rode a bike with handlebar mounted brake levers? We both recall when all bikes had the type you pedal backwards
Sorta. That was my first time on a bike with all of the above and more: gears, hand brakes, toe cages, skinny tires. Also, it was Karl's bike (ex BF) and too tall for me. I could barely get a toe on the ground while on the seat and had to be on my toes even to stand over the cross bar. So I had my hands on the brake levers, but was afraid to squeeze (which is front wheel, which is back ??? ). Automatically tried backpedalling like on my own Schwinn of the time, which of course didn't help. As I recall I managed to almost stop and even get one foot on the ground before toppling over.

But the flat bar thing for me is not about "where are the brakes". It's about sitting up straighter. If I spend much time bent over it puts a strain on the flexibility of the ostomy wafer. Don't want that coming loose!!! I'm also concerned about neck pain. I wanna be comfortable -- back and neck straight, shoulders relaxed, and so what about wind resistance since I've never been fast anyway. But yeah, less rolling resistance should help me keep up with at least the back of the pack ... and finish.