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It's good for a low position, but makes it difficult to achieve a comfortable position for utility usage. To me (and, I think, most cylists), a touring bike is a drop-handlebar bike similar to a racing bike, but with more relaxed geometry, mounts for racks and fenders, and longer seat-stays so that your heels don't hit your panniers. In the context of road cycling, people often recommend yoga and core strength exercises to help get you more comfortable in a lower riding position – I assume the same would apply in your case. The riding position is not only higher, but also respects the natural curve of the back and the padded seat ensures optimal comfort. Most of your weight should be supported by your feet, some of it by your butt and only a relatively small amount with your arms/hands.
zeeway You gotta find what works for you and go with it Last year at 57, I converted my straight bar bike to drops after a dozen years of hand issues. If you are living in one of the larger European cities you have the option of bike rental schemes that rent out decent city bikes. Today, you can find Dutch bikes made from aluminium to reduce their weight, as well as options for gearing. I feel there must be something wrong with it, otherwise I would have seen plenty of bikes like this already. Frame Shape - Traditional Dutch bikes were built with a wave-shaped frame, which dips down in front of the seatpost so that you can step over the bike easily.After a few days of such tours, my wrist usually starts hurting and my neck from "looking up" while biking. OTOH, when you are going fast downhill with curves and bumps and all the other things that actually happen in riding, there is a safety factor to a braking position that resists your momentum as the bike slows. After converting the road bike to single speed, I did not need the brifters, so I bought some wide-sweep handlebars and added hand brakes. Also, if you're carrying stuff in a rucksack, you might be more comfortable with that load in panniers on the racks your bike already has.
Popular in the Netherlands, where the bicycle is the main way of getting around the city, these bicycles are perfectly suited for everyday use. The shifters could remain in their original location since they are less important than the brakes (if you can't reach your brakes you can crash, if you can't reach your shifters it might be inconvenient). For example, if you currently have drop handle bars, your levers are not going to (safely) fit on the handlebar you want to use. But, some modern designs offer a diamond frame, which is much more similar to the shape of many road bikes.You might get some mileage out of moving the saddle forwards on its rails, but that will also change your position with respect to the pedals. Moustache bars can offer similar hand positions while leaving the braking in a well-supported position for faster riding. They won't add all that much weight, and are a practical solution to a real problem if your wrists happen to prefer swept bars. Having experimented recently with drop bars, trekking bars (of a sort) and upright bars (Albatross shape), one observation I have is a caution for those who still ride at speed regarding braking with the swept bars. In addition, they are equipped with everything a cyclist could want: quality lights, a storage rack, a kickstand and much more.
Your stem is also pretty vertical, which means you don't have many options for bringing the bars closer with a shorter stem. You could keep the shifters/brake levers in the same position as they are now but this would be a disadvantage since you will have to change hand positions to be able to reach them (especially problematic when you have to brake suddenly) assuming your hands are on the top of the bars and not near the shifters/brakes.Rear Rack - Most, but not all, Dutch bicycles come as standard with a rear rack so that you can add panniers or strap down bags of yourown. There are variations, from the wide flared bars like the Nitto Albatross, to North Roads to porteur handlebars. Instead of the lateral dynamo of today, a hub dynamo usually operates the lighting system, but this concession to modern technology is a welcome one. Aesthetic - The Dutch style is one of the biggest draws to this style of bicycle, so it’s well worth getting a frame that you’re excited about. As a rule, manufacturers rely on a combination of hub shift, brake pedal and fully closed chain case.
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