I can't say I earlier suffered with neck pain, but I would have discomfort after a long (40 mile+) ride with drop bars anywhere from even with to one inch (1") above saddle height. I'm about six foot (6') tall, beginning to annually shrink, with an 89cm PBH, however that may proportionately translate to others.
The first time I rode what to me was a 'properly' configured upright bike was with one of Grant's at RBW, with (IIRC) Bosco bars or something just like them. While a 'I've been doing this all wrong' revelation, I went back to drop bars for a bit on my 'go-fast' bike, with its minor discomforts. After hearing how sitting more upright also benefits the pelvic floor, I migrated to Bosco-type bars, first three inches (3") higher than the saddle, and now six inches (6") higher, placing me bolt upright on the Brooks B68 (wider surface area, less pressure - physics). Being more upright, I am more visible to others, and my surroundings are more visible to me. I wonder if the upright position isn't less prone to accidents. Nevertheless, I now ride with a group that averages 13mph (with 1,200' average climbing on an average 25mi ride), rather than the 16mph average I was riding with the drop bar bike and faster groups. Seriously, I don't notice the difference, and like the idea of a 50% reduction in energy in the event of a fall. Finally, yes, the neck experiences none of the during-and-after-ride discomfort now with the Bosco-ish bars anywhere from three to six inches (3-6") above saddle height. Likewise for saddle comfort. You may want the frame geometry nicely stretched out to accommodate the more upright and thereby elevated center of mass. My current very large (31cm head tube) bike is good with a 69 degree head tube angle and 47cm chainstays, YMMV - on all of this! - Chris On Monday, June 1, 2026 at 5:57:46 AM UTC-7 [email protected] wrote: > > One thing I like about alt bars is the variety among bikes: 3 bikes with > diff alt bar setups feel different (to me) much more so than 3 bikes with > diff drops. Which means in practice that though I really prefer drops -- > the hand positions -- I need only one drop-bar bike because I'm always > going to choose the one I like most. 2 alt-bar setups and I'll switch it up. > > On Sunday, May 31, 2026 at 9:38:28 PM UTC-4 Ron Mc wrote: > >> My thought is you don't strain cervical muscles/ vertebrae unless you >> lean on your hands/ wrists. >> If you support yourself with core muscles, all that should be relaxed. >> You'll also discover new spin you didn't know you had when you lean into >> your core muscles - if you need more, bend your elbows more. >> >> On Sunday, May 31, 2026 at 7:18:00 PM UTC-5 [email protected] wrote: >> >>> Hey Jay, >>> I've definitely experienced neck pain (and upper back pain) on long road >>> rides (two to eight hours) and it did improve some by raising the handlers >>> a couple inches. Interestingly, however, depending on how often I rode that >>> road bike, my activity tolerance increased. So how used I was to that bike >>> and that set-up and how time I spent in that position definitely affected >>> how much I could comfortably tolerate. So two hours after being off the >>> road bike for a few months hurt more than six or eight hours when I was >>> using it more often. >>> >>> Perhaps also talk to a PT about how you hold your head when looking >>> forward (like using your eyes more and keeping your chin down rather than >>> kinking your neck). >>> >>> Generally all these things exist as a system so tweaking one thing could >>> put more strain somewhere else. But in my experience high handlebars, on >>> avg, were more comfy. >>> >>> - gabe >>> >>> >>> Sent from my BlackBerry, the smartphone with the little keyboard and a >>> big heart. >>> >>> >>> >>> On Sun, May 31, 2026, 16:51 Jason Noonievut <[email protected]> wrote: >>> >>>> I was going to add that bit of information but decided to keep it short. >>>> >>>> What I like about drop bars are the multiple hand positions and width >>>> (40cm, straight line from my shoulders). Granola bars are 650mm wide, but >>>> I had them set up more upright and it felt okay (neck area anyway). >>>> >>>> On May 31, 2026, at 7:44 PM, Chris Lang <[email protected]> wrote: >>>> >>>> >>>> Don’t forget about the width of the bars. I find too wide of bars >>>> cause me neck and shoulder pain as well. >>>> >>>> On Sun, May 31, 2026 at 7:42 PM Jay <[email protected]> wrote: >>>> >>>>> In your personal experience, have you suffered with neck pain and >>>>> found that sitting more upright on the bike has alleviated the pain? >>>>> >>>>> Prior to getting a Roadini over two years ago, my road bikes had >>>>> 5-10cm of drop from saddle to handlebar, and after years of this plus bad >>>>> posture at work, I had an unnatural bend in my cervical spine that >>>>> sometimes causes neck pain (that general area). My current chiro helped >>>>> me >>>>> mostly resolve this so that it's only sore after really long rides, when >>>>> it's really windy, or after a lot of riding. Drop handlebars on my >>>>> Roadini >>>>> are about level with the saddle, and I can usually ride with little to no >>>>> pain in the neck area. >>>>> >>>>> I rode a lot in May, and that pain came back in a big way in the last >>>>> 45 minutes of today's long ride with my friend. I think the increased >>>>> volume in May was the main contributor. However, this year, both the >>>>> Roadini and Fargo have drop bars. Last year, I had Velo Orange Granola >>>>> bars on the Fargo. Last year, I cannot recall that pain in my neck >>>>> showing >>>>> up once with any severe or prolonged discomfort. I'm now wondering if >>>>> that's because a 1/3rd of the rides were on the Fargo with the more >>>>> upright >>>>> (and just, different) position, so it was less repetitive strain to my >>>>> neck. I'm thinking of putting the Granola bars back on the Fargo. It >>>>> could also be other factors (age - one year older, stress, or perhaps my >>>>> position on either bike has deteriorated somewhat). >>>>> >>>>> Thanks! >>>>> >>>>> -- >>>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>>>> Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >>>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>>>> an email to [email protected]. >>>>> To view this discussion visit >>>>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/65d4bdb0-bd11-4058-b6f9-7a181275ecc0n%40googlegroups.com >>>>> >>>>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/65d4bdb0-bd11-4058-b6f9-7a181275ecc0n%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >>>>> . >>>>> >>>> -- >>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the >>>> Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >>>> To unsubscribe from this topic, visit >>>> https://groups.google.com/d/topic/rbw-owners-bunch/RPrjIT95_-0/unsubscribe >>>> . >>>> To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to >>>> [email protected]. >>>> To view this discussion visit >>>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/CAN3G8jQjxQ-LtMzFZoVTt6nnzgT7YwKBrQwZSpHY9w1RvSVw3g%40mail.gmail.com >>>> >>>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/CAN3G8jQjxQ-LtMzFZoVTt6nnzgT7YwKBrQwZSpHY9w1RvSVw3g%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >>>> . >>>> >>>> -- >>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>>> Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>>> an email to [email protected]. >>>> >>> To view this discussion visit >>>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/1B282642-D131-47A6-94AD-2533D35E035B%40gmail.com >>>> >>>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/1B282642-D131-47A6-94AD-2533D35E035B%40gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >>>> . >>>> >>> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. 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