Handlebar Modification to Specialized Sirrus Elite

Endless tinkering with my bikes, and I just can't ever get things perfect.

After getting my "new to me" 1974 Raleigh DL-1 three-speed back in January, I've become a big fan of the comfortable posture of what's called the "sit up and beg" riding style. Sitting upright on a large all-steel bike with relaxed geometry, North Roads handlebars, easy rolling.

So much so that I've almost completely neglected my other bikes. And once nicer weather hits (and it's nearly here), I'm going to want to put in some serious mileage. For many reasons, that means I'm going to want to get back to riding either the road bike or my hybrid, since they have the modern amenities that make longer rides such a joy. The hybrid is a 2011 Specialized Sirrus Elite, and it's got almost every feature of a good bike that I could want. But I'm still trying to get the comfort factor right.

But I keep thinking of what it would be like with a set of North Roads handlebars. North Roads are the style of handlebar used on the old English three speeds, and are a variation of a cruiser type handlebar. Upright, curved in. The road bike naturally has drop bars, and that's always been a problem for me, so much so that I'm on the verge of giving up on it.

The Sirrus has a straight mountain bike bar, and I have not gotten totally comfortable with it either. Either type handlebar seems to cause me to crane my neck uncomfortably, and that adds up over many miles. I've come away from rides with bad headaches from the tension in my neck and shoulders.

On the old Raleigh with the North Roads bars, I've gone as far as 20 miles in relative comfort. My concern is that what may work well for 20 miles or less may not on longer rides. I think the inward curve on the hands and wrists, and the lack of other hand positions, will be a problem after my 20 miles comes and goes.

I tried putting an adjustable stem on the bike so I could get the bar a bit higher, but that may have been the wrong direction, because now I'm stretching out a bit too far -- the angle of the stem puts the handlebars further away from me.

Possibly a stem riser? Possibly different handlebars entirely?

I stopped by Bike Surgeon in Shiloh, Illinois yesterday to talk about my options. They suggested I bring the bike in, put it up on a trainer where they could try different adjustments. They have more choice of adjustable stems and risers and different handlebars that have less curve, and different degrees of height, and they believe we can solve the problem.

With all the nice features on the Sirrus Elite, that sounds very attractive to me. I'd love to have one good, modern bicycle that I have confidence in for most of my riding. I still want to do a lot of riding on the Raleigh DL-1, but I also know that any kind of mechanical failure or even a flat tire on the road can be a big headache. It's a difficult bike to work on even in my basement bike shop, and is very finicky when trying to get everything back into adjustment.

One other consideration: as I sit more upright, I may need to go with a wider saddle than the Brooks B-17 that's on there now. I've got a Brooks B-72 on the Raleigh -- it's a bit wider and has springs. It's a good candidate. But of course, a brand new B-66 would be fantastic.