|
May 29, 2007
|
 |
Will a hybrid bike put less strain on my neck and shoulders?
|
FCR2 W Bike (courtesy, Giant)
|
I’m looking for a bike that doesn’t strain my neck and shoulders, and I think a hybrid
might be the answer. At my local bike shop, I checked out a Trek 7500. Is this a good
option, or are there better choices out there?
— Talia
Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania
Do you have a question of your own?
|
|
|
 Well, that might be one option, Talia. Trek’s 7500 ($660; trekbikes.com) is a bike
that’s definitely built for comfort. It has a very upright stem to keep that common
bent-over biking posture to a minimum, a suspension fork and seat post to soak up bumps,
and a cushy saddle. All in all, it’s a nice bike. Similar bikes include the Marin Redwood
($479; marinbikes.com) and the Novara Forza ($550; rei.com).
You don’t say why you’d rather not have a bike that puts much strain on neck and
shoulders. Bikes certainly have ergonomic issues, but in a lot of cases these problems go
away as your body adjusts to the different stresses and strains. While the bikes above try
to eliminate some of those issues, it’s also true that they create new ones. Sitting very
upright concentrates forces into the area of your butt, and that can be uncomfortable. And
these are exceedingly pokey bikes; it’s really difficult to get much speed going when all
but standing straight up. That may or may not be an issue, but I mention it just the same.
Don’t completely overlook bikes that are comfortable but take a more balanced approach to
their design. Giant’s FCR2 W ($700; giant-bicycle.com), for instance, has upright geometry
and handlebars so you aren’t in that road-bike crouch, but it’s still a speedy bike, with
fast wheels and a design that doesn’t push your coefficient of drag off the charts.
But, if you have some real physical issue that you’re attempting to work around, then you
might want to abandon upright bikes altogether and get a recumbent. A recumbent bike puts
you in a fully seated or supine position, with no weight at all on shoulders, neck, and
arms. They’re also quite fast on flat courses because they offer less drag than an upright
bike. In the past I have mocked recumbents (all in fun, really!) because of their
perceived geek-quotient. But they do solve some real problems with traditional bikes, and
those who ride recumbents are uniformly enthusiastic about them.
One problem is cost. Recumbents are not mass-produced, so economies of scale are lacking.
But they’re not too outrageous. A quality recumbent such as the Linear Mach III
(linearrecumbent.com)can be had for around $1,500.
Check out Outside's picks for Gear of the Year and 400-plus gear reviews in the
2007 Summer Buyer's Guide, on newsstands now.
 |
|
|
|
GEAR GUY FEATURES
Check out the bio of Douglas Gantenbein, aka the Gear Guy.
Readers' Mailbag: The Gear Guy digs into some of your more bizarre, obscure (and let’s face it, downright weird) posts from years gone by to see if he can make sense of it all, or if it’s just time to run up the white flag. Previous column: Beat the Cost of Gear.
The Gear Guy reports from the 2005 Outdoor Retailer summer trade fair, with his rundown of ten products to watch in 2006, plus the inside scoop on what shook down at the bi-annual gearapalooza.
|
|
|
|
|
Many of the items reviewed by the Gear Guy can be found at REI.com. Click here to find the internet's biggest selection of outdoor gear and apparel.
|
