Help in converting Trek Domane 2.0 road bike to be more comfortable and commute-friendly

Question

I have pudendal neuralgia issues which require that I use a noseless saddle (not shown in pic) which works great for relieving pelvic floor pain.

The result, though, is that much weight then is placed on the arms and so I'm battling sore hands and wrists after being on the bike for 45 minutes or more.

I've got the standard drop bars with the top part of the bars wrapped in double foam tape so its as soft and wide as possible but it just doesn't do enough and it really just seems that the only solution is to reduce the angle of my upper body so that I'm substantially more upright. I'm about 6'-0 and this is a 58 cm frame. I don't think raising or shortening the stem a few centimeters is going to be enough change. I think the only hope is to replace the handlebars with a some other handlebar pattern (or add-on) that might allow a range of positions including ones that might be 3-6" higher than the current top bar.

Does anyone know of some that I could look at online? Not sure if this will make the bike unstable. The noseless saddle does cause a fair amount of instability now.

I'm contemplating selling the bike and just getting something that will be comfortable enough to spend a couple hours of leisurely riding or commuting (any suggestions for <= $1000?)

If you see a handlebar modification that might be possible without getting into replacing brakes and all cables (which I expect to be expensive) let me know.

Answer 1

Regardless of the bar type you wind up with, the main way to raise the bars that much without swapping forks is via a steerer extender, which isn't safe to use with a carbon-steerered fork such as this, especially under a larger rider.

If you want the ability to go very tall, that means a steel steerer. There are some carbon forks with them that would wouldn't be a horrible mismatch with the bike that exist for this kind of purpose. Origin8 makes one.

Opinions are a little mixed about the viability of getting the kind of height you're talking about out of a steerer extender on an al steerer. Usually manufacturers prescribe a spacer limit on such forks of no more than around 60mm and sometimes less, and I personally have never seen any reason why it makes sense to cheat that number using a steerer extender, as the resultant problems with excess leverage on the steerer will be the same. Again as a taller rider, I don't think this is a reasonable approach.

There is not a way to do any of this without re-cabling the bike unless the current cables and housings happen to all be way too long. Also, few if any of the bar types that would make sense for your situation use drop-bar type controls like you have, which is another major expense of switching. And, you're right to look in the direction of other bar types, because it's unlikely you're going to be able to make much use of the drops no matter what, at which point drop bars make little sense.

Unless you need to be on a road bike, I would look at getting something like an Elektra Townie, or a recumbent if you could find one where the seat ergonomics work.

Answer 2

This is a racing bike. It not designed for a couple of hours of leisurely riding or commute, but long and fast rides and people who are used to such rides. You can extend the handlebars higher and try to install wider tires, but you will still have handlebars way too forward, steering geometry that feels unstable and narrower tires than you need. My recommendation would be to sell this one and buy something more suitable for your needs. It also looks like the frame might be a bit too big for you.

Answer 3

Thanks for all your answers. My motives for posting were somewhat mixed. I did originally purchase the Domane for training in the hills and maybe even some bike touring. It was sized correctly at a bike store but the minute I pulled out my Hobson saddle, they balked and kind of disowned the whole sizing effort. They pointed to regular nosed seats with the usual slot cut through. I've tried several of these and they just don't work. When you have serious nerve issues down there, the solution is NOTHING in contact with it. But you'd be surprised how much control you exert over the bike by using your inner thighs and pelvic floor for support and guidance. So stability is jeopardized and then more weight is immediately placed through the arms. It doesn't all go into the sits bones. As one poster pointed out - I probably should be on a recumbant bike. There are a lot of fairly steep hills around here and also a lot of sport cyclists. I never see recumbant bikes around here and figure that they probably can't maintain balance so easily when speed drops way down up long steep hills. Maybe I'm wrong about this?

So I kind of lost hope in going out for a couple hours and riding fast in the hills. Now I'm thinking more along the lines of going for a decent mountain bike trail ride every now and then and commuting to work with bike a few times per week. For commuting I thought maybe I could convert this Domane if I could just get some handlebars that allow for upright seating. Even if I could, I see that all the cables have little slack and the brake levers aren't going to be a good fit on a bar with a very different geometry. So I've put the bike for sale and will look into one of those electras.

Answer 4

Have you seen a bike fitter? If you can do 45 minutes right now I don’t think you need drastic measures to go to two hours or more. A few millimeters of saddle position change could be all you need. Some people ride extremely angled saddles in aggressive road bike positions without any issues.

Soft and wide bar tape could actually be counterproductive since it can put pressure on nerves and blood vessels. You could try bike gloves which have the padding where you actually want it. They could also help when riding on the hoods, which is where you should spend most of your time.