ShiroKuro I take it youāre not worried about your hands/wrists?
I'm 100% with you on this! I've always been very particular about taking precautions to protect my hands/wrists/ears from harm.
I work a lot with computers, and some years ago, I penned an article on the subject of ergonomic keyboards... things have evolved slightly since then, but I still enjoy efficient workflows.
In fact, I avoided bicycles for many years because of the risk of developing various injuries.
On a surface level, I never cycle nor do any risky work without gloves. I see so many people doing mechanical work without gloves and I just don't get it. My hands must be so much more fragile than everyone else's!
ShiroKuro I would try to do a āhardā ride, I need to hold on, and my posture changed
I gave up on using home exercise equipment for similar reasons. Some of these machines are so badly designed that I was convinced the harder I worked, the more likely I would be developing an injury.
It's also very interesting that you mention the effects of having an aggressive posture on the bike, because I'm very much against that for my type of riding. After a long journey of experimentation and discovery, I modified my bike in two ways:
- I replaced the stem with a shorter and more upright one.
- I replaced the original flat bars with the ingenious H-Bar Loop design by Jeff Jones.
The handlebars are not only super-comfortable in the default position but they provide many different options to accommodate my hands depending on the situation or comfort required. I can rest my hands wide open on the bars. I can sit upright. I can get into an aggressive aero posture if I wish, it can be fun. I can find the best grip for hill climbing. The H-Bars are amazing for longer rides and super-versatile.
I'm a big fan of Jeff Jones because he has demolished so many assumptions about efficient posture and bike geometry. His own bikes are designed so that the legs and tires do all the supporting and shock absorption duties, while the hands are generally for steering/balance/resting. He explains some of this at around the 3 minute mark:
The best part is that my speed and efficiency on the bike have done nothing but improve with the H-Bars. This setup also makes it super enjoyable to just stand up and get that extra bit of control/power over the ride!
I wish I could take credit for that one! It appears to be common parlance with the advent of electric bikes.
On the piano side, I'm happy to see efforts like Athena Narrow Keys and Steingraeber's investment in making piano keyboards more accessible as well... but I guess I'll have to live with the inconvenience of stretching my hands to reach those tenths.
