>>>>>>Ooch. You have straight bars rather than drop ?
>>>>>
>>>>>Yes I never liked drop handlebars.
>>>>
>>>>Dunno when you last tried them, modern road bars and integrated shifters/brakes are extremely sweet, practically telephathic.
>>>
>>>My son has them. I may have a go on his bike. Though most of my cycling is urban and I think being slightly more upright
>>> is good for visibility and what I can see.
>>
>>Something's changed in the bike frames when they switched from 28 inch to 26. I've thrown away my old frame from the eighties - found it rather rusty when we returned - but judging by the pictures, the horizontal distance between the seat and the pedals is less now than it was then. Which means you're permanently bent forward and the pedals are more beneath you than in front of you. Which in turn means that you lean on the handlebars. Last time I tried to ride more than half an hour, I found my hands and shoulders under serious strain. And the handlebars are now 5-6 cm in front of the handlebar axle, and once they were right on top of it, or on some frames even behind it. The ergonomy is out of whack. On any old bike, when I was a kid, you could sit upright, keep pedaling and take hands off the handlebar - if you kept your balance you could ride like that long minutes without undue strain to either your legs or back. And you could also steer using your butt. Try that now.
>>
>>Which may be all fine and dandy if you're on the races. But I'm not trying to race on my bike, to me it's a vehicle for transportation. I tried turning the piece connecting the handlebars with its axle 180 degrees, but now it's too far back and my knees are hitting the handlebars.
>>
>>IMO, they screwed it up. Where's the choice? All bikes are like this, you can't find the old type frame anywhere.
>
>I have just bought another bike. A basic one from Halfords which is a new version of the one I've been using for the last couple of years and weirdly it feels too small. I bought the size recommended for my height (about 5 foot 8 inches) the saem size I bought last time and it feels a bit like riding a childs bike.

Try before you buy :-}
A decent bike shop would help you find the right frame size and geometry. If you are spending much time on a bike then it's essential to get a good fit.