Id like to use bows as a main weapon but I dont know i its viable, any advice or insight?

Ive been playing almost exclusively with a bow and one handed+magic as my main weapon sets....the new physics for arrows takes some getting used to, but after a while theyre perfect.

I one shoted that bear in the tutorials with a bow.

I tend to get picked off by archers if I'm not paying attention though I play on the hardest difficulty. Mostly use them for poisoned sneak attacks myself. I'd say they're a pretty solid main weapon.

Archer characters are way too powerful in Skyrim compared to the ones in Oblivion.

As in npc's or Dovakin?

I've been using bows quite a bit in Skyrim, and it's a definitely viable option

On low levels you can one shot almost anything when sneaking. I'm only level 7 now, so I can't speak for the higher levels.
*note: Don't try this on giants.

They're extremely powerful if you get sneak attacks. If you run up into somebody's face and he pulls a great sword on you, your bow is comparatively weaker than in Oblivion (since can't backwards run-kite him).

Bows are great fun. I haven't put a perk point in the tree yet, and they still do decent damage.

You can block and bash with bows right?

Woa. Thought they would be nerfed since they seemed OP in OB.

i love the bows in this one

Bows are AWESOME.

Bows are my main weapon at the moment for my Stealth character. I have a Helm that increases bow damage by 20%, a perk that does the same, and Sneak attacking does double damage. I can one-shot bandits and animals from Stealth, and most enemies go down in less than 4 shots when I'm detected. Most with only 2-3 arrows. (So far. I'm level 7 by the way.)

It feels balanced though because it is almost impossible to back-pedal and shoot anymore. So you can really only fire arrows until an enemy closes on you, then if you keep trying to use the bow you will get the stuffing beat out of you.