OP
OP
Back issues since tweaking position...advice please?
- Thread starter Sloth
- Start date
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OP
OP
Sloth
Über Member
Here's a link to my first thread on here, which has photos of the bike including the head.
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/road-tyres-for-mtb-and-saddle-position.268686/
Please note though, the seat position and height are not the same now, seat is higher and a bit further back, round mid way on the rails.
I will have to work out a way to get a photo of me sitting/pedalling on it as I don't have a turbo trainer etc.
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/road-tyres-for-mtb-and-saddle-position.268686/
Please note though, the seat position and height are not the same now, seat is higher and a bit further back, round mid way on the rails.
I will have to work out a way to get a photo of me sitting/pedalling on it as I don't have a turbo trainer etc.
kingrollo
Guru
Fine in principle. But does make the assumption that humans are built equal.
As younger man I could jump on any bike with any saddle (within reason) and be fine. As I got older I need the position to be fined tuned. I pay now to have a pro bike set up. Sure some may say it's £120 wasted - but for me it works.
craigwend
Grimpeur des terrains plats
Are you possibly expecting too much too soon?
As noted possibly trying to make too many changes too soon?
I've just had a week off the bike and went for a ride today - can feel the ride today, just accepting it as a week off the bike and will pick up in a few rides.
Getting fit (on a bike or any new exercise) will take time - also as suggested working on core fitness? A spin class or two a week may help.
Finally as notes above we're not all the same do what feels right, give yourself time and it will come, stick with it.
As noted possibly trying to make too many changes too soon?
I've just had a week off the bike and went for a ride today - can feel the ride today, just accepting it as a week off the bike and will pick up in a few rides.
Getting fit (on a bike or any new exercise) will take time - also as suggested working on core fitness? A spin class or two a week may help.
Finally as notes above we're not all the same do what feels right, give yourself time and it will come, stick with it.
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
Eh.... Does not compute.
It's meant to be hard, you just get faster.OP, how much 'fiddling with your position have you done - you aren't supposed to make adjustments more than a couple of mm at a time, not lots, and not all over a short time.
SkipdiverJohn
Deplorable Brexiteer
- Location
- London
Eh.... Does not compute.
If you trundle along at a manageable speed it just gets easier the more regularly you do it. Hard cycling is just for masochists.
dickyknees
Guru
- Location
- Anglesey
I have/had severe right hand side lower back pain.
Having had simultaneous bilateral knee replacements March 2020 and a new bike last year I slowly started building up the mileage. Up to twenty miles was ok but around thirty miles the pain was excruciating. Thought it was the new bike so had a bike fit. Fitted shorter cranks and changed cleat position which were much easier on the new knees. But the lower back pain persisted.
Saw a physiotherapist who diagnosed that the right hand psoas muscle had shortened, not surprising as for three months after the surgery I did nothing but rehab the knees.
Exercises for the psoas muscles and lower back are working. The pain returned after fifty miles on my last long ride so the exercises continue and is work in progress. I was taking part in Pilates classes up to my knee surgery and will recommence next month hopefully to build up my core strength again.
I suppose my advice is to get professional advice either a bike fit and/or physio sooner than later.
Hope this helps.
Having had simultaneous bilateral knee replacements March 2020 and a new bike last year I slowly started building up the mileage. Up to twenty miles was ok but around thirty miles the pain was excruciating. Thought it was the new bike so had a bike fit. Fitted shorter cranks and changed cleat position which were much easier on the new knees. But the lower back pain persisted.
Saw a physiotherapist who diagnosed that the right hand psoas muscle had shortened, not surprising as for three months after the surgery I did nothing but rehab the knees.
Exercises for the psoas muscles and lower back are working. The pain returned after fifty miles on my last long ride so the exercises continue and is work in progress. I was taking part in Pilates classes up to my knee surgery and will recommence next month hopefully to build up my core strength again.
I suppose my advice is to get professional advice either a bike fit and/or physio sooner than later.
Hope this helps.
OP
OP
Sloth
Über Member
OK, I am thinking of swapping the stock, flat handle bars for a set with an up riseof around 50mm-60mm (open to advice if that's too much?) to give some height.
Would this be a good idea to start before messing with/replacing the stem?
Is that likely to impact on my cables and shifting much?
here's an example (not necessarily the actual ones) of the kind of thing I'm considering... https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bicycle-Handle ... =8-45&th=1
Also, based on the photos of my bike, what thickness do they look to you, 25.4mm or 31.8mm?
What length/width should I go for? I read that the bars should be the same or similar width to my shoulder bones.
I also read that a road bike bar width is typically 38-46 cm. For mountain bikes, the width is 74cm or 76cm but older MTB's can have around 60cm width.
If I am using a MTB as a road bike/gravel bike (essentially) then what width of flat/riser bars should I look for to give enough stability for still offer manoeuvrability/speed for road use?
Bearing in mind that I ride it mainly on the roads and will never be doing trail or off-road stuff. Pot hole ridden B roads/country lanes are as hard core as it will get!
I imagine that road bike widths of 38-46cm will be too narrow for use on a MTB, even if used as a road bike and the 74cm-76cm may be too wide as I will not be doing any serious downhill/off-road stuff that needs that kind of control. but perhaps the older width of 60cm may be a good compromise?
Would this be a good idea to start before messing with/replacing the stem?
Is that likely to impact on my cables and shifting much?
here's an example (not necessarily the actual ones) of the kind of thing I'm considering... https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bicycle-Handle ... =8-45&th=1
Also, based on the photos of my bike, what thickness do they look to you, 25.4mm or 31.8mm?
What length/width should I go for? I read that the bars should be the same or similar width to my shoulder bones.
I also read that a road bike bar width is typically 38-46 cm. For mountain bikes, the width is 74cm or 76cm but older MTB's can have around 60cm width.
If I am using a MTB as a road bike/gravel bike (essentially) then what width of flat/riser bars should I look for to give enough stability for still offer manoeuvrability/speed for road use?
Bearing in mind that I ride it mainly on the roads and will never be doing trail or off-road stuff. Pot hole ridden B roads/country lanes are as hard core as it will get!
I imagine that road bike widths of 38-46cm will be too narrow for use on a MTB, even if used as a road bike and the 74cm-76cm may be too wide as I will not be doing any serious downhill/off-road stuff that needs that kind of control. but perhaps the older width of 60cm may be a good compromise?
SkipdiverJohn
Deplorable Brexiteer
- Location
- London
The trend for wide flat bars in the last few years has really gor stupid, IMHO. Some of them look wider than the cowhorn bars youngsters were fitting to home brew tracker bikes in the 70's!
My 80's & 90's vintage stuff on flat bars are run with bars no wider than 23 1/2"as it keeps the width of the bike sensible - which is important in traffic and when negotiating anti-motorcycle barriers on cycle paths. Nothing is more of a pain in the arse than bikes that have to be physically heaved over barriers because the damn things are too wide to push them through! Another consideration is wide bars make getting through doorways a pain and the bikes take up more space and are more prone to getting knocked over when leaned against walls etc. Bars should only be as wide as necessary to be able to control the bike in comfort and no wider. Nobody needs bars that are two and a half feet wide!
My 80's & 90's vintage stuff on flat bars are run with bars no wider than 23 1/2"as it keeps the width of the bike sensible - which is important in traffic and when negotiating anti-motorcycle barriers on cycle paths. Nothing is more of a pain in the arse than bikes that have to be physically heaved over barriers because the damn things are too wide to push them through! Another consideration is wide bars make getting through doorways a pain and the bikes take up more space and are more prone to getting knocked over when leaned against walls etc. Bars should only be as wide as necessary to be able to control the bike in comfort and no wider. Nobody needs bars that are two and a half feet wide!
Cycleops
Legendary Member
- Location
- Accra, Ghana
The majority of flat bar bikes are used mainly in city traffic so being able to negotiate that safely and easily should be the primary consideration. Wide bars won’t help there.
It's difficult to advise on a forum because comfort requires lots of measurements with a tape measure and a plumb line and preferably a helper.
If you want to be methodical you could try this book by the godfather of bike fitting: Amazon product ASIN 1931382808View: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pruitts-Complete-Medical-Guide-Cyclists/dp/1931382808
I expect there are also lots of free tutorials on bike fitting on the web if you have a google. Caveat emptor.
Pruitt used to do bike fitting for US professional cyclists and triathletes and had a clinic in Colorado. He was also a consultant to framebuilders and to Specialized, who were the first major manufacturer to emphasise comfort, with their Body Geometry products, at a time when it was traditional to think of comfort as something for softies. People still sneer at comfort. But eventually it was accepted that discomfort saps your energy, ergo comfort makes you faster. Now everyone sells endurance bikes for racers. Endurance is the code word for comfy.
Another scientific solution, quite a lot more expensive, is a session with a bike fitting professional. I'm a big fan of the people at Cyclefit, Macklin St, London WC2. They pretty much introduced scientific bike fitting to the UK market. They got their training in the US. Since then many have copied them. https://www.cyclefit.co.uk/cyclefit Lots of people will tell you it's overpriced, not for amateurs, etc. But my Cyclefit diagrams have been my bible for decades. Money well spent.
If you want to be methodical you could try this book by the godfather of bike fitting: Amazon product ASIN 1931382808View: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pruitts-Complete-Medical-Guide-Cyclists/dp/1931382808
I expect there are also lots of free tutorials on bike fitting on the web if you have a google. Caveat emptor.
Pruitt used to do bike fitting for US professional cyclists and triathletes and had a clinic in Colorado. He was also a consultant to framebuilders and to Specialized, who were the first major manufacturer to emphasise comfort, with their Body Geometry products, at a time when it was traditional to think of comfort as something for softies. People still sneer at comfort. But eventually it was accepted that discomfort saps your energy, ergo comfort makes you faster. Now everyone sells endurance bikes for racers. Endurance is the code word for comfy.
Another scientific solution, quite a lot more expensive, is a session with a bike fitting professional. I'm a big fan of the people at Cyclefit, Macklin St, London WC2. They pretty much introduced scientific bike fitting to the UK market. They got their training in the US. Since then many have copied them. https://www.cyclefit.co.uk/cyclefit Lots of people will tell you it's overpriced, not for amateurs, etc. But my Cyclefit diagrams have been my bible for decades. Money well spent.
OP
OP
Sloth
Über Member
They are 25.4 at the stem, as best as I can do without callipers. They do taper slightly but to less than that.
they are also 600-620 end to end counting the Ergon grip ends.
