Back Pain

[cyberknight]

Yeah I had that problem, managed to get the bolt to turn in the end but it went suddenly and it meant I lost all sense of where the saddle was seated previously...which made it impossible to then make a small adjustment on the original position, so I had to start over from scratch

heeh been there done that , now i have it all written down a bit like ....

 

[EYE-TYE-MAD]

Today I went out for only my fourth ride and when down on the drops constantly for about 4 miles at a time I was getting a really really painful lower back; so much so I had to stop and stand up for a minute to get the pain to subside. I don't notice it when it's stop start riding.

Is this normal and my body will just get used to the position, or is there something I should be doing? I did raise my saddle a little which improved my ride considerably other than the back pain so I don't know if changing that was wrong. It's set so that my leg is almost locked when the pedal is at its lowest point.

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated

Despite what anyone else may tell you back pain is usually a sign that your bike is not set up correctly, you should never mould yourself to fit the bike, always adjust your way to comfort. There are a few permutations to play with before replacing any bits. 1.Try moving the saddle all the way forward as a starting point, also level the saddle to a neutral possition. 2. Make sure the saddle is set at the right height, that is, at a height where you have a slight bend in your leg at the point the pedal has reached the bottom of it's rotation. 3. Slightly lift the height of your bars or adjust the angle which will in turn lift your levers, something like 10-15mm. I don't know if you are running clipless; if you are, try repositioning your cleats nearer the toe end of your shoe. If none of this works, assuming of course that your frame is the correct size, try a shorter stem. It may also be worth looking at your pedal arm length. Remember, all set ups are subjective but one thing is for sure, a badly set up bike can be a real pain, literally!

 

[Linford]

Despite what anyone else may tell you back pain is usually a sign that your bike is not set up correctly, you should never mould yourself to fit the bike, always adjust your way to comfort. There are a few permutations to play with before replacing any bits. 1.Try moving the saddle all the way forward as a starting point, also level the saddle to a neutral possition. 2. Make sure the saddle is set at the right height, that is, at a height where you have a slight bend in your leg at the point the pedal has reached the bottom of it's rotation. 3. Slightly lift the height of your bars or adjust the angle which will in turn lift your levers, something like 10-15mm. I don't know if you are running clipless; if you are, try repositioning your cleats nearer the toe end of your shoe. If none of this works, assuming of course that your frame is the correct size, try a shorter stem. It may also be worth looking at your pedal arm length. Remember, all set ups are subjective but one thing is for sure, a badly set up bike can be a real pain, literally!

I found this to be the case with my roadie. Bought the bike to fit my frame, and test rode about a dozen different bikes before I found the one I was happy with. It made a massive amount of difference to comfort and ability to be able to actually stand up straight after getting off after a longer ride.

 

[VamP]

Also get in the habit of regular core exercises. This will stand you in good stead in all walks of life, not just cycling.

 

[bucksgill]

Unfortunately the pains are still there, had to cut a ride today short because of it

The saddle is definitely the right height, still trying to get the bolt to move so I can try moving it forward. It is the most stubborn thing ever by twisting the handle bars do you mean upwards? as the previous owner had already moved them a bit so I think I'm not sure it would be comfortable to move them any more.

No SPDs for me (just yet); I have some plastic clips bolted to the front of the pedals. Could it be that these make my feet too far forward?

Going to have to get on with these core exercises VamP mentions to see if that will help as I want to get this sorted so I can properly start getting into my riding

 

[HLaB]

I wouldn't have thought toe clips were the problem unless you've got tiny feet and they are massive ;-)

 

[EYE-TYE-MAD]

Unfortunately the pains are still there, had to cut a ride today short because of it

The saddle is definitely the right height, still trying to get the bolt to move so I can try moving it forward. It is the most stubborn thing ever by twisting the handle bars do you mean upwards? as the previous owner had already moved them a bit so I think I'm not sure it would be comfortable to move them any more.

No SPDs for me (just yet); I have some plastic clips bolted to the front of the pedals. Could it be that these make my feet too far forward?

Going to have to get on with these core exercises VamP mentions to see if that will help as I want to get this sorted so I can properly start getting into my riding

I take it that you are on drop bars, if so, yes move them up, but if as you say the previous owner has already done that it's probably not the problem. Conversely, a too upright riding position can be equally as problematic as a riding position that is too sretched. Most none adjustable toe clips are pitched at a middle c position which places the ball of the foot as near as damn it on the peddle so, unless you have feet of an exceptional size it doesn't sound as though your clips are the problem either. I would normally suggest perseverance however, back pain can be the sign of something more serious unrelated to riding a bike, but to be honest I still think it's simply that the bike's either, too big, too small or just badly set up. Trust me, it only needs to be a fraction out here & there to become a real dog.

 

[Monsieur Remings]

Have been through this in the last year or so. There's some seriously good avice here that should sort your problem. If the saddle height is now good and you still have a slight bend in your legs and don't wobble off the saddle, side to side then that's sorted. Next thing is moving the saddle forward and back. I, contrary to others, started at the furthest aft position (back as far as it goes) to see how the angle felt on the drops and the hoods. Did I feel stretched? Was it too far? Inversely, if you start at the other end in the furthest forward position do you feel cramped? Is the angle too tight and your body feel hunched? If it feels better then leave it for a while where it is and don't chop and change too quickly. This also changes the relative position of your pedalling legs to the centre of the bottom bracket which can also affect your back.

Next thing is to altar the angle of the handlebars with the four bolts on the stem that hold it tight. You can swing the bars so that they are lower or higher, try this. Normally a 5mm hex key but if it's carbon then a torque key. If you bring the bars up then the hoods will be higher and if you swing them further down, the drops will be lower.

You could also try to flip the stem, this on most stems will raise the angle but on a few may lower it and again is room for experimentation. You could also try different stem lengths as another resort - I started on the bike I had issues with on a 110mm stem and replaced it with a 100mm.

Give yourself time to get used to any new position and work on your core strength. As others have said stay on the drops when going downhill or when you want to put down a bit of power, not all the time. Ideally both positions should be comfortable for you.

 

[Linford]

A very good friend of mine is an Osteopath. He said on a few occasions that a good percentage of his customers are roadie riders, and this is because of what is being stressed/stretched by the prone riding position.
As the others have said, you need to tinker with the setup to find the best compromise and if push comes to shove, limit the time you spend hanging off the bars.

 

[tongskie01]

time to get bent if everything fails.

 

[bucksgill]

Wow, that is a lot of advice

I've started some exercises to strengthen and will tinker like you suggested in your advice. Seems like I am going to have to be patient to find the solution, I cannot wait for it to happen. Really want to get into it.

May be of interest to you all, but I am about 6ft2 and my bike is a 58cm frame. Also went on my exercise bike today because it was raining and didn't fancy going out in it and I was getting some pain from that as well; although no where near as severe. Obviously that is a pretty much upright position in comparison to the road bike. Would I be right in thinking that it suggests the problem is likely to be poor core muscles? Which probably have come from dodgy posture.

Thanks all!

 

[Monsieur Remings]

Mate, if it's any further help you will get it sorted. The problem is, and people will disagree with me here, that a one hour test ride won't show up the kind of distress to your back that you are talking about, and if it does, it could be something easily sortable with the tinkering above anyway.

Next time, I'll go to a professional bikefitter - the kind that tell you what bike and frame geometry to go to before you buy so you know what to buy as opposed to going to an LBS for a retro fit. I think this is the only way to eliminate the tinkering after buying but my point is, you will get there.

 

[bucksgill]

Thought I'd give an update:

Having been on the losing side of yet another tussle with the bolt so I can move the seat back and forward (going to have to find someone of something to get it to budge) I decided to tinker with the angle of the bars a little. Turned them ever so slightly upwards.

Went for a ride and beat my furthest by 10 miles to finish on 24 miles. Felt really good and could have done more if I didn't have stuff to do. I felt virtually nothing from my back until the last 4/5 miles or so but it still was not as bad as I had felt before. I forced myself not to touch the drops which could of added to the success. So all in all progress is definitely being made, I'm going to keep this current set up for a little while whilst continuing with the exercises and see where it takes me.



ps. is anyone on here the guy who was whizzing around Southsea Common the opposite way to me and a lot faster? Wearing all black with a black bike and generally looking a lot more sporty than me