Bike setup causing headaches?

[lulubel]

The last couple of long (40+ mile) rides I've been on have left me with a headache for the rest of the day. Yesterday was bad enough that I had to lie down for an hour before dinner because I couldn't see straight.

I know my hydration/nutrition was right yesterday because I was very careful after feeling like I had a hangover the day after my last long ride, so all I can think of is the bike setup. I tweaked it slightly a couple of weeks ago by moving one spacer from below the bars to above them. I'm finding the new position really comfortable - less weight on my hands - but wondering if this is likely to be causing the headaches.

Does anyone have any experience of this? And are they likely to just stop of their own accord as my body gets used to the new position?

 

[yello]

My take - I wouldn't have thought it was due to the change of the position. It wouldn't surprise me that was some musculature/skeletal ache somewhere due to the position change but nothing of the degree your experiencing, and not a headache either. That actually sounds to me like quite a severe response - like a migraine.

The body does adapt to positional changes, it's true, but in all honesty I wouldn't wait for that. I'd get yourself to the docs for a check, particularly in the light of your 'hangover' experience. I don't think it's bike related.

 

[rockyraccoon]

You are in Spain, right? I assume it's been hot. Couldn't it be heat related?

 

[mickle]

Low iron levels could be the cause.

 

[Red Light]

I would have thought dropping the bars ("moving one spacer from below the bars to above them") would have put more weight on your hands and also required you to put your head further back to look ahead. It maybe that slightly changed neck position is causing the problem but I'd still go with hydration as the reason, especially in sunny hot Spain.

 

[lulubel]

Thanks for the replies.

It isn't really that hot here at the moment, to be honest. It only reached 24C yesterday, which I appreciate is quite hot from the UK point of view, but it's a lot cooler than the low/mid 30s I have been cycling in. So, I don't think it's heat related.

The reason I don't think it's hydration related is that I was very, very careful yesterday to rehydrate properly after my ride. I drank somewhere in excess of 5 litres of water yesterday (as well as chocolate milk, tea and coffee), and added electrolytes to some of it, even after I got back from my ride, to make sure I didn't dilute my electrolyte levels.

Regarding weight on my hands, I think I've been compensating for my saddle being too wide ever since I've had the bike by pushing myself back with my hands to stop myself slipping onto the nose of the saddle. (I've experimented with different positions/angles for the saddle, which haven't helped, and now have a narrower saddle on order.) With the bars slightly lower, I don't seem to be able to do that, which is making my current saddle extremely uncomfortable, and is what motivated me to order a new one! Maybe I should have said less "pressure" on my hands.

Anyway, I've also noticed my core (lower back and stomach) muscles are aching after longer rides now, so presumably the slight position change is making me use them more in my usual position on the hoods. I assumed this would also explain having less weight on my hands - because my core muscles are taking some of it. I've taken this as a good thing, anyway, because I've also noticed my average speed is very slightly faster for the same (perceived) effort.

I do suffer from very occasional migraines, and yesterday's headache was borderline. That's why I decided to lie down before it got any worse. I knew I needed to eat dinner and keep it down me.

One other thing I haven't mentioned is that I wear a helmet with a "peak", so that might be affecting my head position as well. I do want to get rid of it, but need to find some better sunglasses first, and it's proving a challenge to find any that are nice and dark, and fit comfortably.

I'm seeing the doctor next week, anyway, so I'll mention it to him if I get it again next weekend. He's a MTBer so he won't suggest anything silly like not going on long rides

 

[zacklaws]

About three weeks ago, I started to get headaches on my rides, I've had them in the past, but it was due to me doing 100+ rides on only 2 bottles of water as I had been unable to find a shop which looks safe enough to leave my bike outside and no thieving scrote have it away.

Anyway, the only thing I had done was fit a new seatpost which was set at the same height as my previous seatpost or so I thought, but I kept getting headaches. Anyway I did a check of my seatpost and it was too high by just quarter of an inch, but just that little bit made my head look up a bit more than usual. I can actually replicate the feeling now how they would start by just lifting my head up as far as it will go and then roll my eyes upwards to look higher, straight away I get that feeling of tension and nausea in my head which feels horrible. Anyway I dropped my seatpost and I was cured straight away.

But as others have said, raising the bars will have the same effect, if the seat post is correct to start with.

And it may even have to do with your peak, by having to tip your head back to look under it.

In fact, I have started a headache off now just by looking upwards as I have described above

 

[lulubel]

Thanks, that's interesting to know such a tiny change can have a major effect.

I've just come up with something else to investigate, and that's chocolate milk. I started drinking it for the first time since I was a kid 2 weeks ago, after my long ride, because so many people swear by it as a recovery drink. Apparently, thanks to some research via google, if you are sensitive to chocolate (which I don't know if I am, but I only eat a very small amount of it so probably wouldn't know), having chocolate with milk is likely to be a trigger. The reason I started looking at that is I just had a glass of chocolate milk this afternoon with a scoop of protein powder in - I supplement my protein because I don't get as much as I'd like on my veggie diet - and started to feel headachy and queasy about 30 minutes after. Usually, I'd have a fruit smoothie with the protein powder, but I had a carton of chocolate milk to finish.

I was going to move my bars back up for next weekend's long ride, but I think I shall try leaving them where they are and skip the chocolate milk instead, and see if that makes a difference.

 

[yello]

That's incredible. I'm surprised that a minor change can have such a dramatic effect.

I can see how lifting the seat or dropping the bars may well mean that you lift your head more, and as I said it doesn't surprise me that this could cause a temporary and minor issue, but for it to have the effect that both zacklaws and lulubel describe amazes me. I'm sure not everyone would have the same issue but it's nonetheless something I'll have to remember.

Edit: this post was made before I read lulubel's last post. I'm interested in the outcome of the chocolate milk experiment.

 

[zacklaws]

Concerning food, I know certain foods will give me an headache, usually rich foods, for instance cream buns, just the occasional one is Ok, eat four for example like I used to many years ago and I could have a blinding headache. Fish and chips can do it as well on occasions if I eat too many or from a specific chippie close by its guaranteed, so I presume it has to do with the oil.

And the strangest one is lettuce, if I eat a lot of it, once again I will get a headache, but my Father also had the same with lettuce which gave him migranes but cheese would also give him a headache but I do not think cheese effects me or I have not noticed, it would be a tragedy if it did though as I like a good chunk some nights when I fancy some good juicy lucid dreams, perhaps the dreams are that good, I don't notice the headache.

And I have also recalled, chocolate would give my Father headaches if not eaten in moderation.

And I have also just remembered that at work recently, I have got addicted to yoghurt coated shortcakes with a caramel inner and they give me a headaches so I have had to stop eating them

Reading between the lines, I have a feeling that if you raise the bars back to where they were, the problem might be solved, providing you have not been having chocolate milk shakes prior to the ride and the headache is actually happening whilst riding, I would have thought by lowering them would make you lean forward more, so as mentioned early, it may be because your looking up more or even more tightness on your neck to hold your head up as you lean forward causing tension over a period of time.

A quick simple check would be to lower your saddle if its still comfortable and go for a ride, if no headache, put your saddle back to where it should be and then do the longer job of raising the bars

 

[Red Light]

Thanks, that's interesting to know such a tiny change can have a major effect.

I've just come up with something else to investigate, and that's chocolate milk. I started drinking it for the first time since I was a kid 2 weeks ago, after my long ride, because so many people swear by it as a recovery drink. Apparently, thanks to some research via google, if you are sensitive to chocolate (which I don't know if I am, but I only eat a very small amount of it so probably wouldn't know), having chocolate with milk is likely to be a trigger. The reason I started looking at that is I just had a glass of chocolate milk this afternoon with a scoop of protein powder in - I supplement my protein because I don't get as much as I'd like on my veggie diet - and started to feel headachy and queasy about 30 minutes after. Usually, I'd have a fruit smoothie with the protein powder, but I had a carton of chocolate milk to finish.

I was going to move my bars back up for next weekend's long ride, but I think I shall try leaving them where they are and skip the chocolate milk instead, and see if that makes a difference.

I think you are overdoing it on the hydration and may be getting water intoxication. The symptoms would match and you need to be very careful. Its a well recognised problem in marathon runners who drink too much water and can be fatal. I would stay well away from 5 litres plus all the extras over that sort of distance and time unless it is really hot and you are sweating a lot. A couple of litres max. (including post ride extras)

 

[mickle]

Iron?

And I'd like to point out that raising or lowering ones saddle is a pish poor way of adjusting the angle of ones head. The height of the saddle relative to the pedals is defined by your inseam.

If you're finding it hard to see out of your eyes because your face is facing the ground I recommend adjusting the bars.

Really.

 

[zacklaws]

Iron?

And I'd like to point out that raising or lowering ones saddle is a pish poor way of adjusting the angle of ones head. The height of the saddle relative to the pedals is defined by your inseam.

If you're finding it hard to see out of your eyes because your face is facing the ground I recommend adjusting the bars.

Really.

If you had read carefully, my solution of slightly altering the saddle was not a permanent fix for the problem but just a quick trial rather than a slightly longer job of altering the bars which would have been the next step if it had alleviated the problem and put the saddle back to where it was.

 

[slowmotion]

I'm absolutely not an expert on sports meds. but my guess is that it could be your neck/head position on the bike.

Best wishes anyway.

 

[mickle]

If you had read carefully, my solution of slightly altering the saddle was not a permanent fix for the problem but just a quick trial rather than a slightly longer job of altering the bars which would have been the next step if it had alleviated the problem and put the saddle back to where it was.

I did read carefully. My point stands.