Minor back ache
- Thread starter Longshot
- Start date
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kiwi-Sal
Well-Known Member
I am interested to see the response you get on this as I get sometimes get dull back ache if I am out riding more then 40+ miles. It is also worse if I am going up hills and I spend time out of the saddle going up the hills. So if I am on flat 40+ mile its not noticeable. Dont suppose you were on hills when you went out for your ride?
Mixture but the more advanced cyclists on this forum would classify it as flat I'm sure
cyberknight
As long as I breathe, I attack.
- Location
- Land of confusion
Could be raising your seat height has altered your reach and drop to handlebars enough to affect your back.
according to jimlangley back ache can be caused by seat being to high or the stem to low , you could flip /raise the handlebars by a similar amount to what you have raised your saddle height ? or a slightly shorter stem as when you raise the saddle it effectivley increases the reach to the handlebars due to the seat tube angle .
I used to get tight neck when riding long distances untill someone pointed out i had a stretched out position so a 10 mm smaller stem eased that ache.
Check these out ...
http://www.jimlangley.net/crank/bikefit.html
http://www.jimlangley.net/crank/bikefitchart.html
according to jimlangley back ache can be caused by seat being to high or the stem to low , you could flip /raise the handlebars by a similar amount to what you have raised your saddle height ? or a slightly shorter stem as when you raise the saddle it effectivley increases the reach to the handlebars due to the seat tube angle .
I used to get tight neck when riding long distances untill someone pointed out i had a stretched out position so a 10 mm smaller stem eased that ache.
Check these out ...
http://www.jimlangley.net/crank/bikefit.html
http://www.jimlangley.net/crank/bikefitchart.html
Not the way I play golf
G2EWS
Well-Known Member
- Location
- Devizes, Wiltshire
From a physical point of view rather than my limited bike experience I am not surprised you are having a problem.
As humans our bodies are designed to be on all fours. This means that the compression on our lower spine when stood up is such that most of us will have burst or slipped discs. Basically the only inanimate object in your body is a sac of saline between each vertebrae. This gets compressed with running about and doing anything strenuous. To the point were it bursts. The sac then becomes flat and as such wider. On occasions with no stressful moves it can touch your spinal cord. This is the pain or ache that most of us feel. If you are really unlucky it will incapacitate you. This is a problem I had during 9/11 in 2001. I treat my back with a lot of respect and can confirm that cycling has improved it due I believe to the muscles in my back getting stronger and holding me spine in a better posture.
So the solution!
In my opinion you need to find a ride position that does not cause this ache. On my commute to work I have found I am better with my seat about 1/2 cm lower than the recommended level. I understand from what I have read and watched about setting up your bike, this is not a problem. They suggest that a 'proper' set up is only a starting point and you need to adjust the bike for your comfort! Most recently I saw this on a youtube movie, but have read the same on a web page and in a book on setting up your bike.
My commute is 5 miles each way and yesterday I did my first 15 miler on the mountain bike on road. I had no problems with my back and could physically see my legs were not as straight as they should be. But at least I can ride! Maybe not as efficiently as a lot of people, but good enough for my pleasure.
Best regards
Chris
As humans our bodies are designed to be on all fours. This means that the compression on our lower spine when stood up is such that most of us will have burst or slipped discs. Basically the only inanimate object in your body is a sac of saline between each vertebrae. This gets compressed with running about and doing anything strenuous. To the point were it bursts. The sac then becomes flat and as such wider. On occasions with no stressful moves it can touch your spinal cord. This is the pain or ache that most of us feel. If you are really unlucky it will incapacitate you. This is a problem I had during 9/11 in 2001. I treat my back with a lot of respect and can confirm that cycling has improved it due I believe to the muscles in my back getting stronger and holding me spine in a better posture.
So the solution!
In my opinion you need to find a ride position that does not cause this ache. On my commute to work I have found I am better with my seat about 1/2 cm lower than the recommended level. I understand from what I have read and watched about setting up your bike, this is not a problem. They suggest that a 'proper' set up is only a starting point and you need to adjust the bike for your comfort! Most recently I saw this on a youtube movie, but have read the same on a web page and in a book on setting up your bike.
My commute is 5 miles each way and yesterday I did my first 15 miler on the mountain bike on road. I had no problems with my back and could physically see my legs were not as straight as they should be. But at least I can ride! Maybe not as efficiently as a lot of people, but good enough for my pleasure.
Best regards
Chris
Rob3rt
Man or Moose!
- Location
- Manchester
It might be a case of getting used to the new position, if it is indeed the "right" position. Any change will cause some different sensations or even small niggles for a while.
It might be that the new position is not right for you. See cyberknight's post re this.
It might be a core strength issue, if you have a weak core, when tired, you will hunch and rock and roll on the bike, this can cause aches. This is most noticeable on rides that are longer or more difficult than what you may be used to.
It might be that the new position is not right for you. See cyberknight's post re this.
It might be a core strength issue, if you have a weak core, when tired, you will hunch and rock and roll on the bike, this can cause aches. This is most noticeable on rides that are longer or more difficult than what you may be used to.
Melonfish
Evil Genius in training.
- Location
- Warrington, UK
My seat post clamp broke during the summer, i spent ages getting my bike setup again, not only did i have to get the seat right but i found my reach really wasn't all that comfortable so i extended it, i ended up getting horrible back pain, unsure what to do i raised my handlebars. no more pain.
now i have reach and hight sorted no issues. but it took a lot of fiddle!
also i have a really weak core thanks to some torn back muscles many years ago.
now i have reach and hight sorted no issues. but it took a lot of fiddle!
also i have a really weak core thanks to some torn back muscles many years ago.
Berties
Fast and careful!
Get the bike set up correct,then with every ache or niggle you might then need to readjust but not straight away give it a few weeks,you will normally get used to the new position and your body will tune into it,think about core strength this will improve the style you ride in,more of a straight body not waving around so much ,if I ride a long time on my drops my neck will ache latter this gets better as my traps and shoulders get used to the position,as some one else has mentioned the stem could be looked at,this comes down to bike fit how much of the front wheel you can see whilst in ride position
Good luck
Good luck
G2EWS
Well-Known Member
- Location
- Devizes, Wiltshire
[QUOTE 2068150, member: 9609"]we've been on our feet for a very long time, 1½million years since homo erectus and 200,000 years since we evolved into homo sapiens. And it wasn't until we stopped our lifestyle as hunter gatherers about 20,000 years ago when we went into cultivating the land that arthritic changes to the lower spine became very common. It's not our bodies it is our lifestyle.
totally agree with your other stuff - I have had a fractured vertebrae that is now misshapen and has squashed a disc into a nerve and gives no end of problems in my right leg - the funny thing is I rarely get a sore back. and cycling is good most of the time, 20 mile in two or three hours is excellent - 70 - 80 mile days are not good at all and I wish I would stop doing them.[/quote]
Hi Reiver,
Sorry, I am only stating the fact that our bodies, however far they have developed, have not developed enough. They are still better suited to being on all fours. Hence why most people suffer with lower back problems.
It is all about understanding it and being prepared in how to deal with it. You need good lower back muscles to help of course.
Best regards
Chris
totally agree with your other stuff - I have had a fractured vertebrae that is now misshapen and has squashed a disc into a nerve and gives no end of problems in my right leg - the funny thing is I rarely get a sore back. and cycling is good most of the time, 20 mile in two or three hours is excellent - 70 - 80 mile days are not good at all and I wish I would stop doing them.[/quote]
Hi Reiver,
Sorry, I am only stating the fact that our bodies, however far they have developed, have not developed enough. They are still better suited to being on all fours. Hence why most people suffer with lower back problems.
It is all about understanding it and being prepared in how to deal with it. You need good lower back muscles to help of course.
Best regards
Chris
G2EWS
Well-Known Member
- Location
- Devizes, Wiltshire
[QUOTE 2068489, member: 9609"]As two legged creatures our spines performed as well as any other creature for hundreds of thousands of years when we lived our lives as hunter gatherers.
We now use our spines in a way they were never intended to be used - and that's why so many of us have back problems.[/quote]
Hi Reiver,
I have seen top physio's and specialists around the World from places as far away as Saudi Arabia and they have all told me the same. I am no expert, I just repeat what I have been informed.
However, if you are more qualified than they are then I bow to your greater knowledge.
Best regards
Chris
We now use our spines in a way they were never intended to be used - and that's why so many of us have back problems.[/quote]
Hi Reiver,
I have seen top physio's and specialists around the World from places as far away as Saudi Arabia and they have all told me the same. I am no expert, I just repeat what I have been informed.
However, if you are more qualified than they are then I bow to your greater knowledge.
Best regards
Chris
