stiff neck

murphy7

Hi all
Seem to be getting lots of stiff necks,headaches, while riding, think a more upright riding style would alleviate the problem but cant face a flat bar bike any suggestions.
Much appreciated.

Monty Dog

It's not necessarily the shape of the bars, but the fact that you are over-reaching; probably locking the elbows and tensing the muscles in your neck. Try using a shorter stem and if possible raising the bars. There are also shallow drop bars availabale with reduced reach in comparison to standard bars.

APIII

I had a similar problem last year. Went to see a chiropractor who sorted me out within 2 sessions. There were some vertebrae that weren't moving freely apparently, which was causing problems further up. A few 'manipulations' did the trick. Worth considering if the problem has arisen without any changes in your riding.

Cajun

Exercise and stretching for the neck and upper back will greatly reduce your discomfort.
When I used to experience this, one of the on-road stretches I did was:
1) With one hand, grab hold of the thumb on the other hand and extend (stretch) arms in front of you (parallel to ground) as far as they will go, while keeping your shoulders in a stationary location.
2) Grip the thumb tightly (do not let go) and pull both fists outwardly, and at the same time tighten your upper back muscles (similar to a bodybuilding competitor doing the 'Crab pose', but do not bend forward) [see Photo 'J" for Crab Pose: http://www.naturalbodybuilding.com/bodybuilding/ ]
The tighter you flex the muscles, the more effective for relieving the soreness and after time in the saddle, this discomfort will end... some light weight lifting will strengthen this area for quicker relief..
http://www.cptips.com/backpn.htm
http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/cyber ... uscles.htm