A roadie no more, where next?

ForumNewbie

meagain wrote:

"...around £700 and re-use the parts from your older bike. These audax style frames have a more upright position than a pure race bike - the head tube is longer."

IF it's simply a question of a more upright position, can be done for a lot less than 700 quid! Even if a new stem won't reduce the saddle/bars height differential sufficiently (steerer tubes are often cut way too short to allow for the sort of future changes that might as here prove necessary!), then a new fork will do the job.

But the issue might be more than just "upright".

If it is just the height of the handlebars, an adjustable stem is an even cheaper option. It can go to a 60 degree angle which looks as if it raises it almost vertical - you can get the handlebars at the same distance away as a short stem, but up to 4 inches higher.

star_rover

oldwelshman wrote:

When I went to a chiropractor with back problems, his advice was "Come and see me every week until the problem is fixed." 3 months and hundreds of pounds later it still wasn't fixed.

Thats not a surprise
Look at what "real" doctors think of chirpractors, they see tem as quacks and offer no real benefit to patients.

aye, the 'real' doctors who would prescribe painkillers and tell you rest as soon as you mention the words 'back pain'.

I agree with Blonde about trying a sports physio. The chiro is going to try and fix your back pain - getting you comfortable on the bike is not even a secondary concern to them, apart from the fact that they know rock all about rider positioning on a bike.

There's no reason why drops must equal low and uncomfortable. I reckon a comfortable drop bar raised higher, say via a tall quill stem, would be more sensible than flat bars (even with bar ends).

Blonde

Nuggs wrote:

Not having made any recovery, I went to see a physio. Given my conditions, she refused to touch me and referred me to a neurosurgeon. 9 months on and I was finally diagnosed with a massive anterior puncture to my L5/S1 disc. I've just had the op to fix it and am still recovering (rather painfully).
I often wonder how long the osteopath would have just kept going...

I was impressed by the physio I saw too. I knew that they would refer me to someone else if they couldn't deal with the problem rather than making money out of not treating me. They tend to charge a set fee (aprox £45) for the 1st visit then less (£30) for any repeat visits, if needed - which, in my case, it wasn't, so I was well happy!

Blonde

star_rover wrote:

There's no reason why drops must equal low and uncomfortable. I reckon a comfortable drop bar raised higher, say via a tall quill stem, would be more sensible than flat bars (even with bar ends).

Worth a try but only if you have a long enough quill though. I tried that with my existing one and and pulled the thing out - it was already at the max. They usually have a max level marked on them, similar to seat posts. If you want to try it you can get a quill stem adapter to make the A-Head type arrangement, common on most modern bikes, accept a quill stem.

star_rover

Blonde wrote:

Worth a try but only if you have a long enough quill though. I tried that with my existing one and and pulled the thing out - it was already at the max. They usually have a max level marked on them, similar to seat posts. If you want to try it you can get a quill stem adapter to make the A-Head type arrangement, common on most modern bikes, accept a quill stem.

Or an Ahead stem with a steeper angle, 40 degrees perhaps. I was just trying to suggest that you don't have to have drops much lower than the saddle which is what many folks assume is the default arrangement.

I think that 'stretched out but higher up' is the way to go and this what I've tried to achieve myself.

bigjim

I can quite easily suffer lower back problems. I'm 6'2" and 54yrs old and bend the old back quite a bit on drops. However upright riding poition on flats gives me more lower back ache. Strangley enough my old but perfect Raleigh Sprint never gives me any pain on my back. I think it may be the way it is set up but I thought I had all my bikes set up the same. The old racer style bike has a very large frame which may be part of the reason and I tend to ride on the hoods or the top of the bars most of the time. However my bars are some 3/4 inches lower than the saddle. I would not convert to flats as you lose the choice of at least 3 different riding positions to alleviate a back that could stiffen up in the same position. for a long time Upright riding can put a lot of unatural pressure on the spine and your bum. Ideal riding style I think is to spread weight between large leg muscles and arms with very little pressure on the back. I also ride out of the saddle as often as possible to stretch everthing. I would look at bike fit and riding style before making any definate decisions. Phew. that was long winded.

Jim

Nuggs

A chap at work who suffers from chronic lower back pain highly recommends the Roubaix.

A day on the Spesh is apparently more comfortable than a day in the office (and a whole heap more fun).

That's why, once I've recovered enough, a Roubaix will be mine (and sometimes that's the only thought that keeps me going while I pop another morphinated pain killer)