Back Breaker?

falcons

I've managed to narrow down my search for my first road bike to the following 3 options:

Specialized Roubaix Elite
Orbea Onix Bira
Kuota Khan 105

My quandry is are the Orbea and Kuota more likely to give me lower back pain than the Roubaix? I currently ride a Scott Sportster Hybrid and occasionally get lower back pain after a long,hard cycle. My LBS say they can set up the Kuota so i'll barely notice the difference between that and the Roubaix by raising the bars.

Any advice greatfully received.

nolf

Long hard bike rides tend to put pressure on your lower back as all of the power you put out tends to go through the lower back. As many cyclists (me included) have a comparitively weak lower back, you'd be better off doing some stretches or light weights (consult GP first!) to solve that problem.

Having a bike that fits really well is the most important aspect, but I'd be surprised (especially if you're buying from a bike shop) if any of those has a worse position than the other 2. You'll probably find a drop handlebar bike will have a lower position than your Scott, but to a large extent your body will adapt to it.

Personally I'd go for the specialized as I think they look pretty cool and have a pretty good heritage, plus I like their BG stuff, especially the saddle.

Nuggs

I punctured a disc last year and as part of rehab, my physio suggested I take up cycling.

I went for a Roubaix because of its reputation for comfort on long rides.

It's been excellent and very, very comfortable (5 hours on the bike is more comfortable than 5 hours at my desk).

However, the most important thing is to get the bit fitted to you properly. My LBS offers the BikeFit service which has been excellent (much better than their spanner-work anyway :roll: ).

falcons

Thanks for the advice. Does anyone know when the 2009 Specialized bikes are available?There doesn't seem to be many 2008 bikes left.