Back Pain

KTbiker

hi guys (newbie!)

after a summer of madly going around on a heavy cheap hybrid i finally plumped for a Boardman Road Comp (ok,ok, Halford's weren't that bad actually) but I've got a stiff lower back from riding it around a bit.

Is it my very unfit and inflexible body protesting about leaning over or do you think it's worth changing the stem (I'm a girl so apparently I might have a short body).? I've done the usual handlebar reach calculations (i.e fork being obscured while on the drops) so it should be ok. Is it normal to be a bit uncomfortable until I've gotten used to it?

cheers,
Katie

brownbosh

Have you tried flipping the stem over yet??

KTbiker

not yet- is that a good way to start? i don't think the bike itself is too big for me, i'm not really stretched out or anything at the moment

brownbosh

Try it. Itll bring the bars up higher and a little closer to you. It may just be the general road bike positioning that your body is having trouble with. That would make it a little less extreme. 3 out of my 4 bikes have flipped stems (just not my race bike).

KTbiker

cool, thanks for the info, i'll give it a try and report back if i'm still having trouble!

brownbosh

no probs - good luck. Out of interest what is your inside leg and height in inches plus what does the bike measure in mm's from seatpost to head tube(centre to centre) and how many mm's long is the stem centre to centre??

KTbiker

the stem is 100mm, my height is 64 inches and inside leg is 29.5 inches (best i can manage with a tape measure at the mo so probably not totally accurate!)
not got measurement for top tube - bike's all locked up in the garage (wil get that tomorrow) but the frame size itself is 50cm

S2driveruk

I got told that the change in body position from a mtb to a road bike could well cause some short term discomfort as you rotate forward and this means that lower back muscles suddenly come into play...that could be the reason why its uncomfy at the moment?

KTbiker

yeah, i'm hoping it's just the drastic change from hybrid upright bike to sporty racer as i've been cycling on my other bike loads and getting stronger legs and now my back is having to do some work as well! i'll start doing proper stretching and exercising as well as fiddling around with my bike

feel

Is this backpain regular, how often are you getting it and how quickly do you get it, is it central or more on one side? How flexible are you can you touch your toes easily? Have you tried any exercises to loosen your hamstrings and back? Have you had back problems before? Are you sure your seat height is correct and that you are not rocking your pelvis as you pedal?(this is most easily checked by someone cycling behind you) Have you got an experienced roadie who can look at your position on the bike? Sorry to ask so many questions but the possible causes are many.

brownbosh

From height and inside leg measurement you have a torso to lower limb relationship which is normal - ie: neither part is particularly long or short. So if the measurement od the top tube is long inrelation to the seat tube that may be your problem - IE 'reaching'. I take it the 50 cm was the 'small' in frame size?
Just located some of the geometry info and the bike is a little longer in the top tube relative to the seat tube than i would like - http://www.boardmanbikes.com/ (can be found under 'view spec as pdf' ). This balance may be redressed by the stem flipping suggested plus you could also swivel the bars backa few degrees to bring the hoods closer whilst you get used to the position.

Try it for a few rides. If its no better and theres no experienced roadies near you an 90 or 80mm stem may alleviate the problem but will slightly effect the handling.

If your near fareham/southampton/portsmouth one of my club (if not myself) could have a fiddle with it for you on club night monday?

KTbiker

I've been out to play around with my bike (yeah it is the small size)- the top tube is 52cm (as accurate as i could get it) so with 62 all in all including stem.

I've never had sore/stiff back before- it's lower back in the centre and like a dull muscular ache all the time not when I'm on the bike- when I'm actually on it I've got so many other things to think about that I can't recall if it's better or worse on it.

I'm not very flexible at all at the mo- no hope of touching my toes! I really need to work on that.

Unfortunately I'm in the East Midlands area but thank you very much for your offer of help! My dad knows a few roadies so I could check with them. Thanks a lot for your help guys and I'll experiment with it all tomorrow.

sicknote

Best time to stretch is after a ride when you warm but you can still stretch when cold but you will need to take your time and hold the stretch for longer.

bigal.

Have you got your saddle height set correctly.??

If the saddle is too high you could be forcing your hips and lower back into a position that could cause a similar type of discomfort when at the bottom of your pedal stroke.

How many hours approx have you put in on the new bike and how far do you tend to ride.?

STEFANOS4784

I heard some-where not to stretch before riding as it removes some of the elasticity from your muscles :? Can any-one confirm wether this is true :?:

sicknote

Stretching cold before exercise is not good as you does not prepare your body for movements that you will do, much better done when you have finished.

bigal.

I would recommend warm up stretching prior to riding which I would describe as light stretching possibly only 10 mins or so. After ride depending on how you feel and the distance ridden you could easily spend between 10 mins and 30 mins stretching properly.

I reckon the real serious riders who have back problems etc could spend up to an hour working on various area's of their bodies.!!!!!

KTbiker

Been out a bit today (i've not been on any long rides yet) and I got some cycling shoes (that's certainly hepled pedalling) and checked that my saddle height is ok.

I think my back ache is from me being inflexible and not stretching so I've been doing that and it's getting a bit better- i'll do a longer ride tomorrow and report back, if I'm still like it after a while I'll start tinkering around with stems etc.
Thanks for the info!

feel

I have had various back problems and have had numerous sessions as a result with an osteopath. She told me that cycling causes the hamstrings to shorten slightly often causing presssure ( or in my case uneven pressure as one was shortening more than the other) on the pelvis leading to pain in the small of the back. A sure sign of short hamstrings is not being able to touch your toes. I was told to work on stretching hamstrings and stretching my back. As long as i am careful to do my exercises i can usually manage 3 or 4 hours in the saddle without a problem (other than a bit of a numb bum :oops: )

edit :can try and describe said exercises if you want.

KTbiker

right, success with the stretching- it's a lot better now and I'll make sure I carry on doing it, thanks for all your help.
I went out today for about half an hour (getting into it slowly!) and I felt much better on it. I can't believe it's taken me so long to get a road bike, it's brilliant!