back pain?

chilievans

Recently my back has started aching when i'm riding for over an hour and its begining to piss me off. Any advice on how to get rid?

Furkuk

Build up your core stability. I would suggest buying a large exercise ball.
If you are on the heavy side then lose weight

endurojcb

As Furkuk mentioned, buy an exercise ball (only about £5-£6 from Argos). Lie belly down on it, with your feet touching the base of a wall to give you some stability (one you increase your core strength you won't need to use the wall for support). Put your hands against your ears, and then arch your back upwards as though you're doing a sit-up for your lower back. Do 4x15 reps each day and this will strengthen your lower back and reduce any back ache on your long rides.

If you don't want to buy an exercise ball, then lie on the floor belly down and raise your chest off the floor and back down. Again 4x15 reps per day.

AndyBike

Have a look at your bike (saddle and bars etc) set up as well, and become aware of your posture when riding

missmarple

Agree with AndyBike on this one, raising my saddle and adjusting the angle of my brake levers solved my back problems.

endurojcb

Here's the Holmes method for seat adjustment (you can pick up a goniometer on ebay for as little as a fiver):

The Holmes method

This was originally developed to reduce over-use injuries in cycling and takes a different approach entirely from the other three.

It uses a device called a goniometer for measuring the angle of the knee joint at the bottom of the pedal stroke. Holmes recommends an angle of between 25 and 35 degrees and closer to 25 for those with a history of patella tendonitis.

This may all sound a bit technical and if so it’s probably best to go with one of the two inseam methods, but you can pick up a goniometer from medical suppliers.

Pelever’s research has shown that setting your seat height based on a knee angle of 25 degrees outperforms all other methods (including an angle of 35 degrees). “Using a goniometer and a 25 degree angle is definitely the method I’d recommend,” he says.
Don’t rely on simply feeling comfortable either. “If you’ve been pedalling at a much lower saddle height than is optimal, it may feel awkward in the beginning,” says Pelever.
“However, as your body adapts (usually in two to three weeks) the new position will not only feel comfortable, but will improve performance in the long run.”

Of course, if you still feel uncomfortable after a few weeks then you will need to make changes. It’s best to use the 25 degree knee angle as a starting place. Have someone watch from behind to ensure that your hips do not rock back and forth across the saddle due to over extension at the bottom of the stroke. If that is the case then the angle may need to be adjusted upwards slightly for comfort.

“When I finish fitting someone on their bike, their knee angle is usually somewhere between 25 and 30 degrees, but much closer to 25 on most all occasions,” says Pelever.