Eh!!! Neck Pain ???

Flanker37

The past month, on my normal 2 hour journeys i am getting really bad neck pain. I ride a Rigdeback Velocity hybrid, so i like to think i am sitting fairly upright.

Now i am about to tackle newcastle upon tyne to coniston lake (94miles) on the first of september. The last thing i need on a 9hour ride is agony in my neck.

Does anyone else get this, and is there a solution.

I have now given up the idea of getting a road bike, as my neck will be angled even further up

crankycrank

Pinpoint what it is that is causing the neck pain while you're in your riding position. Things such as if the distance from the saddle to the bar is too long or too short can be tested just by taking your hands off the bar and moving your arms forward or rearward of the grips to see if that lessens the pain. Also the bars may be too narrow/wide, too high/low. Does your neck start hurting as soon as you start riding or is it after 20mins, 2hrs, etc. Take a few tools with you on your next ride and try different positions after the pain starts. Longer rides will usually expose what's not working for your riding position so pay attention to the rest of your body pains as well and adjust until your comfortable. Also try rotating your head around every 30min or so while on the bike to help keep the neck muscles loose.

UndercoverElephant

Do you wear a helmet? If so, take the peak of the front if it has one, you'll be amazed at the difference.

spen666

Cycling weekly have a new sister bi-monthly magazine just out called Cycling Active - they have a big article in there about avoiding neck pain

Flanker37

Thanks for your replies guys.
@spen666 i will nip into town 2moro and see if whsmiths has it in

jimmcdonnell

Or find and book yourself a bike fitting - mine was 2 1/2 hours and £85, not cheap but a positional assessment and a couple of 3-8mm adjustments (saddle, stem, cleats) done by an expert cured my neck pain immediately.

sharm1969ca

Flanker37, just wanted to wish you luck for the 1st sept mate, hope the weather is all good for you and the roads are clear, hope your gonna blog it on here.

spasypaddy

jimmcdonnell wrote:

Or find and book yourself a bike fitting - mine was 2 1/2 hours and £85, not cheap but a positional assessment and a couple of 3-8mm adjustments (saddle, stem, cleats) done by an expert cured my neck pain immediately.

where did you get it done for that price?

Flanker37

sharm1969ca, thanks mate

Its been a while since i did a lengthy ride. About 5 years in fact.. My young brother lives near Coniston Lake. And i have been in the car to stay there in may. That road is awesome more or less from hexam all the way there. Its a well traveled Motorbike road. In fact i am planning on stopping at the popular bikers cafe here http://www.visitcumbria.com/pen/hartside.htm

whilst i am at my brothers i will be cycling around the various lakes, making a week of it. Then its the return journey. I am taking my laptop & digital camera.

I just wish my camera was like these new generation camera phones that can give you a gps location on your photos. that's a nifty little feature i think

my route

http://tinyurl.com/legery

sharm1969ca

Flanker37,
I know the north west very well mate, if you look over to the left of coniston, on the coast line, you will see a little town called millom, well thats my old home town. A lot of years ago i went from millom, hawkshead, coniston, Ambleside, windermere, Bowness then back on the ferry to the otherside of lake coniston back to hawkshead and back home. Cant remember the milage but we did it in a day me and a mate, he was on a mountain bike and i was on a handbuilt holdsworth road bike i borrowed of a copper friend at the time. Am really jealous of ya mate, but make sure you post pics, have a great ride.

Flanker37

well today i thought i would have a pratice pulling my trailer http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/accessories/trailer/product/cargo-load-trailer-17016

I went along to Hexham & back, and let me tell you. Getting there was easy, getting home however was a right b!tch. It is just too hard pulling a trailer. So that idea is out the window for going to Coniston. Not only did my neck pain return on the return leg, but my wrists were in utter agony. To the point were i was trying to stear with a few fingers. I have these on my bike http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/ebwPNLqrymode.a4p?f_ProductID=10854&f_SupersetQRY=C207&f_SortOrderID=1&f_bct=c003154c003227c003229

I tried several angles of tilt, but they still hurt like hell... I think i wil pop over to talk to the staff at Evans next week, My local Edingburgh cycles staff are obviously trained monkeys


my route

http://www.routeyou.com/route/view/155476/cycling-route-hexam-work.en

jimmcdonnell

@spasypaddy - I went to The Bike Whisperer in Ealing, http://www.thebikewhisperer.co.uk