Mamil newbie

Flurst

Hi all, 50 yrs old in a few days, started cycling a year ago as running ect due to bad knees was out of the question. I have been a keen sportsman nearly all my adult life, athletics, volleyball, biathlon (skiing), you name it I have had a go but it does take its toll on the body, last year I bought a trek 7.5 hybrid and off I went and it has been a long time since I could get my heartrate up and keep it there for over an hour and I was loving it. I have since bought a trek 1.2 road bike and I'm improving all the time but a pain in my back limits the time I can keep going for. The pain, I think, is muscular as it builds up starting as a dull ache above each side of my hips and gets worse the more I do, it is really annoying as I would love to go further and maybe even take part in a sportive at some stage.

Is this a common problem and can it be overcome by any means? I am 6ft and 95kg leanish!!! Train from 20-30 miles.
Regards Phil

unixnerd

I'd be tempted to get a proper bike fitting, if you have hip problems it might be because your saddle is a wee bit too high and your hips and rocking back and forth when you pedal.

A common one is lower back from having the handlebars too low or too far forwards. But I don't think that's your issue.

Flurst

unixnerd wrote:

I'd be tempted to get a proper bike fitting, if you have hip problems it might be because your saddle is a wee bit too high and your hips and rocking back and forth when you pedal.

A common one is lower back from having the handlebars too low or too far forwards. But I don't think that's your issue.

I bought the bike from Ken Ellerker's in Hull a very good shop and I had what I thought was a proper fit, he used plumb bob's for my leg position and set the seat height ect, I also seem to get the problem whether I am on the top bar or on the drops :roll:

Pretre

Go back to the bike shop - you shouldn't be getting back pain from a properly fitted bike unless you have other issues

Flurst

Pretre wrote:

Go back to the bike shop - you shouldn't be getting back pain from a properly fitted bike unless you have other issues

Thanks for the advice, have the bike in for it's free service this week so I shall mention it to them.
Phil

Headhuunter

I sometimes get back pain and I find that doing proper stretches of the hamstrings and back helps, but particularly the hams. Cycling tends to strengthen the hamstrings considerably and most cyclists do not stretch them ever, neither do they do core and lower back strengthening exercises. This means that the hams get very short, tight and powerful and exert an unbalanced pull on the muscles of the lower back making it ache.

I was talking to a sports physio out on one of our club rides and she said that of all the sports people she deals with, cyclists are the worst for doing stretches, warm up and warm down exercises. We tend to think nothing of doing a 50-100 mile ride, jumping straight off the bike and slumping on the sofa.

keef66

I get just the same thing. It's almost certainly hamstrings. I'm about to be 53, been on the road bike for 2 years now, and can never be bothered to stretch before I go out. It's worse if I really push myself to hard too soon, or do a lot of hills soon in the ride. I'm going to experiment with some gentle hamstring stretches before and after riding to see what difference it makes.

danowat

+1 for hamstring stretches.