Who here has had lower back pain during cycle rides ?

Raffles

Im currently experiencing pain in the lower back on the right hand side which I never had before the Retul fitting I had done about 2 months ago. The fitter adjusted the position of my saddle which resulted in it being pushed back about 7mm. I can charge along with the club rightly , but after about 90 mins im experiencing pain that just gets worse especially when Im going uphill. Im sick of having to get off the bike and do stretches to alleviate the pain, I never had anything like this before and its becoming a right nuisance. Anybody know what the likely culprits are that lead to this sort of pain ?

I got a pair of size 45 dhb road shoes from wiggle last week and ive a cleats fitting session scheduled this week with a guy who specialises in biomechanics and am hoping this is a step in the right direction to minimise wear and tear on joints and muscle groups.

elderone

I started to get this once i was doing 30+ mile rides.I relevelled my saddle and has been fine since with over 50mile ride.For me it was definately the saddle.

Bozman

If I take a ride easy the issue fails to surface, if I'm pushing it or I'm on a hilly route I'll get lower back pain, some rides are worse than others. I've done 100 mile rides without much of an issue but I'll nail it on a 35mile ride and I'll get grief.
At a low point, I've even had to get off the bike ten miles from home and stretch my lower back, I get the issue on both of my bikes with one having a more relaxed riding position. I stretch well after rides and watch my posture but I've yet to find the answer.

slowmart

Did the bike fit session include cleat positioning?

If everything else on the bike is the same except for the seat position it would seem likely that would be the first thing to examine. Your bike may technically be set up correctly but being human we all have our unique issues.

Have you tried moving the saddle back to the original position or contacted the technician? Most places have a second appointment to go through any issues?

Raffles

Slowmart wrote:

Did the bike fit session include cleat positioning?

?

The dhb road shoes are the first pair of road shoes ive ever owned and ive used spd`s for years. I got a mint set of 105 5700 road pedals from the classifieds here and this lead to the purchase of road shoes. The retul fit didnt include any adjustment of the spd cleats and im intrigued as what the fit of the road cleats will look like. I wonder can incorrect angle placement of cleats be a contributing factor when it comes to lower back pain , but I am curious as why its only on one side :?

mallorcajeff

Not during but after my crash in the mountains yesterday I'm in a world of pain at the moment.

RowanM

I recommend finding someone with a video camera (preferably one attached to their bike or helmet, we don't want any accidents...) and getting them to ride behind you and film you. It is amazing the number of people I see who are crooked on their bikes. Since you say it is only one side it sounds like there is something asymmetrical. Possibly the seat got twisted when moved back? Or possibly straightened from the crooked position it did have? Occassionally it is worth having someone's seat a little crooked to straighten them up (not often though, and don't start playing with that unless you know what you are doing). And as Slowmart says moving the seat back to the original position or closer may help with the pain, but that sort of defeats the purpose of the original adjustment.

The very first thing I would do though is Slowmart's other suggestion, I would contact the original tech who did the fit and tell him how it feels. I would expect him to then help you figure out how to make it better, but maybe I am just naive...

charlie_potatoes

mallorcajeff wrote:

Not during but after my crash in the mountains yesterday I'm in a world of pain at the moment.

Not having much luck lately Jeff?

Jim C

Not saying this will solve it for U, my back pain was solved by.......eating and drinking more and earlier. No medical knowledge, but think it was kidneys. Don't discount anything

ilovegrace

I have a history of back pain ,prolapsed disc etc ,
Gives me hell when I am running.
tried cycling using a hybrid no real problems then changed to a cx bike and after about an hour the old nagging low back pain starts.
Trouble is i love riding the Cx bike ,faster more agile etc but as you say the pain becomes debilitating.
Cycled up a relativley big hill a couple of weeks ago after about 2hrs on the bike ,the legs were ok but my back christ it ached , this makes me get out of the saddle and grind up hill when i can ride a lot better.
Found a couple of stretches in a mag a while ago and when i carry them out regularly I feel a lot better, however when I stop ,as in for two months with a broken elbow the pain when ridding again comes back.
I think your riding position has changed and this has stressed the discs ,for years your back was used to the origonal position and your muscles will have held you but the change has altered things , no good now but as they say if it works dont fix it !
Why did you get the bike fit in the first place ?

desweller

It does seem as though you are experiencing more pain generally since you had your fit done.

Mine transformed my riding into a pain-free experience - quite the reverse of what yours has been (mine was not a Retul fit though).

I'd recommend you call your fitter to discuss your problems. It does not sound like your setup is as good as it should be.

robbo2011

Talk to the fitters and explain the problem. it maybe that your previous position was already a good fit for you, despite what the Retul computer program says. I am not sure how much they take into account flexibility of the rider with these bike fitting methods.

Both me and my GF were also unhappy with the bike fits we got when we bought our bikes. (again a computer program based on body sizes). I am not sure how much use they are to be honest.

Spatulala

Do you have a job that involves sitting down all day?

Recently enrolled in a strength and conditioning class for cyclists (as part of my training for La Marmotte), who said that a common cause of lower back pain in cyclists is lazy glutes. Your glute is the single most powerful muscle in the human body, but also one of the laziest due to our increasingly sedentary lifestyles. If your glute isn't working hard enough, then the hamstring will take up the slack, but at a cost, one of them being lower back pain.

There was more detail to that story but I was halfway through an exercise causing me not inconsiderable pain, so I can't remember it all! And if I got any of it wrong I'm sure there'll be plenty of people to set me straight.

jscl

As others have mentioned, get that saddle sorted. Another thing is your handlebar height. If your bars are high, you slouch in your back. If you drop them lower, you don't necessarily increase the reach, but you instead start to use your abs vs back slouching. Always good to maximise use of muscles, rather than a lazy position.

Sir Velo

Some good points made by others, do contact the Retul fitter to explain I am sure they will want to help, do core strength exercises, stretch hamstrings, etc.

I appreciate you have just spent money on a Retul fitting but also try and get some knowledge on bike fitting (pardon me if you do already have good knowledge) as for me I will do tweaks and changes to my own position. Interestingly I did have a free fitting a well respected fitter and the data was at the most 1mm difference!

In particular I tweak my TT bike depending on what I am training for and the time of year. I have ( from non cycling issues) two discs in my lower back that have 'slipped' in the past but an understanding GP (at time one of my squash club players) and a thorough check by a physio along with a desire to understand, at least my own, bike position gives me the confidence to adjust my position on the bike.

Go talk to the fitter and have a go at self fitting.

SV