Bike choice for back trouble

ilovegrace

Having problems with my back at the moment.
I have been riding a giant CX bike until I wrote it of ,after an hour or so my back was in agony and just wanted to finish the ride and get of.
I have started to use my giant roam bike and are still getting an ache but a manageable ache.
the thing is I realy like the race type bike and are up for buying a new road bike £1000 - £1500 but I cannot justify buying one only in effect to "pay for pain"
I do have long standing low back disc trouble and may have to accept that drop bars are not for me. mind you if anyone out there has had back trouble and found a bike that has made things a little easier then please let me know.
I do lashings of core stuff and after think the bike fitting lark is a bit of hocus pocus , anyhow any suggestions will be very much appreciated.
regards
ILG

Gentracer

Get a bike fit.

I had lower back pain and sometimes shoulder / neck pain when riding long distances. Went for a bike fit and the problem is sorted. (Specialised Concept Store in Harrogate).

Not hocus pocus, and well worth the money IMO. Is it not worth £120.00 if it stops the pain and gets you back to enjoying riding.

el_vino

+1 for bike fit, I would never have created the position he put me in myself as he actually lowered the position of the bars by removing the spacers and putting in a lower rise but shorter stem, it was all designed to put the hoods in the ideal position for my body at optimum saddle height. A year ago I couldnt do more than 2 hours and hills killed me. After the fit I managed the Etape with 8hrs in the saddle and 5000m of climbing, I wont say I was perfect but back was least of my worries

16mm

I pay as much as it costs (bike fit / physio) to ride pain free. Worth every penny.
You could post a picture of your position and get some free advice?

What is you physios assessment of your lower back trouble? You may need to compensate for the time spent on the road bike with some exercise and stretching for the muscles at the front of your core that can be chronically tight in cyclists.

ilovegrace

Many thanks for the replies chaps , I have recieved conflicting views regarding "bike fit".
I was talking to a cycling coach recenly and she was non to complementary of the bike fit process.
The proof of the pudding etc is the people who have had there pain reduced through the bike fit and are a lot more comfortable on the bike.
It would seem that you chaps have had good results from the procedure and I feel from your replies that this is the route I should seriously consider.
Harrogate is not all that far away so on recomendation I will look into this.
many thanks again
regards
ILG

drlodge

There are broadly 2 types of "bike fit" IMHO:
- first is the simple "Bike Fit", where the bike is adjusted to the person (typicaly in store bike fits).
- the second is a more comprehenxsve fit of the "person" to the bike, where the person's physical make up is established and may (should) include consideration of shims, wedges etc to understand the proper needs of the rider.

What you need falls into the second camp, you need someone who understand's you physical and physiological make up, and can advise on a suitable bike setup that suits you, your body, your style of riding etc. Not all bike fits are the same!!!

16mm

drlodge wrote:

There are broadly 2 types of "bike fit" IMHO:
- first is the simple "Bike Fit", where the bike is adjusted to the person (typicaly in store bike fits).
- the second is a more comprehenxsve fit of the "person" to the bike, where the person's physical make up is established and may (should) include consideration of shims, wedges etc to understand the proper needs of the rider.

What you need falls into the second camp, you need someone who understand's you physical and physiological make up, and can advise on a suitable bike setup that suits you, your body, your style of riding etc. Not all bike fits are the same!!!

+1
This is true, make sure you pay for a proper fit, with someone who know what they are doing.
Saddle height is straightforward to calaluate (a lot of fits use an online database for an initial fit) but if you have different leg lengths or flexibility issues you need someone who will notice these things.
You should also take your physios diagnostics of your back issues and make sure (in advance maybe) that your bike fitter understands the implications.

I did a bike fit that was then replicated on an SRM bike and checked under load.

Skeletor_LDN

I had chronic knee, neck and back pain before my bike fit, much of it caused by a slipped disk when I was younger.

I had a full Retul fit and 90% of the issues were resolved, the remaining 10% is the result of injury so only managed through pre-ride dosing on ibruprofen...

Garth Kruger has just been accredited thew UKs only Retul Master Fitter and is a truly great chap. Based down in Southampton if that's of any convenience...he also travels to fit riders too.

https://www.facebook.com/VankruCycling

overlord2

1. Bike fit.
2. Bike fit.
3. Bike fit.

ilovegrace

Overlord2 wrote:

1. Bike fit.
2. Bike fit.
3. Bike fit.

I am coming round to that way of thinking.
Where to go is the thing ?
I am in the northeast /north Yorkshire area ,any ideas ?
regards
ILG

overlord2

I went for Paul Hewitt.

Be warned though his style is a bit odd. He's nice enough and knows his stuff but comes across as a bit brusque to say the least but doesn't give out or take any BS. I would use again though.

Got to the point now where I have more pain off the bike than on it, and get on it for some pain relief.

Gentracer

The Fit I had in the Concept Store in Harrogate, was a full three hours, and covered my flexibility, bike position, cleat position, shoe wedges etc etc, and was based around how flexible I was / am and what sort of riding I wanted to do.

The guy doing it is an ex racer and has undertaken the relevant training, and I found him very good.

Certainly worked for me. (And no I don't work there, but always good to pass on good experiences and good servcie)

gloomyandy

Given your back problems you may want to chat to Richard at
http://pedalprecision.com/about_us/
His background is in sports injuries and physio so he may have a better understanding of your issues.