Lower back stiffness

PaddyG68

I've just started road biking, having been an MTBer for many years. My longest ride so far is around 42 km, but I do tend to get lower back stiffness during the ride and just after. It's never agonising, but enough to have to get up out the saddle occassionally to try and stretch it off. Is it due to my bike set-up (I didn't do a proper fitting) or simply a matter of getting used to a flatter, less upright, road-biking position? Also, since Friday's ride, I have had a stiff neck and Trapezius, which actually didn't manifest till Saturday morning whilst sat in the car. I'm not sure if this is cycling related though, as it has happened many times over the years and not always after biking.

danlikesbikes

Could be; poor bike set up, not yet used to riding a road bike, incorrect sized bike/stem/bars, something other than being on a bike, musculature imbalance.

Hard to tell from what you've said so far as you've touched on a pre-existing condition with similar effects not always related to riding your bike.

ai_1

Can't give you a definitive answer, could be the bike fit, could be simply something you need to adapt to. I think it can also be influenced by very tight hamstrings. My hamstrings have a tendency to tighten up if I don't do some stretching. I also run which may be part of it. If I let my hamstrings get tight it seems to cause some lower back pain.

kajjal

If you get no pain from mountain biking and have no long standing injuries the most likely cause is your road bikes setup. After a few weeks of road biking you should be fine.

Have a read on road bike setup as it needs to be more accurate than a mountain bike. Start with the saddle height, fore / aft position and then the reach / drop to the bars is up to your personal preference from level touring position to a very head down racing position.