Before I go for a bike fit. Neck issues.

Spooked

Hi guys,

I've been road riding for about a year now and still get neck issues when riding over three hours which are pretty debilitating.

I have finally found some exercises that I am going to try. Up till now I've been hoping they would go away.

I've always ridden mountain bikes so I'm not too sure how I should be set up on a road bike. Bit cheeky and embarrassing at the same time but I was hoping it would be ok to post up a pic to see where I might be going wrong?

I ride mainly with the club and am trying to get the belly down with a view to some TT's next year. Generally do three sportive/audax events each year or charge around on my own doing roughly 60 miles at the weekend and another 30 to 60 during the week weather dependant.

Neck normally starts playing up around the 60 mile mark.

Let me know if it's ok to post a pic. If anything the sight of me in Lycra should give a good giggle...

Cheers.

imposter2.0

post the pic.

Spooked

Here goes:



Ignore the mess behind. Ironing night last night

Appreciate any help. I love to ride but to be honest the pain is putting me off getting on the bike.

JackPozzi

Is that the position you hold on the road? TBH that looks pretty high at the front to me, would normally expect neck pain from a lower position?

Spooked

It is unfortunately. My mountain bike puts me in a more aggressive position at the front without any issues at all.

Im at a loss. All the pictures I have seen of good position show the arms further forward than I am.

I did wonder if it had something to do with a weak core and my arms taking the brunt at the angle that they are at.

From a flexibility perspective when standing I can put my palms flat on the floor if that makes any odds?

I'm 5 ft 11 on a 56cm effective frame and am using a 100mm stem.

I also get numb toes which I forgot to mention .

imposter2.0

That position looks relatively ok - the levers look a little high, but I've seen far worse on here. Do you have a peak on your lid?

Spooked

I'm running 42cm handlebars and have ordered some 44cm to try.

Could it be my reach is too short that is causing the issue?

No peak on the lid that foul affect me.

diy

Can you rotate in the hips more?

I'm both a roadie and an MTBer, and I ride fairly slammed, it just takes time to get your muscles used to craning.

I take it you have a road helmet - that would make a difference.

What size is the Granfondo?

Spooked

Would rotating the hips mean I would have to raise my head up more if that makes sense? Would that not lead to more pain? Willing the give anything a go however!

Zero7 Texas

Do you stretch your neck at all while riding? Also, do you change your position much (hoods to drops to top of bars)? I'm rarely in the same position for more than ten minutes at a time unless I'm racing, and will usually switch positions and/or stand and pedal to loosen up.

Good luck!

diy

You may need to train your core to make it easier.

imposter2.0

That 'correct' posture looks absurd. To me, the 'wrong' one looks better than the 'right' one.

DeVlaeminck

Position (OPs) looks ok to me maybe a touch short, I wouldn't say it was particularly upright as he's got the drops to get lower. There is nothing obvious and based on what we have I'd say get a dvd with stretching/core/strengthening type exercises and follow it - there is no point just concentrating on the core because contrary to fashionable belief not every ache and pain can be blamed on a weak core!

You might also try different length stems, lower or raise the bars a touch etc - a cheap second hand stem is only a fiver or so so worth a punt. I doubt you need wider bars.

diy

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19713769#p19713769]Imposter[/url] wrote:

That 'correct' posture looks absurd. To me, the 'wrong' one looks better than the 'right' one.

Except he can't see where his is going. I think there is always a danger of over demo'ing something in a picture to show the point you are making. However, a bit of googling will show you that this seems established wisdom.

964cup

Bend and relax your elbows; you should be using your core to support yourself, not just your arms. That's a pretty upright position, so I don't think it's the neck as much as the shoulders. Depending on where your knee is relative to the pedal spindle when the pedal is at its foremost point, you might want to try either a longer stem or move your saddle back. Bar width is usually chosen with reference to the width of your shoulders, balanced against aero requirements; bars do affect reach, but that's not a product of their reach, it's the design of the drops. Most manufacturers cite reach as a measurement; compare your current bars to other models - if you extend the reach it has broadly the same effect as putting on a longer stem.

Spooked

That's great. Thanks everyone.

I'm starting a winter training plan this week which includes a session of strength training and a session of core excercises on another session.

Thank you for the pointers. I'm also going to try a longer stem. Bars I've ordered are carbon to try and reduce any vibrations.

Cheers for the help!

imposter2.0

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19713804#p19713804]diy[/url] wrote:

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19713769#p19713769]Imposter[/url] wrote:

That 'correct' posture looks absurd. To me, the 'wrong' one looks better than the 'right' one.

Except he can't see where his is going.

He could if he looked up.

diy

Are you suggesting tilting the pelvis backwards is better than forwards?

napoleond

What. The. FVCK is that 'correct posture'?!? That's ridiculous!

Spooked

I can see what the picture is stating. I don't use my core at all at the moment so rotating the hips will give me a better posture in theory. I also roll my shoulder when I get tired which won't help.

Looks like I need to strengthen up.

napoleond

He looks tense in both the pics. That doesn't help at all. Furthermore they are both grossly exagerated. You need to be relaxed on the bike. Your pic on the face of it doesn't look too bad.
You should be able to just about hold your body in position if you let go of the bars.
Have a look at Steve Hogg's website for pointers on saddle position and bar position.

Cm99

Hi

I experienced 3 years of worsening neck pain until I gave up bike racing completely after racing for 15 years . It started on tt bike, then road then finally mtb bike. I had bike fits with the most respected fitters in the south east. All were happy with my position on the bike. Finally I found a physio who understood. It was a basic posture issue which over time had caused chronic muscle injury of my upper back and as it worsened then my neck.

I wonder if off the bike you have the starting of a hump in your upper back like many middle aged people. This was my problem and it is easily fixed. Worth finding a decent physio to look at our general posture off the bike.

Good luck

Spooked

Thank you for your reply. My posture off the bike is poor.Years ago I used to be a gym fanatic. 5 days a week where it improved drastically. Unfortunately time has worn on and due to family commitments and to be blunt a lazy good for nothing for around 7 years it's got progressively worse.

Thinking of seeing a chiropractor and a physio to have a good look at me.

I'm a sloucher!

napoleond

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19714548#p19714548]Spooked[/url] wrote:

Thank you for your reply. My posture off the bike is poor.Years ago I used to be a gym fanatic. 5 days a week where it improved drastically. Unfortunately time has worn on and due to family commitments and to be blunt a lazy good for nothing for around 7 years it's got progressively worse.

Thinking of seeing a chiropractor and a physio to have a good look at me.

I'm a sloucher!

Id recommend having a go at yoga.

Spooked

Been chatting to one of the girls at work about yoga and am going to give it a whirl. Thank you for the suggestion. I will try anything I can to get quicker and more comfortable.

diy

All that sort of stuff is really good for you and so easy to not find time to do. Any of the core/body conditioning classes will help they are all based on the same concept anyway.

Spooked

Well I slammed the stem and also increased its length to 110mm. Felt much more comfortable and weirdly more power. It felt like my hips had rolled forward. I could also breathe more easily.

Neck felt more free. I think I have also been looking up too much.

Have got a bit of a sore elbow now though.

Thanks again for all the tips and advice. I'm determined to get it all sorted.