Neck / shoulder pain / issue.
bristolpete
Posts: 2,255
Right all, silly old issue here, but I need some guidance and advice on a bar issue that has left me a little bit perplexed and actually, in pain which I am aiming to put right via a change in c**k pit and a visit to the chiropractor next week. I feel like I have invoked the turtle issue on the bike with my neck sinking into my posture/shoulders after years of steady bike riding.
I will start at the beginning. I used to ride and love S-Works Tarmac 56cm. At the behest of one of my colleagues, who was BG Fit trained, solid bike fitter and good egg, I moved to a 44cm bar which upon research was the old S-works bar now discontinued. I have concluded that the bars were 44cm centre to centre, thus likely 45 ish cm edge to edge which is wide I suppose, but they worked. I could ride all day 6-7 hours with no back, neck or shoulder issues.
Now here is the rub. I changed bikes after redundancy as there are a lot of good bikes out there, but since then, and mainly due to my own abject stupidity, I find myself over fettling my front end and over the 6/7 months, inducing a neck pain and the centre of my neck near the bottom which I can only put down to bike fit, as off the bike I am fine and I do my usual ablutions with foam rollers, stretching and resistance bands to stay in shape on the bike now I am an old man aged 44. The paradox is I have bought and sold frames and bars and stems trying to find the answer, but today, I had a eureka moment where the penny dropped and I text my old work mate who confirmed I had indeed been riding 44cm bars, 46cm edge to edge. The pain is a burn or a stab if that makes sense.
So, this is where you come in. Is the answer to simple migrate back to the aforementioned 44cm which were 75mm reach and 125mm drop respectively and then see with some chiro work to see if the pain 'goes away'. Does anyone think or know if going narrower can indeed pinch or hinder a nerve around the spine as that is how it feels. I have tried 38 c-c through to 42 c-c in this quest but not 44cm. Gone from a 54cm evo to a 56cm evo, tried a Giant Defy in Med and M/L as well as loaning a Propel in Medium. I am just over 5'9 and better suited to a 56 over a 54cm despite fitting on paper I have the classic longer torso fit. Riding a 56 evo atm. Bike fit data says a good fit, aside from the bar issue.
In turn, will a wider bar allow the back to open up and 'stretch' to its natural width on the bike. I am quite broad, rugby player shaped I suppose. I can put a good shift in on the bike, case in point 400 winter base miles in March 2016 with 16,000 feet of climbing as we head into spring.
The other question is bar width, can anyone recommend a bar akin to 44 c-c without braking the bank as this is a science experiment. I have looked at the Zipp SL-70 which meet my criteria and are the alleged bike fitters dream and slightly less reach but felt a very cheap product and went 42 c-c.
The other bars like the Deda100rhm tick the boxes, and are akin to the spesh bars, but they would be bought 46cm edge to edge which in my head seems hugely wide, but that is what I was on, pain free, all be a different brand. After my visit to the chiro the sit top of my list, followed by Spesh alloy bars 44cm.
Any help appreciated. I cant see the wood for the trees and chiro comes first, but changes required. The stem length, steerer height remain the same and I have gone back to 8.2 negative rise, as per all my previous builds instead of negative 6 on 3T kit.
Thanks in advance, :thumbup: If anything, I just want some input from like minded people as over thinking it I know, but like all cycling a huge part of my life and need the pain to go away. Any opinions on the pain thing.
Pete.
I will start at the beginning. I used to ride and love S-Works Tarmac 56cm. At the behest of one of my colleagues, who was BG Fit trained, solid bike fitter and good egg, I moved to a 44cm bar which upon research was the old S-works bar now discontinued. I have concluded that the bars were 44cm centre to centre, thus likely 45 ish cm edge to edge which is wide I suppose, but they worked. I could ride all day 6-7 hours with no back, neck or shoulder issues.
Now here is the rub. I changed bikes after redundancy as there are a lot of good bikes out there, but since then, and mainly due to my own abject stupidity, I find myself over fettling my front end and over the 6/7 months, inducing a neck pain and the centre of my neck near the bottom which I can only put down to bike fit, as off the bike I am fine and I do my usual ablutions with foam rollers, stretching and resistance bands to stay in shape on the bike now I am an old man aged 44. The paradox is I have bought and sold frames and bars and stems trying to find the answer, but today, I had a eureka moment where the penny dropped and I text my old work mate who confirmed I had indeed been riding 44cm bars, 46cm edge to edge. The pain is a burn or a stab if that makes sense.
So, this is where you come in. Is the answer to simple migrate back to the aforementioned 44cm which were 75mm reach and 125mm drop respectively and then see with some chiro work to see if the pain 'goes away'. Does anyone think or know if going narrower can indeed pinch or hinder a nerve around the spine as that is how it feels. I have tried 38 c-c through to 42 c-c in this quest but not 44cm. Gone from a 54cm evo to a 56cm evo, tried a Giant Defy in Med and M/L as well as loaning a Propel in Medium. I am just over 5'9 and better suited to a 56 over a 54cm despite fitting on paper I have the classic longer torso fit. Riding a 56 evo atm. Bike fit data says a good fit, aside from the bar issue.
In turn, will a wider bar allow the back to open up and 'stretch' to its natural width on the bike. I am quite broad, rugby player shaped I suppose. I can put a good shift in on the bike, case in point 400 winter base miles in March 2016 with 16,000 feet of climbing as we head into spring.
The other question is bar width, can anyone recommend a bar akin to 44 c-c without braking the bank as this is a science experiment. I have looked at the Zipp SL-70 which meet my criteria and are the alleged bike fitters dream and slightly less reach but felt a very cheap product and went 42 c-c.
The other bars like the Deda100rhm tick the boxes, and are akin to the spesh bars, but they would be bought 46cm edge to edge which in my head seems hugely wide, but that is what I was on, pain free, all be a different brand. After my visit to the chiro the sit top of my list, followed by Spesh alloy bars 44cm.
Any help appreciated. I cant see the wood for the trees and chiro comes first, but changes required. The stem length, steerer height remain the same and I have gone back to 8.2 negative rise, as per all my previous builds instead of negative 6 on 3T kit.
Thanks in advance, :thumbup: If anything, I just want some input from like minded people as over thinking it I know, but like all cycling a huge part of my life and need the pain to go away. Any opinions on the pain thing.
Pete.
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Comments
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As you probably know if you were on the limit of what your body can handle it can take just 5mm difference to move into a position that puts your body into tension. 56 is certainly on the large side for your height but as you say if long torso and also high setback then might be right. However if you're overstretched that's going to create tension. For me this means one shoulder tensing up resulting over a few weeks quite a sever weakness to one shoulder / arm when off the bike.
Also consider you're not getting any younger and therefor possibly losing a little flexibility. Maybe your position is now too extreme. If it is on the extreme side I would consider raising your bars and bringing the reach in. Maybe moving the saddle forward a little - just to see if it has any impact. Be sure to take measurements of a starting point otherwise you could get lost with all the changes which won't help with pinpointing the issue.0 -
Yes, all good starting points thanks. My shape is odd I suppose, but evidently classicly British or European. I'm the guy who walks into a bike shop and immediately gets a medium/54 recommended but when they see me on it, its like hold on, you are taller than you look - though this is due to the longer torso ratio. I had a 'serious' video bike fit with Mike at Bike Dynamics back in 2010 and I was riding a 54cm Pinarello Dogma then which is akin to a 56cm a.n.other.
I paid £175 for the pleasure of being told my fit was spot on though ideally 165-170 cranks better suited to my inseam. I have in turn mimicked the data on most fits since then, but the onset of neck pain has left me flummoxed. However, I agree - not getting any younger. 40 seems to be the benchmark for change, but having tried Sportive geo, this was no better and I found overly tall head tubes not ideal for my shape.0 -
Have you thought about some specific stretches for your lats/traps/neck. A chair stretch or ball stretch might make a big difference.
e.g. https://youtu.be/WElIDKxmyQo?t=9m45s0 -
diy wrote:Have you thought about some specific stretches for your lats/traps/neck. A chair stretch or ball stretch might make a big difference.
e.g. https://youtu.be/WElIDKxmyQo?t=9m45s
Yes, tried it all. Just had a few days in Newquay so not been thinking about this, but have chiro on Saturday and going back to 44cm c-c on the bike to see if that makes a difference. I am not sure 2cm here or there does, but looking back on that width, no issues so I will see how it fares. I will bookmark that stretching video however and refer to it as well. Thanks.0 -
Cheers all, just back from chiro and physio and interesting couple of hours. Could be a previous injury flaring up and got hit on a bike back in 2009 and could be causing a niggle there. On a positive note, the chiro said back, mobility and spine in excellent health and good condition for a mid 40's guy which I attribute to cycling the the relevant ablutions off the bike, but something has caused a niggle around the C5 vertebrae which now are now resolving and I await an x-ray.
I suppose, as ever the root could be legacy, not bike fit. Cheers.0
