Upper Body Pains During Long Rides

deejaysee

So knocked out my second 100 mile yesterday and honestly my legs probably could have done 200 but my shoulders, neck, arms, parts that dont hardly move...........killing.

I do try and stretch out a bit on the bike but any tips on keeps the non-moving body parts nice a supple.
If i can just crack this problem, i could really put in some serious milage

kajjal

I found once when I had my saddle slightly too high the slight over stretching to the pedals gave me various aches and pains in the top half of my body. I assume due to being a bit too tense the whole time. Dropped it slightly and everything is fine, this may not be your issue.

slowbike

Shoulders & arms - are your arms straight? bend them - move your hands around on the bars & change position.
Neck - back of the neck from looking "up" - more time on the bike - or raise your bars for a longer ride.

If you're usually ok then I'll bet it's just "time in the saddle" you need... I did 8+hrs a few weeks ago - slow pace, but was knackered by the time we got back - just through being on the bike for that length of time. It was that bad that my hands started hurting and I struggled to change gear ... just need more time on the bike ...

deejaysee

Yeah try to keep a slight bend in my arms to relive tension.
I also constantly move my hands around on the bars - like you say, its probably just the sheer time in the saddle.

Will give dropping the saddle a try though, cheers

pilot_pete

Can you post a picture of you on the bike side on? May reveal a possible cause...
PP

cycleclinic

Pain is normally caused by position or bad position.

Seat height, saddle fore and aft, stem length are the things to look at.

Your back should be straight and your shoulders in hunched in whatever position you have. You should feel relaxed even in the drops. Subtle changes can make a big difference. A pic of you on the bike side on helps.

lettingthedaysgoby

Try various core strength exercises off the bike. Doing so has transformed my riding...

N0bodyOfTheGoat

I recently had the odd 40+ mile ride where my shoulders would ache towards the end, had a look at my position on the bike and noticed I was lifting my shoulders up a bit when using the hoods (which I use a lot), so moved a 1cm spacer above the stem and it seemed to make things much more comfy.