Neck problem and cycling

mph1000
mph1000 Posts: 5
in Health, fitness & training
Looking for some advice about people who have neck problems and cycle, i have damage to the c7 facet joint and after 15 years it seems will no longer allow me to crane my neck when riding my mountain bike however i can ride my hybrid bike a trek navigator 300 due to the more upright position but looking to put a longer stem on my specialized hardrock mountain bike so i can still ride it, anyone else got this problem with there neck? And how did you overcome ot?

Comments

  • steve_sordy
    steve_sordy Posts: 2,453
    I went to see my physio, not something you can do right now.
    Raising the front of the bike so that you don't have to incline the neck quite so much to look up is a common solution, but it makes climbing a bit harder because you don't put as much weight on the front of the bike. The solution is common, which is why you see more old folk riding with a more upright stance.

    I have no damage, just arthritis. So far I have seen the physio and not changed the bike. What I have done is to change the way my helmet fits on my head, so it is a little bit further back. Then pushed up the visor of my helmet so that it does not obscure my vision at all. Both of these together mean that I don't have to bend my neck quite so far to see where I am going!

    I can see me buying a higher rise bar (more bang for your buck than a longer stem and with less impact upon steering and body position). Unless the longer stem is also angled further up, it will not give you the immediate effect you are looking for. A longer stem will slow down your steering response and make you reach further, which will lower your head. That is not the effect you were looking for I presume? Go for a higher rise bar.
  • mph1000
    mph1000 Posts: 5
    Hi thanks for response, i will look into rise bar and talk to staff in evans, also see a physio. the stem i was looking at was 280mm long and has no reach on it so should get a good change in neck angle with that? Think i wiill be sticking to comfort bikes in future though
  • steve_sordy
    steve_sordy Posts: 2,453
    A stem 280mm long! That must be a typo! I'm assuming you mean 80mm.

    What do you mean it "has no reach on it"?

    If my bars were further away from me, I would have to stretch further to get to them and my head would be lower, not what I would want at all. I would go for a riser bar with a bigger rise.
  • mph1000
    mph1000 Posts: 5
    Some stems are shaped like a number 7 so they come up then go away from you, the stem im looking at is a straight bar that the handlebars clamp on to
  • mph1000
    mph1000 Posts: 5
    edited June 2020


    Here

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