Back pain, drop bar

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DavieB

MIA
Location
Glasgow
I have just started riding a drop bar bike. Never rode one before last week but im finding the reach to the lower bars is a bit sore. Im just leaning on the "Sora" levers allowing easy gear change and braking when I lean the bit further for whatever reason it gives me a sore lower back.

Do you reckon it is just a matter of put up with it a couple of months and it will free off or I should go with a flat bar? im 30 14stone and 5'10" so slightly overweight my bike hac a 58cm frame. (carrrera virtuoso)
 

Mike!

Guru
Location
Suffolk
I've just changed to drop bars recently and i did get some lower back pain for a couple of weeks - all fine now though.

Stick with it for a bit before adjusting anything as it may just be a new position to get used to.
 

craigwend

Grimpeur des terrains plats
Try a shorter stem - most bikes tend to come with a 120 or 130, I specced an 80 for my road bike for bad back issues

or

adjustable stem, this was the answer on tourer & MTB both shorter stems and can raise height if needed and drop to lower position if needed.
 

navrat_biker

New Member
Location
UK
yeah you can also lower or raise the hoods (only slightly) so that its right for you. if you experience shoulder pain, back pain then altering these slightly can help. Do you feel you have a lot of pressure on the front? or is it just getting into the bent over position on the bike where your feeling the pain coming from?
 
OP
OP
DavieB

DavieB

MIA
Location
Glasgow
Just a lot of strain on the base of my back. Probably just a matter of getting used to bending that far. Im trying to spend at least 10 minutes per ride on the low bars to get my back stretched (im only out 40 minutes at a time just now) There is pressure on my hands where I lean on the Sora set. But its only the back pain im bothered about atm.
 

Banjo

Fuelled with Jelly Babies
Location
South Wales
Another thing to check is your seat angle, if you feel as if you are leaning heavilly on your hands then your seat may be pointing down at the front slightly.Even a few degrees makes a difference.

Once you have the bike set up right I think you will adapt to it ,I could only do half an hour initially now I can spend 10 hours in the saddle with no backache (tired legs and sore arse but no back ache :-) ), had the bike 7 months and done 1700 miles on it so far. good Luck
 

Rob3rt

Man or Moose!
Location
Manchester
Just tough it out for a bit, it may be a case of adjustment, but Banjo has idenfitied one culprit with the seat angle. Get the seat/rear end of the bike sorted before messing with the front. Then maybe you need to raise the bars, this can be done by flipping the stem in many cases, or by buying a riser stem.

A shorter stem is an option but bikes usually come with stems aimed at the dimensions of the person riding the bike, i.e a 58cm bike may come with a 120mm stem, but a smaller frame may come with a shorter stem. So changing the stem would probly be one of the last things I'd try unless it was clearly a bad size.
 

eldudino

Bike Fluffer
Location
Stirling
That bike sounds too big for you, 58cm is normally for guys 6' 1" and over. I'm 6" and I've got a 58 and it's too big for me (bought before I had a clue about sizing!), I've also got a 55cm bike that fits like a glove and I can ride for 4hrs plus without too many aches.
 

shrew

New Member
Location
St Neots , Cambs
eldudino said:
That bike sounds too big for you, 58cm is normally for guys 6' 1" and over. I'm 6" and I've got a 58 and it's too big for me (bought before I had a clue about sizing!), I've also got a 55cm bike that fits like a glove and I can ride for 4hrs plus without too many aches.

agreed, im 5ft 8 and i use a 54cm, i found a 56 a bit of a stretch and a 58 would be a nightmare to ride tbh,

that said and done, using drop bars can give you a bit of back ache unless your pretty flexable from what i can tell.
 

jimboalee

New Member
Location
Solihull
When a rider is riding 'in the tuck', their arms will be bent. This means the upper back will be lower than if their arms are straight.
Try riding 'in the tuck' with straight arms and your wrists will be clashing the bends.

Experienced riders ride 'in the tuck' with their forearms almost horizontal. If they were to reach out forward with straight arms from this position, their hands would be well in front of the brake levers.
Actually, in a position where their forearms can rest on "Tri bars".

What the OP has here is an 'untrained spine'.
 
OP
OP
DavieB

DavieB

MIA
Location
Glasgow
shrew said:
agreed, im 5ft 8 and i use a 54cm, i found a 56 a bit of a stretch and a 58 would be a nightmare to ride tbh,

that said and done, using drop bars can give you a bit of back ache unless your pretty flexable from what i can tell.


Had a feeling it was too big, was my dads, he never used it once same height as me though.
 
It's not too big - a bike can never be too big. The bigger the bike the better! <-the mantra of parents around Xmas time every year

Nah, you need a bigger bike so enormous and difficult to control that your feet can just touch the pedals - but only if you kind of slip side to side off the saddle as you pedal, and (being on-topic here to address the back issues) turn the drops up and back so the brake levers are facing towards you.

For added retro points - suicide levers which will then be oriented so they are above the inverted bars and thus even MORE useless than before!

Then ride it one-handed through with a carrier bag in the other hand.

Never did me any harm ;)
 
OP
OP
DavieB

DavieB

MIA
Location
Glasgow
Banjo said:
It may not be too big I am 5ft 9 and have a 56 which fits me nicely.Remember a smaller frame will need the seatpost raised higher in comparison with the bars so may give your back even more grief.

This site may be of some use. http://www.tredz.co.uk/sizing_guides.aspx#RoadBike

Thats actually a good point. Ill keep it quiet though, as my double student loan comes through in september and I may be able to convince the mrs I need a specialized allez thingy for about 600 quid :smile::biggrin:

And by then my back may have stretched enough to cope with the right sized bike.
 
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