lower back position on road bike

[Flame73]

May I ask road bike owners , what's your lower back position on your bike? Is it concave or convex?
I'm asking because if it concave, then I seat on my soft tissue and it's hurt.
But If it's convex, then I feel preasure on my lower back and the lower back is hurt.
What am I doing wrong?
Thanks.

 

[Joffey]

If I was you I'd get a bike fit if you are experiencing pain.

 

[matticus]

If I was you I'd get a bike fit if you are experiencing pain.

Maybe. I think I'd rule out human problems first. @Flame73 is there anything else that causes you back pain? Can you touch your toes, pick stuff up, do press-ups, situps, backstroke, triple-salcos, etc ... ?

 

[Flame73]

Maybe. I think I'd rule out human problems first. @Flame73 is there anything else that causes you back pain? Can you touch your toes, pick stuff up, do press-ups, situps, backstroke, triple-salcos, etc ... ?

Hi. I can almost touch my toes, I can pick up stuff. Im OK with my lower back.

 

[vickster]

How’s your core..adding to the above?
Is your bike the right size for you?

 

[icowden]

Also how used are you to riding on drops. I had a lot of lower back pain at first due to having fairly poor core strength. I still get some after I've travelled a fair distance (I'm still not fit enough!!). That said my last 45 mile cycle I found that I had a lot less neck and back pain - so some of it I attibute to getting a much lighter and better cycle helmet for Christmas. It must be half the mass of my old one.

If I do get achy I switch to tops for a bit.

 

[Ian H]

Could possibly be saddle position. Saddle should be level, or even pointing down a little (especially if you're female). It could be that your bars are too low (ignore any 'rules' about bar height unless you're actually racing). But any advice based on so little information is going to be hit & miss.

 

[PaulSB]

May I ask road bike owners , what's your lower back position on your bike? Is it concave or convex?
I'm asking because if it concave, then I seat on my soft tissue and it's hurt.
But If it's convex, then I feel preasure on my lower back and the lower back is hurt.
What am I doing wrong?
Thanks.

My back is flat, neither concave or convex. I'd suggest your position is wrong. In my opinion the back should be flat and the head at an angle which does not require you lift it to look straight ahead. In other words it's a straight line from the top of your head all the way to the base of you back.

My position use to be convex until I had a bike fit. It was immediately noticeable my back had flattened.

 

[Ian H]

Two very different positions. Is one wrong?

 

[matticus]

Two very different positions. Is one wrong?
View attachment 575531

Have you been saving that magnificent picture for such an occasion as this??

 

[PaulSB]

Two very different positions. Is one wrong?
View attachment 575531

No neither is wrong but if I was the rider on the left I would need to raise my head to look ahead. From experience I know this causes me a neck problem which I why I prefer the position of the rider on the right.

 

[Kajjal]

assuming no pre-existing conditions you may have a few issues at once here. Check your saddle height ,slightly too high will mean over reaching to the pedals as well as being too tense on the bike also potentially causing strains. If your bars are too low and / or far away leaving you in a “superman” position this will also be uncomfortable. For the saddle measure your sit bones to get a guide for what size and width saddle you need, if your saddle is too small and narrow it is very painful after a short period of time.

 

[Moodyman]

I feel most comfortable with a relatively straight back.

Factors to consider:

Your saddle position might be a bit high so either you're straining the lower back to reach the pedal on the downstroke, or you're sitting atop like a bag of spuds and the saddle is effectively fisting your nether regions.

A weak core - means your back is not being supported.

Too many hills or riding when already tired, you could be compensating for the fatigue by using your lower back more.

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

Two very different positions. Is one wrong?
View attachment 575531

The LH rider has bought his bike based on manufacturer size guides

 

[ColinJ]

Two very different positions. Is one wrong?
View attachment 575531

Probably BOTH of them are 'wrong'! Certainly, the one on the left... (In terms of how pros ride today. I assume that positions have now evolved to near-optimum otherwise they would have carried on riding the way that they used to.)

As for the original question... I found that having a convex back like the rider on the left above did make my back ache. I have stretched out more now. Yes, I found my 'soft tissue' took a battering. My answer to that is to tilt the nose of the saddle down slightly.

This picture shows my 'before' (above) and 'after' (below) setups...