My Neck/Back Hurts While Cycling

[SkipdiverJohn]

Rarely encounter a pro, elite rider, local racer, national racer or clubmate with level bars and saddle either.

Depends how much discomfort they are willing to put up with in order to go faster or use a few less watts to go at a particular speed.
Anyone who races, or earns their living from riding, is going to have a different priority order when it comes to bike set up. There is no reason why a recreational rider should not be having a pain-free outing.Bikes that are well set up for their rider for sustained riding do not cause these sort of discomforts.
A lot of club riders have a specific average speed riding mentality, which again can sacrifice comfort.

 

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

Depends how much discomfort they are willing to put up with in order to go faster or use a few less watts to go at a particular speed.
Anyone who races, or earns their living from riding, is going to have a different priority order when it comes to bike set up. There is no reason why a recreational rider should not be having a pain-free outing.Bikes that are well set up for their rider for sustained riding do not cause these sort of discomforts.
A lot of club riders have a specific average speed riding mentality, which again can sacrifice comfort.

If there's discomfort in the first place. Just because someone (an awful lot of riders across a massive spectrum) ride in a position you don't like or can't ride in, doesn't mean it's causing issues generally. Saddle too high yes, too low sometimes - likewise with bars - saddle higher than bars not so much as bikes are now designed this way.

Flat out dismissing positions based on your own assertion they're uncomfortable is frankly, oft repeated bollox.

Does your HR elevate when you see this?

 

[si_c]

I run a 5" saddle to bar drop and have no issues on long all day rides or even multiple days. It's entirety personal how your bike fits you, if it's causing problems you need to change something and see if it gets better.

A check-up with a physio might be worthwhile also.

 

[Lovacott]

Im going to assume here that your neck/back isn't supposed to be hurting during and after you finish a cycle....?

When you lean forward on a bike, you bring your back and neck muscles into play as they support the head. The first week or two will hurt a bit, but that should go away as your muscles get used to it.

If the pain continues beyond a week or two, chances are that something isn't quite right (maybe your posture or the maybe the bike dimensions).

When I got back on my bike last year, I experienced a world of pain for about the first month (bum, thighs, neck, back, calves, feet and hands).

A year on and with no adjustments, I don't experience any aches and pains at all.

Give a bit of time.

 

[Lovacott]

I wouldn't use the riding positions found on GCN road bikes as an example of a comfort set-up though. If comfort matters, take your clues from bikes used by hardened cycle tourists, who are often riding for several hours a day on consecutive days.

I notice that local club cyclists have their saddles set up somewhere near the moon whilst mine is only about three inches above handlebar height.

They all seem to be riding their road bikes in an upright position which sort of goes against the point of raising the saddle?

Meanwhile, I can comfortably lean forward to cut through the breeze without crushing my testicles.

 

[PaulSB]

@vanmoofy once you have checked your overall position it's possible you will find you still get neck ache.

In my experience this is usually caused by something which causes the rider, well me, to slightly lift the head while riding. This places the back of the neck under strain. For me there have been four causes.

Saddle slightly, talking mm, too high.
Wearing my helmet too far forward and down on the forehead.
Pulling the peak of my cycle cap too far down
Buying a helmet with a removable peak.

These last three if they slightly obscure your vision will naturally cause you to unconsciously raise your head. It may only be fractional but holding the head up in this way for mile after mile is very uncomfortable.

When I bought a helmet with a peak I spent a month with neck ache. Cursed the bike! Why is my position suddenly wrong? Etc. After about four weeks I realised the peak forced me to look up. Removed it. Problem solved.

 

[vanmoofy]

When you lean forward on a bike, you bring your back and neck muscles into play as they support the head. The first week or two will hurt a bit, but that should go away as your muscles get used to it.

If the pain continues beyond a week or two, chances are that something isn't quite right (maybe your posture or the maybe the bike dimensions).

When I got back on my bike last year, I experienced a world of pain for about the first month (bum, thighs, neck, back, calves, feet and hands).

A year on and with no adjustments, I don't experience any aches and pains at all.

Give a bit of time.

speaking of bum issues, i now have got pain in my bum from the ride yesterday. Sitting down is painful. (This has been my first big ride so im attributing it to that - shorter rides i dont recall feeling this)

 

[si_c]

speaking of bum issues, i now have got pain in my bum from the ride yesterday. Sitting down is painful. (This has been my first big ride so im attributing it to that - shorter rides i dont recall feeling this)

Normal after a longer than normal ride.

 

[CXRAndy]

learning to ride distance is done in small increments and over time.

But its important that the bike fits you and its correctly setup, or near as dam ot5

 

[Rusty Nails]

I currently have lower back problems that cause sciatic leg pains and a trapped nerve in my cervical/thoracic area that is causing pain in my shoulder and arm.

The only time I am pain free is when I am riding my bike. I have saddle and bars at roughly the same height and ride almost exclusively on the hoods.

Strange things, backs.

 

[cyclintom]

Im going to assume here that your neck/back isnt supposed to be hurting during and after you finish a cycle....?

Every time I cycle, my neck is slightly paining as well as my lower back. Thus saying this, im going to assume that I need to either raise my seat or I need to raise the handlebar frame.... or both...? Is one supposed to be higher than the other...?

If you need height to assess, then I am 6'3

Many thanks on any help here

Usually your neck hurts because you are too stretched out. This causes you to have to work to lift your head all of the time to see forward. Lifting the bar may not be enough to alleviate this problem but rather shortening the stem. This is why I have stopped using integrated bar-stem units and returned to bar and stem.

Now the back problem could be from the same source but believe it or not, this is usually from not having a prostate cutout area on your saddle.

I'm 6'4" and can ride anything down to a 58 without problem by setting the bike up properly. People are all trying to pretend to be racers these days and stretching the bikes out way too far. I am not a racer and I don't play one on TV.

 

[Milkfloat]

Another thing to add to your list of advice is to check that your elbows are bent when riding. If they are locked out then you will certainly cause yourself some pain.

 

[Sterlo]

Another thing to add to your list of advice is to check that your elbows are bent when riding. If they are locked out then you will certainly cause yourself some pain.

Agree with this. I still find I have my arms not bent enough, not locked but have to make a conscious effort to bend them a bit more. Also, how tense are your shoulders, this is another of my issues, I have to remember to relax and not hunch my shoulders.

 

[Amanda P]

Buy a recumbent.

Perhaps not helpful advice for the OP, this, but...

I have to say, if you were setting out to design an efficient, usable human powered vehicle - a bike - with today's technology, there's no way you'd come up with something as uncomfortable and impractical as a modern road bike.

I'm not as fit as I used to be, but I still have quite a stable of bikes, including two recumbents. I'm getting on a bit now, but a couple of years back I could comfortably ride any of them 80 to 100 miles in a day, and do that every day for a week. (It's how I often spent my holidays).

On the upright bikes, each day would end with an achey neck and shoulders, a sore underneath and sometimes numb hands - after I'd done everything I could to get the bikes fitting as well as I could, spent a fortune on bike fits, saddles, shorts, bar tape, gel pads - you name it...

On either of the recumbents, I'd have tired legs, but be otherwise happy and comfy.

The UCI have a LOT of pain to answer for...

 

[Amanda P]

Oh, and