Neck Strain

[Ciar]

Hi,

wanted to try and resolve the issue i am having with my first road bike. I switched to riding a GT Grade 105 first road bike for me, having ridden flat bar all my life and it seems even with a bike fit, that it's causing a huge strain on my neck which in turn is causing headaches.

I had the stem flipped to try and solve this which it did, but in turn it started to hit my lower back which as you can imagine wasn't great.

i have always commuted with a backpack, i was wondering would sticking that on a rack resolve the issue? i also switched to a viserless helmet to help and it doesn't seemed to have helped.

been on this bike for over 600 miles now and it's not improving, thinking should i try the rack or give up and go back to flat bars.

any pointers would be great please!

 

[Sharky]

Do you still have your old bike?

The contact points from your old bike should match fairly closely with the road bike, with your hands resting on the "tops"/brake hoods. Try measuring the distances between these and relative to the bottom bracket and see if there is a great variation and then go from there.

Regards a back pack, I would always avoid, but it depends on convenience etc for the commute.

 

[vickster]

Maybe consider a bike fit by a Physio, there are a couple of good ones in London for example (cost around £100, you'd lose more selling the bike)

Maybe you're over stretching. All the spacers below the flipped stem?

Maybe you need a different stem? How did you determine the bike size?

How's your core and flexibility ? Do you stretch after riding? Any other neck or back issues?

I'd definitely go for a pannier rack, never like having anything on my back, especially if heavy or bulky

 

[albion]

The backpack removal was my tactic. It worked, though a main culprit for me is also irregular riding.

 

[I like Skol]

As well as flipping the stem and/or moving spacers from above to below can I suggest a shorter stem? GT seem to supply these bikes with a stem that is too long IMO. I swapped mine from the original to something that was about 30mm shorter I had removed from an MTB and it transformed the bike for me. The handling went from woolly to wonderful and my comfort and poise on the bike was suddenly spot on allowing me to chuck the bike about like a hooligan.
I still have the stem flipped down with all the spacers above as height wasn't the issue for me, just the length. The headtube on these bikes is already quite tall so if you need more height than flipping and spacers can give maybe you should be looking at a different sort of bike altogether?

 

[confusedcyclist]

Definitely consider your fit before spending on a rack, but adding panniers to my ride eliminated neck and back strain for me in the past. Also consider working on your fitness, if you don't already do some, don't expect pain free living with no sort of resistance exercise regime. Use it or lose it as they say. Consider some basic body weight exercises.

Too many people don't get enough proper exercise these days and wonder why they develop aches and pains when stressing their bodies.

 

[Ciar]

Maybe consider a bike fit by a Physio, there are a couple of good ones in London for example (cost around £100, you'd lose more selling the bike)

Maybe you're over stretching. All the spacers below the flipped stem?

Maybe you need a different stem? How did you determine the bike size?

How's your core and flexibility ? Do you stretch after riding? Any other neck or back issues?

I'd definitely go for a pannier rack, never like having anything on my back, especially if heavy or bulky

i actually had a bikefit done, they switched the stem and shortened it changed my bars as they were too wide also they told me the 56 was the correct size for me.

as for my core it's probably not as strong as it once was, but i don't generally have problems with my neck just my right facia joint but that only flares once in a blue moon.

i also regularly stretch, defo going to stop wearing the backpack as well.

thinking it might be time to grab the hybrid back out the shed until i resolve this, as the headaches are horrible.

 

[Ciar]

Definitely consider your fit before spending on a rack, but adding panniers to my ride eliminated neck and back strain for me in the past. Also consider working on your fitness, if you don't already do some, don't expect pain free living with no sort of resistance exercise regime. Use it or lose it as they say. If gym isn't a possibility consider body weight exercises.

Too many people don't get enough proper exercise these days and wonder why they develop aches and pains.

I am going to revisit the fit as it cost enough re exercise i recently restarted doing TRX purely for my core strength so glad i did!

 

[I like Skol]

changed my bars as they were too wide

They swapped out the flared drop bars! They are one of the best bits. I would have thought that as a mountain biker you would love those, I certainly do when I take my grade off-road or go all hooligan on a flight of steps. I can ride down steep steps, controlling the brakes while on the drops in a way I have never been confident doing with conventional drop bars.

 

[Ciar]

They swapped out the flared drop bars! They are one of the best bits. I would have thought that as a mountain biker you would love those, I certainly do when I take my grade off-road or go all hooligan on a flight of steps. I can ride down steep steps, controlling the brakes while on the drops in a way I have never been confident doing with conventional drop bars.

I did love them but the bikefit bloke didn't and thought i was overstretched, but thinking about this might be part of the problem, i have gone from my hybrid bars cannondale bad boy 3 to 440m bars and it could be causing issues with me pulling in my shoulders, as i have ridden flat's since i was on a BMX and 10 haha

think you have just given me an idea, when i pop in for a revisit on the bike fit.

 

[si_c]

Some of the issues you are having are probably due to being un-used to the the position you now ride in on a road bike. I found like you did that initially my lower back was aching after riding. A large part of this was having come from a more upright position, I wasn't used to holding my weight with my core. Doing some lower back/core strengthening exercises may well help.

 

[Ciar]

Some of the issues you are having are probably due to being un-used to the the position you now ride in on a road bike. I found like you did that initially my lower back was aching after riding. A large part of this was having come from a more upright position, I wasn't used to holding my weight with my core. Doing some lower back/core strengthening exercises may well help.

Yes i am back on the TRX working the core now, but the fact i have knocked out 600 odd miles commuting i thought it might have resolved by now, but hasn't yet.

 

[si_c]

Yes i am back on the TRX working the core now, but the fact i have knocked out 600 odd miles commuting i thought it might have resolved by now, but hasn't yet.

Maybe, have you tried changing your saddle position forward or back?

 

[Ciar]

Maybe, have you tried changing your saddle position forward or back?

no but that's an idea, the fitter is going to look into it again on the 15th, but until then i shall switch back to the hybrid.

 

[I like Skol]

no but that's an idea, the fitter is going to look into it again on the 15th, but until then i shall switch back to the hybrid.

IME bike fit isn't rocket science and you shouldn't be afraid of experimenting yourself. Just make one adjustment at a time and make a note of the starting position so you can undo the change if it doesn't improve things. Just movie g the saddle forward a bit might make a world of difference.