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Alan McClure
July 11th 03, 02:50 AM
Well, I'm trying to figure out what the likely culprit is because
lately--past week or two--my lower back muscles have been fatiguing fairly
quickly during rides. I first noticed it during the, up to that point, 2nd
longest ride of the season. On that day, I figured it was just a matter of
pushing it more than I had so far, so the next day I rode a shorter distance
( I was able to ride every day for about 3 weeks before this started
happening) and it was still stressed, so the next day I rode even a shorter
distance, etc. until I got to the point where it was feeling okay, but I
wasn't able to ride any more than about 1 hour--not long if you ask me. So
then I started thinking that maybe something else was the issue. I had
changed my saddle from a more cushy gel filled sort like this:
http://makeashorterlink.com/?W26821A35

to a much lighter, stiffer and thinner saddle:
WTB rocket V Race

I love the saddle, and it is not uncomfortable on my arse, but I started
thinking somehow it was so much stiffer, that my back was taking more of a
pounding. So I figured that I would work my way up to riding longer, but it
didn't seem to be working, and I started to wonder if it wasn't something
else. At this point, I got sick and for three days couldn't ride. Today, I
rode just about 40 minutes and felt better than ever in terms of energy and
leg power, etc. So it seems that the rest of my body recovered. However,
by the end of the ride, my back was fatigued again. I don't really know
what the deal is, I am really happy with the way my bike is set up for
riding, I feel like I have the most control possible for technical sections,
uphills, etc. If I change anything, it doesn't climb the way I like, etc.
So, I really don't want to raise the handle bar, etc. I am just trying to
figure out what could be causing this, when I had been riding for over a
month, and at least 3 weeks straight before this happened.

I wonder if anyone might have had a similar experience. As it stands, I'm
just going to keep trying to ride a little longer everyday, but I hope that
I can eventually ride longer than 1 hour, at which point the rest of me is
not even slightly tired. I wonder, does anyone have a photo of good riding
posture. I'm fairly certain that I ride correctly, but maybe not, and I
haven't been able to find a photo specifically for the purpose of showing
good riding posture (for the loser back).

Thanks as always,

Alan McClure
--
Alan McClure

Michael Dart
July 11th 03, 01:22 PM
"Alan McClure" > wrote in message
news:2KoPa.31528$H17.9527@sccrnsc02...
> Well, I'm trying to figure out what the likely culprit is because
> lately--past week or two--my lower back muscles have been fatiguing fairly
> quickly during rides. I first noticed it during the, up to that point,
2nd
> longest ride of the season. On that day, I figured it was just a matter
of
> pushing it more than I had so far, so the next day I rode a shorter
distance
> ( I was able to ride every day for about 3 weeks before this started
> happening) and it was still stressed, so the next day I rode even a
shorter
> distance, etc. until I got to the point where it was feeling okay, but I
> wasn't able to ride any more than about 1 hour--not long if you ask me.
So
> then I started thinking that maybe something else was the issue. I had
> changed my saddle from a more cushy gel filled sort like this:
> http://makeashorterlink.com/?W26821A35
>
> to a much lighter, stiffer and thinner saddle:
> WTB rocket V Race
>
> I love the saddle, and it is not uncomfortable on my arse, but I started
> thinking somehow it was so much stiffer, that my back was taking more of a
> pounding. So I figured that I would work my way up to riding longer, but
it
> didn't seem to be working, and I started to wonder if it wasn't something
> else. At this point, I got sick and for three days couldn't ride. Today,
I
> rode just about 40 minutes and felt better than ever in terms of energy
and
> leg power, etc. So it seems that the rest of my body recovered. However,
> by the end of the ride, my back was fatigued again. I don't really know
> what the deal is, I am really happy with the way my bike is set up for
> riding, I feel like I have the most control possible for technical
sections,
> uphills, etc. If I change anything, it doesn't climb the way I like, etc.
> So, I really don't want to raise the handle bar, etc. I am just trying to
> figure out what could be causing this, when I had been riding for over a
> month, and at least 3 weeks straight before this happened.
>
> I wonder if anyone might have had a similar experience. As it stands, I'm
> just going to keep trying to ride a little longer everyday, but I hope
that
> I can eventually ride longer than 1 hour, at which point the rest of me is
> not even slightly tired. I wonder, does anyone have a photo of good
riding
> posture. I'm fairly certain that I ride correctly, but maybe not, and I
> haven't been able to find a photo specifically for the purpose of showing
> good riding posture (for the loser back).
>
> Thanks as always,
>
> Alan McClure
> --
> Alan McClure
>
>
>

As previously mentioned stretching is always a good idea before and after
riding. You may also consider working the 'front' or abdominal muscles to
help support your torso. These muscles don't get worked at all from cycling
but are very helpful in maintaining good posture on the bike and will take
some of the load off your lower back. Plus a strong core muscle group is
quite helpful in maintaining control of the bike in situations where you
need to pull off a move like a wheelie drop or recovering from a 'tweaked'
(slipped or deflected) wheel. Oh and there is a 'stretch' you can do on
your bike. When the going gets smooth get up off the saddle and bend your
body toward the stem and straighten your arms. It doesn't so much stretch
your back muscles but relieves the tension on them for a bit which seems to
help.

Mike

Alan McClure
July 11th 03, 02:44 PM
Thanks for the advice on stretching. Do you think it is at all weird that
it happened after riding quite a bit with no problem, and then after three
days of rest still is fatiguing? It just seems like a weird situation to
me. Also, do you think that slightly (very slightly) shortening my stem
would effect my back positively?

A.

Jon Bond
July 11th 03, 04:07 PM
"Alan McClure" > wrote in message
news:UazPa.34843$Ph3.2899@sccrnsc04...
> Thanks for the advice on stretching. Do you think it is at all weird that
> it happened after riding quite a bit with no problem, and then after three
> days of rest still is fatiguing? It just seems like a weird situation to
> me. Also, do you think that slightly (very slightly) shortening my stem
> would effect my back positively?
>
> A.

My legs and sides are still burning, and I haven't ridden in two days (damn
rain, probably for the best tho...). I did 5 rides in 4 days, plus some
other rides before that. The 10+ mile technical ride, followed a few hours
later by the 45 minute flat-out hammer ride, followed directly by two hours
of competitive ultimate frisbe... I overdid it a bit!

Stretching def would have helped, I should have done it, and i'm sorry I
didn't now. Nice that my muscles are the things that get tired now instead
of my lungs!

Jon Bond

Shawn Curry
July 11th 03, 05:16 PM
Michael Dart wrote:
> "Alan McClure" > wrote in message
> news:2KoPa.31528$H17.9527@sccrnsc02...
>
>>Well, I'm trying to figure out what the likely culprit is because
>>lately--past week or two--my lower back muscles have been fatiguing fairly
>>quickly during rides. I first noticed it during the, up to that point,
>

snip


>>I wonder if anyone might have had a similar experience. As it stands, I'm
>>just going to keep trying to ride a little longer everyday, but I hope
>
> that
>
>>I can eventually ride longer than 1 hour, at which point the rest of me is
>>not even slightly tired. I wonder, does anyone have a photo of good
>
> riding
>
>>posture. I'm fairly certain that I ride correctly, but maybe not, and I
>>haven't been able to find a photo specifically for the purpose of showing
>>good riding posture (for the loser back).
>>
>>Thanks as always,
>>
>>Alan McClure
>>--
>>Alan McClure
>>
>>
>>
>
>
> As previously mentioned stretching is always a good idea before and after
> riding. You may also consider working the 'front' or abdominal muscles to
> help support your torso. These muscles don't get worked at all from cycling
> but are very helpful in maintaining good posture on the bike and will take
> some of the load off your lower back. Plus a strong core muscle group is
> quite helpful in maintaining control of the bike in situations where you
> need to pull off a move like a wheelie drop or recovering from a 'tweaked'
> (slipped or deflected) wheel. Oh and there is a 'stretch' you can do on
> your bike. When the going gets smooth get up off the saddle and bend your
> body toward the stem and straighten your arms. It doesn't so much stretch
> your back muscles but relieves the tension on them for a bit which seems to
> help.
>
> Mike
>

I've had similar problems. Crunches (situps) helped a lot. A flakey
doctor I went to for back pain once had one good bit of advice and a
demonstration. He said if your abdominal muscles are weak, your body is
only supported along your back (spine). He used a flat piece of paper
as a model-hard to make it stand up vertically, wants to flop over.
Strengthening the abdominal muscles is like taking the paper and rolling
it into a tube-much stronger and able to not only stand up, but
withstand a lot more bending force than the flat sheet.
Do crunches without anyone/thing holding your feet. Otherwise you end
up working muscles that can make things worse. I do these after riding
while everything is still warmed up, it also helps me stretch my lower
back. Don't do 200 the first day and not be able to sneeze for a week
without writhing in agony (don't ask me how I know). Also, when I
stretch before a ride, I'll ride very easily for a few minutes to
warm/loosen things up. I prefer to stretch after riding. Doubt it
matters much as long as you do it some time.

Look at how experienced riders sit on their bikes (the LBS may or may
not help-like usenet). Tune in the Tour coverage to see how they ride.
Copy the average as a good starting point. Take ibuprofen! Makes it
feel better and (according to lots of docs) decreases inflamation
helping healing. Good Luck.

Cheers,
Shawn

bruce edge
July 11th 03, 05:33 PM
On Fri, 11 Jul 2003 01:50:54 +0000, Alan McClure wrote:

> Well, I'm trying to figure out what the likely culprit is because
> lately--past week or two--my lower back muscles have been fatiguing fairly
> quickly during rides.

No one mentioned standing up for a bit. If I do a lot of climbing, say
more than a couple of hours seated, my back gives out.
The solution I found was to grab 3 more gears, stand and turn slow steady
RPMs for a while. It uses totally different muscles, your butt, calves and
triceps will bear the brunt of it. You can kind of balance your upper body
on your bars so that your back isn't taking any strain at all except for
terrain adjustment maneuvers. There's a sweet spot in your
forward/backward body position where you can rest while standing a turning
a slow cadence.
Also, when you sit and spin, think about tightening your upper
back/shoulders a bit and leaning forward. At least for me, it seems like I
can work my upper back to take some of the strain off the lower.

YMMV

-Bruce

Alan McClure
July 11th 03, 06:32 PM
Thanks guys. I also decided to switch out my flat bar for a riser bar that
I have laying around and ride with that for a few days to see if it makes
any difference. That reminds me, this may be a simple question, but what
the hell difference is there between having a riser bar, or a stem that has
more of an inclined angle to raise the flat bar up? It doesn't seem to me,
that there would be any difference, but I'm sure I'm wrong, or why would
riser bars even exist. Anyway, I'll see if I can work on these stretches
etc. and let you know if it works.

Ooh, by the way, I just got my Thomson seat post today after stripping the
saddle angle adjustment on a simple aluminum post. My LBS subtracted the
price of the original post from the Thomson, so I got it for cheaper. I am
expecting this thing to last mem awhile.

A.

Michael Dart
July 11th 03, 09:03 PM
"Alan McClure" > wrote in message
news:YwCPa.36017$N7.3905@sccrnsc03...
> Thanks guys. I also decided to switch out my flat bar for a riser bar
that
> I have laying around and ride with that for a few days to see if it makes
> any difference. That reminds me, this may be a simple question, but what
> the hell difference is there between having a riser bar, or a stem that
has
> more of an inclined angle to raise the flat bar up? It doesn't seem to
me,
> that there would be any difference, but I'm sure I'm wrong, or why would
> riser bars even exist. Anyway, I'll see if I can work on these stretches
> etc. and let you know if it works.

No difference other than riser bars look 'Tres Moto'. ;^)

>
> Ooh, by the way, I just got my Thomson seat post today after stripping the
> saddle angle adjustment on a simple aluminum post. My LBS subtracted the
> price of the original post from the Thomson, so I got it for cheaper. I
am
> expecting this thing to last mem awhile.
>

If you can break a Thomson my helmet's off to ya!

Mike - an that'd be a fullface.

Raptor
July 11th 03, 09:27 PM
This is a frequent problem for cyclists. As a roadie who also rides a
mtb, I take 3-4 hour rides with relatively few position changes. My
back bugs me, of course.

I'm not sure if it's muscles in my case, or ligaments. But muscle
strengthening should help either way. Core exercises, back and abs, are
great advice. I've been beating on mine for months but I still have
back pain and stiffness. It's not debillitating so I'm not too concerned.

One other thing, check your hip flexor length. Cyclists frequently have
short/tight hip flexors, which can increase back strain. Lie on the
floor and bring one knee hard to your chest. Your straight leg should
be able to rest completely on the floor unless you hip flexors are tight
(or hamstrings and calves are especially beefy). Mine are border-line.

Stretching can be done by either an extended quadricep stretch (heel to
butt, either standing or lying on your back, watch for knee strain in
extreme positions), or a lunge position with a vertical or leaned-back
torso. You should really feel the stretch in the hip on the side of
your rear leg.

--
--
Lynn Wallace http://www.xmission.com/~lawall
"I'm not proud. We really haven't done everything we could to protect
our customers. Our products just aren't engineered for security."
--Microsoft VP in charge of Windows OS Development, Brian Valentine.

Slacker
July 12th 03, 01:38 AM
> > > Thanks guys. I also decided to switch out my flat bar for a riser bar
> > that
> > > I have laying around and ride with that for a few days to see if it makes
> > > any difference. That reminds me, this may be a simple question, but what
> > > the hell difference is there between having a riser bar, or a stem that
> > has
> > > more of an inclined angle to raise the flat bar up? It doesn't seem to
> > me,
> > > that there would be any difference, but I'm sure I'm wrong, or why would
> > > riser bars even exist. Anyway, I'll see if I can work on these stretches
> > > etc. and let you know if it works.
>
>
> > No difference other than riser bars look 'Tres Moto'. ;^)
> >
> > Mike - an that'd be a fullface.
>
>
> Actually, there is another difference. All the risers I've seen, and currently use, have a sweep to them. So, they're swept back
> and down a little. Slight rotations of the bar can help with positioning and provide far more adjustment possibilities than a flat
> bar.
> --
> Slacker - but I do like the Moto look


Hey, what the heck http://cambriabike.com/bars&ends/lp_composites_carbon_flat_bar.htm
When did flat stop meaning "flat?"
--
Slacker

higb
July 13th 03, 03:07 PM
[story of back pain, and daily rides]

I'm curious about this story because it (and other threads) talk about
riding every day. I'm not in shape for that now (I know my back and
neck couldn't take it, among other things), and I'm not sure I ever
have been. Even when I was riding a lot (for me), it was a couple 2
or 3 hour rides during the week, and a 3-4 hour ride on the weekend.
I felt like I needed those off days in-between, and maybe should have
taken more to keep from tearing down my legs (I'm a skinny guy).

Right now I do a ride, 2 off days, another ride .. repeat. I'm thinking
that I should make the rides harder (go faster, push toward failure),
rather than more frequent. I'm thinking that will help me bulk up
my legs.

(Right now I do about 1:30 moving time on a loop, and 0:05 stopped time.)

I'm curious to hear other people's strategies. I know every "body"
is different, but I'd like to hear what kind of rides you do when you
go to a daily schedule, and what it does for you.

Thanks.

Alan McClure
July 13th 03, 04:50 PM
"higb" > wrote in message
.. .
> [story of back pain, and daily rides]
>
> I'm curious about this story because it (and other threads) talk about
> riding every day. I'm not in shape for that now (I know my back and
> neck couldn't take it, among other things), and I'm not sure I ever
> have been. Even when I was riding a lot (for me), it was a couple 2
> or 3 hour rides during the week, and a 3-4 hour ride on the weekend.
> I felt like I needed those off days in-between, and maybe should have
> taken more to keep from tearing down my legs (I'm a skinny guy).
>
> Right now I do a ride, 2 off days, another ride .. repeat. I'm thinking
> that I should make the rides harder (go faster, push toward failure),
> rather than more frequent. I'm thinking that will help me bulk up
> my legs.
>
> (Right now I do about 1:30 moving time on a loop, and 0:05 stopped time.)
>
> I'm curious to hear other people's strategies. I know every "body"
> is different, but I'd like to hear what kind of rides you do when you
> go to a daily schedule, and what it does for you.
>
> Thanks.

That is a good question that I have been thinking about(other peoples ride
schedules). Maybe you should repost this thread as a new thread. I think
it'll get buried here where no one can see it. But, as an addition, today
after and hour and twenty minutes, I had no back fatigue at all. So, I'm
feeling pretty good, and this is after pushing myself pretty hard too. The
thing about daily riding for me is trying to lose weight. I try to get in
at least 1-2 hours of riding daily and this is to knock off the 15 pounds
I've gained over the past year. I would probably ride longer every other
day if I wasn't as concerned with getting that exercise every day. Anyway,
as a bonus, I'm getting a lot better technically, etc, so things are working
out. However, I did notice that after a three day break when I was sick, I
felt absolutely amazing, so rest is obviously important in terms of recovery
and performance.

A.

Raptor
July 13th 03, 05:39 PM
higb wrote:
> [story of back pain, and daily rides]
>
> I'm curious about this story because it (and other threads) talk about
> riding every day. I'm not in shape for that now (I know my back and
> neck couldn't take it, among other things), and I'm not sure I ever
> have been. Even when I was riding a lot (for me), it was a couple 2
> or 3 hour rides during the week, and a 3-4 hour ride on the weekend.
> I felt like I needed those off days in-between, and maybe should have
> taken more to keep from tearing down my legs (I'm a skinny guy).
>
> Right now I do a ride, 2 off days, another ride .. repeat. I'm thinking
> that I should make the rides harder (go faster, push toward failure),
> rather than more frequent. I'm thinking that will help me bulk up
> my legs.
>
> (Right now I do about 1:30 moving time on a loop, and 0:05 stopped time.)
>
> I'm curious to hear other people's strategies. I know every "body"
> is different, but I'd like to hear what kind of rides you do when you
> go to a daily schedule, and what it does for you.
>
> Thanks.

I've decided to take it easier on myself lately than I have in the past.
Thus, I don't try to ride every day. I'd like to build up to that
condition eventually, but it's hard to balance work and recovery. Those
who do ride every day generally intersperse easy days with hard ones.
My goal is to reach a point where a 3 hour ride isn't all that much, and
I can choose to ride hard or easy the following day. I'm almost there,
but saddle sores have caused me to take a few days off. I hope they go
away in that time, because the alternatives to riding are limited. I
don't want to hike much because my legs are definitely in cycling mode
and hiking beats the hell out of them.

Since I live close to the Olympic speed skating oval, and its ice is
back in, I'll be doing some speed skating now. I went last night and it
was deceptively hard. The place is so cold you don't sweat, but my legs
sure felt it. Going back outside into the 99-degree heat felt great.
Now, I just need to learn how to skate. :-)

If we count just riding, I exercise roughly five days per week, and I
work in a gym as an instructor. Cross-training is valuable even for a
racer.

--
--
Lynn Wallace http://www.xmission.com/~lawall
"I'm not proud. We really haven't done everything we could to protect
our customers. Our products just aren't engineered for security."
--Microsoft VP in charge of Windows OS Development, Brian Valentine.

Alan McClure
July 14th 03, 03:17 PM
"Kathleen" > wrote in message
...
> higb wrote:
> > [story of back pain, and daily rides]
> >
> > I'm curious about this story because it (and other threads) talk about
> > riding every day. I'm not in shape for that now (I know my back and
> > neck couldn't take it, among other things), and I'm not sure I ever
> > have been. Even when I was riding a lot (for me), it was a couple 2
> > or 3 hour rides during the week, and a 3-4 hour ride on the weekend.
> > I felt like I needed those off days in-between, and maybe should have
> > taken more to keep from tearing down my legs (I'm a skinny guy).
> >
> > Right now I do a ride, 2 off days, another ride .. repeat. I'm thinking
> > that I should make the rides harder (go faster, push toward failure),
> > rather than more frequent. I'm thinking that will help me bulk up
> > my legs.
> >
> > (Right now I do about 1:30 moving time on a loop, and 0:05 stopped
time.)
> >
> > I'm curious to hear other people's strategies. I know every "body"
> > is different, but I'd like to hear what kind of rides you do when you
> > go to a daily schedule, and what it does for you.
> >
> > Thanks.
>
> I can ride every day if I alternate bikes. I have a '97 Homegrown (F/S)
> and a '99 Trek recumbent (used only on roads and rail-to-trails).
> Mountain biking is more of a full-body workout - much more strenuous.
> Taking the 'bent out the next day actually feels like it helps work out
> any residual soreness.
>
> Kathleen
>

Do you find any physical issues occurring in particular if you try to push
it and mountain bike every day? Back, neck, etc. I have been trying to
switch things up lately and give myself either a day in between, or at least
ride in the morning one day and the evening the next. I think things are
getting better, but I'll have to wait a little longer to say for sure. By
the way, do you know off hand what the starting range is on recumbent
prices. I have a feeling that they are more expensive than I would like,
but that seems like a good idea to get out and ride, while resting my back,
etc--although not nearly as fun.

Alan

Kathleen
July 14th 03, 03:57 PM
Alan McClure wrote:
> "Kathleen" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>>higb wrote:
>>
>>>[story of back pain, and daily rides]
>>>
>>>I'm curious about this story because it (and other threads) talk about
>>>riding every day. I'm not in shape for that now (I know my back and
>>>neck couldn't take it, among other things), and I'm not sure I ever
>>>have been. Even when I was riding a lot (for me), it was a couple 2
>>>or 3 hour rides during the week, and a 3-4 hour ride on the weekend.
>>>I felt like I needed those off days in-between, and maybe should have
>>>taken more to keep from tearing down my legs (I'm a skinny guy).
>>>
>>>Right now I do a ride, 2 off days, another ride .. repeat. I'm thinking
>>>that I should make the rides harder (go faster, push toward failure),
>>>rather than more frequent. I'm thinking that will help me bulk up
>>>my legs.
>>>
>>>(Right now I do about 1:30 moving time on a loop, and 0:05 stopped
>
> time.)
>
>>>I'm curious to hear other people's strategies. I know every "body"
>>>is different, but I'd like to hear what kind of rides you do when you
>>>go to a daily schedule, and what it does for you.
>>>
>>>Thanks.
>>
>>I can ride every day if I alternate bikes. I have a '97 Homegrown (F/S)
>>and a '99 Trek recumbent (used only on roads and rail-to-trails).
>>Mountain biking is more of a full-body workout - much more strenuous.
>>Taking the 'bent out the next day actually feels like it helps work out
>>any residual soreness.
>>
>>Kathleen
>>
>
>
> Do you find any physical issues occurring in particular if you try to push
> it and mountain bike every day?

Yeah. Cumulative fatigue and soreness. If we take a mtb trip, and I
ride hard every day for 4 or 5 days, I can do it, but I *have* to get to
bed early (no staying up late partying), and if I can arrange for an
afternoon siesta, even better. And I've got to eat and drink - no
skipping meals. And by "drink", I mean water, and lots of it. By the
end of it, I'm munching ibuprofen like jelly beans and pretty much
everything hurts. Neck, knees, shoulders. A two or three day rest
period afterwards will pretty much put everything to rights, though.

Back, neck, etc. I have been trying to
> switch things up lately and give myself either a day in between, or at least
> ride in the morning one day and the evening the next. I think things are
> getting better, but I'll have to wait a little longer to say for sure. By
> the way, do you know off hand what the starting range is on recumbent
> prices. I have a feeling that they are more expensive than I would like,
> but that seems like a good idea to get out and ride, while resting my back,
> etc--although not nearly as fun.

It's been a while since I've priced 'bents, but you can generally expect
to pay more for a recumbent than you would a comparable spec'd diamond
frame bike. The biggest problem with buying a recumbent is finding a
shop that carries the model you're interested in so you can try them
out. Check out alt.rec.bicycles.recumbents for more info.

Kathleen

Lord Gazmuth
July 14th 03, 10:08 PM
On Sun, 13 Jul 2003 14:07:07 GMT, higb > wrote:

>[story of back pain, and daily rides]
>
>I'm curious to hear other people's strategies. I know every "body"
>is different, but I'd like to hear what kind of rides you do when you
>go to a daily schedule, and what it does for you.
>

I have recently (past 4 months) been back into the bike riding regime.
My goal is to get to the point that 20+ miles is not a problem. I
have been commuting to and from work each day (14 miles round trip)
and then take off on long excursions on my days off (3 or 4 times a
week). I have been riding bicycles off and on (between medical
problems) for the past 20 or more years.

I have had three back surgeries, and so I do have some back pain, but
it has continued to get less and less. I contribute a lot of the
lessening of the back pain to my losing about 40 pounds since
Thanksgiving (currently at about 230#). My problem seems to be from
all the scar material left in my back. However, my back is not fused,
but it is not very limber anymore either.

I have tried several bicycles, including a 1974 Puegot Touring bike
(which causes me considerable pain on long trips) and my main bike is
a Kona Hahanna (1996 vintage). I choose to ride the Kona because it
is comfortable, it is a rigid with the P2 fork, and no real suspension
other than the tires. I have 2.1 knobbies on a set of good rims for
trails and a long dirt road around a lake that is about 2 1/2 minles
from my house, makes about 14 to 22 miles round trip depending on how
I ride it, and then have 1.75 metro tires on a cheap set of rims for
communting. (I know this sounds a little backward).

I found that for the city commutes, it has helped my back to have the
gearing a little lower than for the ones I use for the trails.

I have also tried to ride a hybrid that my wife owns, and it causes me
a great deal of discomfort due to sitting more in the upright
position. I think that the Mountain bike helps out my back because of
the angle, and the fact that the Mountain bike also fits me quite
well.

I am looking at getting a Full SUspension bike sometime soon, but am
trying to be sure the one I get fits me quite well.

I want to say that I have learned a lot from this groups postings, and
look forward to reading it much more in the future.

Gazmuth

Alan McClure
July 16th 03, 02:39 AM
Well, so far, after switching to a riser bar and taking a couple of days
off, my back feels better than ever. In fact, today I rode in the morning
for about 30 minutes (very intense) and then tonight fro about 45 minutes
(moderate intensity), and felt very good but wornout afterwards. My back
feels great, and I am thinking that it is due to the combination of rest,
the riser bar, and strengthening the muscle. Thanks for all the feedback.

A.

Jon Bond
July 16th 03, 05:56 AM
"Slacker" > wrote in message
...
> > Well, so far, after switching to a riser bar and taking a couple of days
> > off, my back feels better than ever. In fact, today I rode in the
morning
> > for about 30 minutes (very intense) and then tonight fro about 45
minutes
> > (moderate intensity), and felt very good but wornout afterwards. My
back
> > feels great, and I am thinking that it is due to the combination of
rest,
> > the riser bar, and strengthening the muscle. Thanks for all the
feedback.
> >
> > A.
>
>
> Cool....see, risers are more than "cool & moto," they're also healthy!
> --
> Slacker - running a riser and a 25 deg stem

I actually found my back felt better when I LOWERED my bars! I was just in
a position that wasn't great, especially for climbing, so I'd get into a
position with my back low and my hands too high, and it was just painful
after a long ride. I dropped them down about an inch total from the
original height (down to one 5mm spacer, 5 degree stem, and 1" rise bar -
I'm on the small side for the frame, but it flies on fireroad and I'm
getting the hang of it on singletrack), and I'm much better off now. The
ECC on the fork helps with those supersteep climbs, even the technical
ones - the rear moves enough when you hit something that you don't get the
full shock through the frame, so once that fork is lowered, you can just fly
up stuff. I wish it was just a TINY TINY bit smaller, but the medium was
too small, and it felt better than all the other bikes I tried.

Anyway, yeah, enough babbling. Moral: As long as you're in the right
position for you, you'll be comfortable.

Jon Bond

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