Sore neck when cycling.

janja93

Hi guys,

I always seem to end up with a strained neck after a medium or long cycle.

The only position that doesn't cause this is when I look straight down at the front brake area.

Is this the position I should be cycling in or would this indicate my bike is the wrong size or some other problem?

Hope someone can help, sorry if this is a very noobish question!

janja93

Not asking for medical advice here, more a question about correct riding posture and bike set-up. Hope it is viewed as such!

DirkVoodoo

Could be a bike fit issue, could be a lack of conditioning.

It's really something that would be hard to confirm over the internet.

Are you in a club? Do you cycle with friends? Get someone to have a look at your position next time you're out and see if there are any obvious fit issues.

If they can't help, a bike fit is really worth it in the long run. You don't want to end up with expensive medical/physio bills because of a cycling injury that could easily have been avoided.

monkeyslayer

poor bike fit and bad posture, could be lots of things I'm sure there are others more qualfied to advise... personally I have to keep reminding myself to keep my elbows loose on long spins to avoid a sore neck... from the road bumps and vibrations transferring up my locked out arms and into my shoulders... its a bad habit i can't seem to break and after a few hours of such it kills me, but thats just me...

TheBlaaMan

janja93 wrote: »

Hi guys,

I always seem to end up with a strained neck after a medium or long cycle.

The only position that doesn't cause this is when I look straight down at the front brake area.

Is this the position I should be cycling in or would this indicate my bike is the wrong size or some other problem?

Hope someone can help, sorry if this is a very noobish question!

Is pretty normal for the first year or so of long spins - if you are "new". You can help yourself (until your muscles retain some memory of the previous time ) by shifting your position on the bars, from hoods to drops to upper bars etc and standing off the pedals every 10 miniutes or so for 30-60 seconds - common-sense sort of measures to relieve the risk of 'locking up' in one position.

Brad768

First thing that comes to mind is your stem is too long or your frame is too big. Your arms shouldn't be locked out when you have your hands on the hoods. There should still be a bend in them. If they are fully straight, then you have a problem... When you are on your bike and you place your hands on the hoods, your front wheel hub should be blocked out of view and you should not be able to see it. If you can see your hub, given the fact you have a sore neck, it sounds like you need a shorter stem. This is a very rough measurement but, it's a starting point

dvntie

Brad768 wrote: »

First thing that comes to mind is your stem is too long or your frame is too big. Your arms shouldn't be locked out when you have your hands on the hoods. There should still be a bend in them. If they are fully straight, then you have a problem... When you are on your bike and you place your hands on the hoods, your front wheel hub should be blocked out of view and you should not be able to see it. If you can see your hub, given the fact you have a sore neck, it sounds like you need a shorter stem. This is a very rough measurement but, it's a starting point

Agreed with the above
Also another thing to think about is the width of your bars (could be too wide) or could be too low also. Chances are your stem is too long tho

janja93

Based on what has been said, I think it might just be that I'm not cycling enough. I think, if anything my bike is on the smaller side, but I'll take a look at the height of the stem. Thanks everyone.

1750W

janja93 wrote: »

Hi guys,

I always seem to end up with a strained neck after a medium or long cycle.

The only position that doesn't cause this is when I look straight down at the front brake area.

Is this the position I should be cycling in or would this indicate my bike is the wrong size or some other problem?

Hope someone can help, sorry if this is a very noobish question!

Sounds very similar to the problem I have. My problem is not bike related but it gets worse on bike from time to time. It's caused my trigger points in my shoulder and neck area. Get yourself to a sports massage therapist like Karl Donnelly who has a great understanding of cycling related injuries

petethedrummer

I'd be wary of grinning and bearing it. You should find a position to avoid this happening.

Your flexibility may be poor (mine is) and you may need to raise your handlebars if you bike is on the small side. The handle bars may be too close to you. If you stand side ways in front of a mirror and assume a cycling style stance you will see that the further you go down the further your hands move away from you to balance. You might all bunched up on your bike.

Try different length & rise stems and try to make it more comfortable until you work on your flexibility or get a proper fit.

graeme obree says he only really ever did 4 stretches and he set world records.

Hungrycol

janja93 wrote: »

Hi guys,

I always seem to end up with a strained neck after a medium or long cycle.

The only position that doesn't cause this is when I look straight down at the front brake area.

Is this the position I should be cycling in or would this indicate my bike is the wrong size or some other problem?

Hope someone can help, sorry if this is a very noobish question!

I get a pain in my neck when out with the club on the long cycles but I just tell them to shut up and it seems to work.

The Big Lebowsky

Maybe your head is just too heavy with all the knowledge it surely holds:D

Seriously though..it's probably lack of conditioning..ie Have you been riding a desk for the last ten years? What kind of sport did you do before you decided to take up cycling?

Mefistofelino

If you have a peak on your helmet (or wear a peaked cap underneath) you can find yourself having to raise your head upwards more than usual to see under the peak to the road ahead. This can create an additional strain between / just above your shoulder-blades.

janja93

I'm in relatively good shape, I don't actually cycle all that often though (only around once a week) so it might just be that I'm using muscles that I wouldn't normally use.

The Big Lebowsky

janja93 wrote: »

I'm in relatively good shape, I don't actually cycle all that often though (only around once a week) so it might just be that I'm using muscles that I wouldn't normally use.

What kind of distance did you cover on a typical ride..and how long were you actually sitting on your bike? If you are in pretty decent shape, your riding position could be causing your discomfort..