Cycling causing tightness in the lower body?

CM24

Hi there, just going to copy and paste the thread I posted over on the cycling forum, just in case some people here have had similar experiences or can bestow some wisdom upon me.

I do stretches and foam rolling for my calves, shins, glutes and hip flexor but they don't seem to fix anything long-term.

I'm going to buy a bike from Cycleways in Dublin this week under the Bike to Work scheme.

I have been cycling the 25 minute journey to/from work every weekday for the past 6 months now. I was using a racing style road bike that my sister had bought but never used. It seemed to do the job but I've been told it's almost 2 sizes too small for me.

After a month or so of doing this, I started getting bad pains in the arches of my feet.

I thought it was due to bad footwear so I tried wearing various different shoes and bought orthotics. This helped slightly but the orthotics seemed to transfer the pain more to my shins, resulting in painful shin splints.

My physio reckons this pain is stemming from tightness further up the body, mainly hip flexors and glutes. I think the cycle to/from work is causing this as I notice the pain is much worse on the days I cycle, compared to weekends.

I play football and tag rugby and train kickboxing and and these issues are affecting my performance. Even after taking a month off from any impactful training the issues keep coming back.

The handlebars on the bike are very low down so I have to lean far forward to reach them.

Would a "cruiser" style bike with the handlebars up high rectify this? I just want something reliable and comfortable really. Would be a bonus if it moves fast but that's not a priority.

I'm pretty clueless when it comes to bicycles so if you could recommend something that would be great.

Transform

CM24 wrote: »

Hi there, just going to copy and paste the thread I posted over on the cycling forum, just in case some people here have had similar experiences or can bestow some wisdom upon me.

I do stretches and foam rolling for my calves, shins, glutes and hip flexor but they don't seem to fix anything long-term.

I'm going to buy a bike from Cycleways in Dublin this week under the Bike to Work scheme.

I have been cycling the 25 minute journey to/from work every weekday for the past 6 months now. I was using a racing style road bike that my sister had bought but never used. It seemed to do the job but I've been told it's almost 2 sizes too small for me.

After a month or so of doing this, I started getting bad pains in the arches of my feet.

I thought it was due to bad footwear so I tried wearing various different shoes and bought orthotics. This helped slightly but the orthotics seemed to transfer the pain more to my shins, resulting in painful shin splints.

My physio reckons this pain is stemming from tightness further up the body, mainly hip flexors and glutes. I think the cycle to/from work is causing this as I notice the pain is much worse on the days I cycle, compared to weekends.

I play football and tag rugby and train kickboxing and and these issues are affecting my performance. Even after taking a month off from any impactful training the issues keep coming back.

The handlebars on the bike are very low down so I have to lean far forward to reach them.

Would a "cruiser" style bike with the handlebars up high rectify this? I just want something reliable and comfortable really. Would be a bonus if it moves fast but that's not a priority.

I'm pretty clueless when it comes to bicycles so if you could recommend something that would be great.

Are you rolling the base of your feet?

MadDogGreener

Tight hip flexers are a problem for many cyclists.  Theres a good article on pinkbike to open them up, 
I would try some of the poses in the article before spending any money. Tho 50mins each day on a bike thats too small probably isnt helping.

CM24

Transform wrote: »

Are you rolling the base of your feet?

Yes. Every day, with a golf ball or hockey ball or bar. It does give temporary relief but doesn't seem to stop the problem from coming back.

MadDogGreener wrote: »

Tight hip flexers are a problem for many cyclists.  Theres a good article on pinkbike to open them up, 
I would try some of the poses in the article before spending any money. Tho 50mins each day on a bike thats too small probably isnt helping.

Thanks. I'll definitely try some of them. I find it hard to make consistent stretching a habit. There's just so many different stretches and I never know which ones are best for me.

Also, from Mon-Fri I find it hard to fit it in. I usually leave work around 6pm. After the cycle home from work, I'm usually so exhausted from the day that I need to just eat and do nothing for an hour or two, before I train later around 7-8PM.

I might try getting up 15 minutes earlier and doing it in the local park, as I haven't got enough space anywhere in my house to do it.

Transform

CM24 wrote: »

Yes. Every day, with a golf ball or hockey ball or bar. It does give temporary relief but doesn't seem to stop the problem from coming back.



Thanks. I'll definitely try some of them. I find it hard to make consistent stretching a habit. There's just so many different stretches and I never know which ones are best for me.

Also, from Mon-Fri I find it hard to fit it in. I usually leave work around 6pm. After the cycle home from work, I'm usually so exhausted from the day that I need to just eat and do nothing for an hour or two, before I train later around 7-8PM.

I might try getting up 15 minutes earlier and doing it in the local park, as I haven't got enough space anywhere in my house to do it.

Anywhere in your house to stretch? Seriously?

CM24

Transform wrote: »

Anywhere in your house to stretch? Seriously?

Seriously! I could do a standing quad stretch ok, but things like a scorpion stretch or anything else where your legs need to sprawl out to the sides are impossible.

Also, I'm sharing the house with 5 other people and a few dogs, so if I try to do it in the kitchen, people have to step over me!

Brian?

Your mobility probably needs work, but it won't compensate for the fact you're cycling a bike that's too small for your. Even on a correctly sized bike I'd reckoned a bike fit so it's exactly right for you.

Macy0161

CM24 wrote: »

I'm pretty clueless when it comes to bicycles so if you could recommend something that would be great.

Hip Flexors are a common issue - not helped if you sit at a desk in between cycles.

Just based on my own experiences/ physio diagnosis weak glutes could be putting extra compensation on other areas, and/or strong quads and hamstrings could mean you're firing them before your glutes (I've to do modified clams to try and stop firing quads first for example).

The common answer is a right sized bike, with a professional fitting. However, I had other issues that were partly put down to my pro fitting having my saddle too low, so I'm a bit unconvinced on that now tbh (that was pretty much the only change made from the fit the LBS gave me when getting the bike!).

Bike geometry may help, but I would think if the bike was too small, the hip angle was probably quite relaxed anyway? I definitely notice mine more after using the aero bars than just on the road bike.

I try to do the low lunge as per that pinkbike link straight off the bike when I can. Even when commuting, it's something you can do fairly handy.

CM24

Macy0161 wrote: »

Hip Flexors are a common issue - not helped if you sit at a desk in between cycles.

Just based on my own experiences/ physio diagnosis weak glutes could be putting extra compensation on other areas, and/or strong quads and hamstrings could mean you're firing them before your glutes (I've to do modified clams to try and stop firing quads first for example).

The common answer is a right sized bike, with a professional fitting. However, I had other issues that were partly put down to my pro fitting having my saddle too low, so I'm a bit unconvinced on that now tbh (that was pretty much the only change made from the fit the LBS gave me when getting the bike!).

Bike geometry may help, but I would think if the bike was too small, the hip angle was probably quite relaxed anyway? I definitely notice mine more after using the aero bars than just on the road bike.

I try to do the low lunge as per that pinkbike link straight off the bike when I can. Even when commuting, it's something you can do fairly handy.

I would definitely say weak/tight glutes could be an issue with me. I started doing a lot more glute activation work recently and it really seems to help. In the past I had spent lots of time squatting/deadlifting but basically stopped and limited myself to a little bit of leg press in the last 6 months, simply because I wanted to focus more on training/competing in my sports, and it's difficult when your legs are constantly dead from the big lifts.

I ordered the new bike there yesterday. Actually went for one from the Cycle Superstore in Tallaght. It's a large size hybrid. Definitely felt a lot different from the small racer style bike I had been cycling. I can start riding it soon as my employers pay for it, through the Bike to Work scheme. Hopefully it helps.