Advice please - adjusting to position on road bike

Wailin

I have my road bike just over a year and have probably only used it 5 or 6 times. With the 2km lockdown being lifted I went for a 30k cycle around phoenix park today. Thoroughly enjoyed it but I did have lower back pain in the latter stages. I guess it's a set up issue, being inexperienced and all that. Can anyone hazard a guess as to what the most likely issue may be? I did experience it on the last ride I had some months back too.

07Lapierre

Sounds like your handle bars are too low. Suggest you get a bike fit.

Watch this video and see how your position compares:

https://youtu.be/1VYhyppWTDc

Wailin

07Lapierre wrote: »

Sounds like your handle bars are too low. Suggest you get a bike fit.

Watch this video and see how your position compares:

https://youtu.be/1VYhyppWTDc

Thanks, I reckon I definitely need a bike fit alright.

f1000

Jeez, I had so many aches & pains starting out on my road bike.

My body was not used to being in that position for prolonged periods.

Watched lots of videos and followed some advice from threads here.

Plus, putting in the hours on the bike and not worrying about distance or speed, they follow with comfortable saddle time

Wailin

f1000 wrote: »

Watched lots of videos and followed some advice from threads here.

Exactly what I'm doing here. Cycling hybrids 40-50km before I got the road bike and no back pain, ever. Lots of pain in the expected places alright.

I know it's a bike issue. I just want to know if anyone could point to a change to the bike that would be worth testing to see if it gets rid of the back pain.

30km is an easy cycle for anyone with a decent level of fitness.

Wailin

the14thwarrior wrote: »

its the phoenix park
not brands hatch

30k around the park, and theres loads of ya

Yep, all on the road, no cycle lanes or footpaths used.

shaveAbullock

Wailin wrote: »

30 k in 70 min is not rushing into anything too fast at all.

But how frequently do you hold your body in that position for 70 mins?
Perhaps there is some issue with your bike setup.

But for me no matter the setup if I'm not used to cycling and then go for a 30 - 90 min cycle my body will hurt.
You are using muscles that you don't normally use.
This pain then reduces the more the body gets used to cycling.

maestroamado

07Lapierre wrote: »

Limit is 5k from today.

Is there any sanction for breaking this rule as i was breaking it myself as i used do a circle of about 16km. I did today which was just about legal.
If i had being involved in an incident with car in the last couple would i have got in trouble.
The local Gardai passed me a few times in patrol car but took no heed, possibly they would know me...

07Lapierre

maestroamado wrote: »

Is there any sanction for breaking this rule as i was breaking it myself as i used do a circle of about 16km. I did today which was just about legal.
If i had being involved in an incident with car in the last couple would i have got in trouble.
The local Gardai passed me a few times in patrol car but took no heed, possibly they would know me...

No idea....this is a cycling forum. All I know is that creaking noise is never the bottom bracket and if all else fails, buy a new bike!

f1000

Wailin wrote: »

Exactly what I'm doing here. Cycling hybrids 40-50km before I got the road bike and no back pain, ever.

I've cycled most of my active life on mountain bikes. My body position on the road bike was a whole different thing to get used to as I was stretched out more horizontally. The MTB was a more upright position and the saddle handled most of my upper body weight but shifting that weight forward took a while to get used to.

I'm 5,11 with a 56cm bike. Only thing I changed on the bike was the saddle (a few times).

the14thwarrior

seriously probably too much too soon
could be position of bike / body
core muscles too weak
cadence too low

but i suspect its muscle fatigue plain and simple

muscle rub
streches
anti inflam
streches

begin again but don't leave so much time in between rides

magicbastarder

i've just deleted a bunch of posts which were idiotic or breached the forum charter, and apologies to the posters whose posts have been deleted because they were reacting in good faith to those posts.

@OP, i've changed the thread title to make it more cycling specific and less likely to attract drivebys from people not in a position to help.

magicbastarder

maestroamado wrote: »

Is there any sanction for breaking this rule as i was breaking it myself as i used do a circle of about 16km. I did today which was just about legal.

to clarify, the regulation states that your exercise must take place within 5km of your home; not that your exercise must involve a travel of a maximum of 5km.
at the very least, if you were able to cycle in an arrow straight line to the max distance, that would imply a 10km trip, assuming you turned and went home..

shaveAbullock

https://2kmfromhome.com/5km/

The 5km radius will now allow most to take some fairly long loops around their house.

Wailin

^^^Very handy. I was on the border of the 5km limit at one point!

Would it be worth my while to get a bike fit when it becomes available or is that for more serious cyclists to improve performance?

magicbastarder

do you know what size your bike is? and what height are you? some simple things like saddle position and angle and handlebar positioning could make a difference.

shaveAbullock

Wailin wrote: »

^^^Very handy. I was on the border of the 5km limit at one point!

Would it be worth my while to get a bike fit when it becomes available or is that for more serious cyclists to improve performance?

A bike fit is useful for anyone who cycles. If you are uncomfortable then you will not want to cycle so it must be resolved.

If it is an issue with weak or unadjusted muscles you should see this pain reduce until it is not longer there if you cycle on a some what frequent basis.

If it is a problem with bike setup then a bike fit may be what you need.

If you tell us your height and bike size and also post a picture of how your bike is currently setup we may be able to help.

Wailin

magicbastarder wrote: »

do you know what size your bike is? and what height are you? some simple things like saddle position and angle and handlebar positioning could make a difference.

It's a meridia scultura 300 size M/L which translates to 54cm I believe and I'm 5' 9" or 176cm.

Edit: bike pic

shaveAbullock

Wailin wrote: »

It's a meridia scultura 300 size M/L which translates to 54cm I believe and I'm 5' 9" or 176cm.

I believe that bike may be too big for you, so that would make you really stretched out and would cause back pain. You would also need the saddle to be very low on it which would cause all kinds of issues too.

magicbastarder

that's ballpark for your height. how far forward or back is the saddle? you can also rotate the handlebars back towards you so you won't be as stretched out, at least when you're using the hoods.

magicbastarder

this is the sizing guide i found on the merida site, very different to the table above?

Wailin

Wow that's an eye opener thanks for that. The guys in the shop where I bought the bike recommended that size for me. I do actually feel stretched out, especially when in the hunched position on the lower grips.

Attached a pic of the bike above.

magicbastarder

As mentioned, you can pivot the bars back. Probably just personal preference, but I'd say the amount of time I spend in the drops on the bike is maybe a percent or three of my cycling. Most time spent on the hoods, the remainder on the top of the bars. Slide the saddle forward too.

FWIW, I'm about two inches shorter and usually go for a 52 or 53.

shaveAbullock

Your saddle does not look like it's in a position I'd consider too low.
But if you have longer than average legs for your height and shortish torso and arms it could streach you out so that your back is supporting weight that your arms and shoulders should be supporting.
If that is the case it could be fixed with a shorter stem which is a cheap item to buy(€20 - €40). But of course it's only a possibility I've no idea if that is what is happening.

I'd agee with magicbastarder, don't worry about being in the drops. It's a position that is very rarely used. Personally I only use them for leverage while full on sprinting or to get a low centre of gravity on very fast decents around corners. They have even been shown to not be the most aerodynamic position to be in which surprised many people.


If you can't figure it out and it does not improve over time then I think this could be a case were a bike fit is well worth it.

maestroamado

07Lapierre wrote: »

No idea....this is a cycling forum. All I know is that creaking noise is never the bottom bracket and if all else fails, buy a new bike!

The bike only 6 Months old....

eeeee

Try a shorter stem before you start rolling back the bars, that can affect braking in my experience.
I rode with an 80mm stem for 4.5 years on my road bike, it'll shorten the bike for you.

A bike fit is, as stated before useful for everyone who cycles.

If you're new to that kind of bike it can take time to adjust, to build up strength etc.

Have a look at a few bike fit videos for now during lockdown, see how you get on then book a bike fit when things open up again if you're still having bother.

But definitely, definitely start with a shorter stem and experiment there if you're feeling stretched out.
I'm presuming you have your saddle height sorted, if you play around with stems then you can play with saddle position on the rails (on all but one of my bikes my saddles are jammed as far forward as possible, it suits how I like to sit on a bike but everyone's different).

Change one thing, ride for a few days, then change one more thing. Only change one thing at a time and see how you go.

Pilates is good for building core strength too, it's most probably a combination of bike fit and muscle weakness/ adjustment.

You'll get there!

shaveAbullock

maestroamado wrote: »

The bike only 6 Months old....

The buy a new bike is a an in joke. Most members on here are looking for any excuse to buy a new bike so love if that's the answer to their problem

Wailin

Great advice guys thanks very much. A shorter stem is next for me I think.

My body type is stockyish with shortish legs and a slightly longish torso if that makes a difference!

G1032

Could also be the shape/design of the saddle itself. Saddle may not be allowing proper hip rotation and the net effect of that will be lower back pain

maestroamado

shaveAbullock wrote: »

The buy a new bike is a an in joke. Most members on here are looking for any excuse to buy a new bike so love if that's the answer to their problem

Understood thanks...

irlirishkev

OP, I had similar issues after moving from an MTB to a Road a few years back.
I bought the size recommended by the guys in a local bike shop.
Straight away, I had pains (neck and back) and put it down to various things, including set up.
Back to the bike shop and got fitted again. Told again it was the right size for me etc..
More weeks of pain followed, telling myself I'd get used to it.

A cyclist friend I hadn't seen in ages called over, took one look at it, said 'sit up on that for a sec', then 'yeah, that's too big for you dude..'

So I sold the road bike and went back to my MTB. That was my bike 2 work allowance wasted. I'm due my next one soon, I think I'll just stick to flat bars though.

Wailin

The stem on the bike is 100mm, so if I changed to an 80mm would that be too small a change or should I go shorter?

magicbastarder

if you've a long torso, that points away from the bike being too small, given your overall height and the size range for the bike; as mentioned above, stick to the tops or the hoods so your back is not bent over as much, and try some stretches when you get off the bike?

eeeee

Wailin wrote: »

The stem on the bike is 100mm, so if I changed to an 80mm would that be too small a change or should I go shorter?

Try 90mm then go to 80mm. You can flip the stem up instead of down too, that'll bring the bars closer to you.