Cycling injury first road bike what to do

Terre

I got my first road bike (Giant TCR racing bike) early last year. I did a few spins early summer, nothing very long, but after and during each spin had severe pains at the outer back part of both legs below my knees. After my last spin I knew that something was seriously wrong so I stopped all cycling since last May. I had a pretty long and painful recovery time which lasted the whole summer and into the autumn. I tried to visit a physio but it was nearly impossible due to covid but did get talking to one on the phone. Not 100% sure but I think that I injured my lower hamstring tendons (outer back lower legs).

I was in reasonable shape doing marathons before trying to pick up cycling last year. Also I spent a few hours trying to set up my bike before and after my first spin to fit correctly using videos/online. So I did as much as possible and followed the normal procedures.

I am not sure what to do now. My confidence and enthusiasm has taken a massive hit. I am thinking if I should pay a significant amount of money (>200) to get a proper bike fit with the risk that the injury might come back? Or if I should sell the bike and pick up a new one because maybe the bike geometry is not suited for me?

Any opinions on what to do would be greatly appreciated.

Seve OB

Maybe a proper bike fitting?
I had small niggles but it made a massive difference

magicbastarder

will preface this with the usual caveat that medical advice is verboten.

it's possible that your fitness worked against you - you may have been fitter than your underdeveloped muscles could deal with, which came into use when you took up cycling.
but as above - first two things i'd suggest are a physio visit and then a bike fit.

MojoMaker

Age, weight, height, torso relativity, flexibility, cross training background, shoes/cleats, crank length - all play a part in cycling mechanics.

The TCR isn't a particularly aggressive frame and you are not reporting shoulder, neck, back, arm, or hand pain, which suggests the geometry isn't the culprit.

As MB notes, it may just be too much too soon for the hammers to adjust to the demands of cycling. Are you spinning with high cadence or grinding with low cadence? Do you prefer getting out of the saddle to tackle climbs or staying seated? What kind of distances are you currently doing and how fast did you move to that point?

hesker

Nobody can give you medical advice so you need to have that checked out yourself. You know that already I’m sure.

I can just give my experience. I suffered a lot of bad aches when I got back into cycling and even ITBS issues. Common enough I expect. Physio and massage and stretching works really well. I get a massage every 6 months or so now and it helps tremendously. Tight muscles lead to a lot of problems.

Terre

MojoMaker wrote: »

Age, weight, height, torso relativity, flexibility, cross training background, shoes/cleats, crank length - all play a part in cycling mechanics.

The TCR isn't a particularly aggressive frame and you are not reporting shoulder, neck, back, arm, or hand pain, which suggests the geometry isn't the culprit.

As MB notes, it may just be too much too soon for the hammers to adjust to the demands of cycling. Are you spinning with high cadence or grinding with low cadence? Do you prefer getting out of the saddle to tackle climbs or staying seated? What kind of distances are you currently doing and how fast did you move to that point?

I was getting some shoulder and hand pain but I am not sure if that was because my body was not used to a road bike or geometry or fitting. I tried some adjustments to alleviate the shoulder/hand pain which I think slightly improved but not fully eliminated. But again I was brand new road biking.

I was grinding with low cadence because the pain in both legs become unbearable but I did make an effort to do high cadence. I am currently doing no distances because I stopped completely in May. I did around 4-6 spins of around 20-30km on flat roads over 2 months.

Macy0161

I doubt geometry would have that much impact, on that distance. I was having IT Band issues (running, not on the bike), and it was saddle too high. It could also be cleat position, saddle fore/aft. So basically bike fit. Some fitters, like Aidan Hammond, are physical therapists* as well as fitters.

*I know it's different from a physiotherapist.

Large bottle small glass

Are you wrecked after years of running?

A lot of endurance athletes convince themselves they are super fit while they concentrate on a very narrow area of fitness to the detriment of other aspects.

Find a good physio/physical therapist and get assessed.

Have a look at mobility videos on Dominic Munnelly's YouTube channel if you can't assessed straight away.

https://thisistheway.ie/

CantGetNoSleep

It doesn't sound like something a new bike would fix in my opinion, unless by coincidence it changes something in terms of your position on it. I have a TCR too, and a Cannondale Synapse which is considered much more of an endurance / comfort bike. There is relatively little if any difference in the two when you have your fit dialled-in and adjust the number of spacers / stem length / saddle position etc.

To me it sounds like either a medical issue, or something wrong with the fit. Perhaps an issue which a poor fit is exacerbating. I'd follow the above advice on physio and bike fit. Little changes to fit can make a huge difference, even something like moving the saddle back or forward 1-2cm. In my case I need to add a spacer on my left pedal, and two 1mm wedges beneath my cleats. Get terrible knee pain on longer rides if I don't but if I do this I am fine.