Riding position
Discussion
When riding my bike, after a while I tend to get an ache in my lower back. I realise I can most probably solve this by altering my riding position, but I don't know where to start. At the moment I have got a 90mm 0° stem on my bike, but don't want to spend loads on buying stems randomly until I get one that suits me better. Is it a case of pain/ache in a certain area corresponds to needing higher/longer/shorter stem, seat moving back/forward etc?
I find that when working, I'm typically carrying about 20lb around my waist, supported by my back and shoulders in a harness. It effectively means I'm constantly leaning backwards (although not by appearance) to cancel out the pull of the equipment, and after a day I get a sore lower back.
A similar thing may be happening to you, so perhaps you are leaning too far forward, and need to reduce the reach of your arms to the handlebars?
A similar thing may be happening to you, so perhaps you are leaning too far forward, and need to reduce the reach of your arms to the handlebars?
Even with the geometry set correctly, your posture is very important too
I used to get pains in my lower back on my road bike until my mate noticed that I was riding with a hunched / arched spine. It's important to keep your back relatively straight. I found that making a deliberate effort to push my shoulders back straightened my back's posture, and eliminated the pains.
This is the kind of posture that you want, rather than a curved spine.
I used to get pains in my lower back on my road bike until my mate noticed that I was riding with a hunched / arched spine. It's important to keep your back relatively straight. I found that making a deliberate effort to push my shoulders back straightened my back's posture, and eliminated the pains.
This is the kind of posture that you want, rather than a curved spine.
If nothing else... going from a 90mm to a 50 or 70mm stem will make the bike a lot more fun to ride.
Riding position is an art. Even to the extent that a very successful triathlete and road riding mate got a specialist to analyse his bike position and found him ever so slightly out... a tiny change made him even more powerful and comfortable.
Riding position is an art. Even to the extent that a very successful triathlete and road riding mate got a specialist to analyse his bike position and found him ever so slightly out... a tiny change made him even more powerful and comfortable.
A stem that is too short for you would be ok if you are riding on the hoods, as you will find yourself in a more upright position - in more of a MTB position. But it could cause your back to arch uncomfortably when you get down on the drop bars, and put your balance all out. You could counter this by sliding the saddle back along the rails, but then you're likely to start affecting your ability to get the power down, and your knees might not thank you for the change in angle with the pedals.
Hence the importance of getting a road bike properly fitted, as you will get a more comfortable and effective ride.
SOmething people forget to mention is your own core strength and flexibility of your back, hips and hammies. You will find a bike is much more comfortable, particularly over longer distances, if your lower back can support the weight of your trunk and arms, plus be able to flex and bend into the low positions required on road bikes, while still being able to pedal hard. I'd say that is worth at least 50% of a good fit on a bike.
Hence the importance of getting a road bike properly fitted, as you will get a more comfortable and effective ride.
SOmething people forget to mention is your own core strength and flexibility of your back, hips and hammies. You will find a bike is much more comfortable, particularly over longer distances, if your lower back can support the weight of your trunk and arms, plus be able to flex and bend into the low positions required on road bikes, while still being able to pedal hard. I'd say that is worth at least 50% of a good fit on a bike.
You can get away with a bit more variation on an MTB than or a road bike, and a lot more than you can on a road bike with aero bars.
If you're just looking for a good reason to buy a new stem
then the change might well work, but 50mm is going to make the bike pretty twitchy.
Do you watch a lot of TV? If so, get yourself a swiss ball and sit in that to watch the telly a few evenings a week: it'll make all the difference to your core strength for very little hassle.
If you're just looking for a good reason to buy a new stem
then the change might well work, but 50mm is going to make the bike pretty twitchy.Do you watch a lot of TV? If so, get yourself a swiss ball and sit in that to watch the telly a few evenings a week: it'll make all the difference to your core strength for very little hassle.
Nick_F said:
If you're just looking for a good reason to buy a new stem then the change might well work, but 50mm is going to make the bike pretty twitchy.
I was thinking of changing my stem, but I'd like to get a balance between 'twitchy' as you mention and boat-like 'tiller' steering without splashing out on a number of stems - as I did with saddles... Any advice? then the change might well work, but 50mm is going to make the bike pretty twitchy.Nick_F said:
Do you watch a lot of TV? If so, get yourself a swiss ball and sit in that to watch the telly a few evenings a week: it'll make all the difference to your core strength for very little hassle.
I agree with this, they're great for core strength!Saddle bum said:
Nick_F said:
You can get away with a bit more variation on an MTB than or a road bike, and a lot more than you can on a road bike with aero bars.
A normal road bike has more variations in position than an MTB. ...etc; whereas road riders will stay glued to the saddle for miles, with the odd change of hand position and a quick stretch every now and then - and still less than that on aerobars. jshell said:
Nick_F said:
If you're just looking for a good reason to buy a new stem then the change might well work, but 50mm is going to make the bike pretty twitchy.
I was thinking of changing my stem, but I'd like to get a balance between 'twitchy' as you mention and boat-like 'tiller' steering without splashing out on a number of stems - as I did with saddles... Any advice? then the change might well work, but 50mm is going to make the bike pretty twitchy.Under those circumstances it would be polite to buy from the LBS in question...
If that's not realistic then I'd guess that a 20mm change in stem length will be noticeable and a 50mm change will feel like an entirely different bike.
Just been out for the first time with my new stem, so have gone from a 90mm 0° to a 50mm 0°. To be honest, I didn't feel much of a difference in the handling
, certainly didn't feel too twitchy like I thought it might, noticed it a bit when climbing in the saddle with the front wheel wanting to lift easier, but soon got used to it.
In regards to the original reason for changing, lower back ache, the jury's still out on that. I want to give it a few rides before I make my mind up, I think it is a better position for me, it's certainly no worse, but I want to get used to the new position before I pass any comments! Started doing crunches each morning and evening as well, so hopefully this will help bring my core strength up. Now got a Thomson 90mm stem going spare....
, certainly didn't feel too twitchy like I thought it might, noticed it a bit when climbing in the saddle with the front wheel wanting to lift easier, but soon got used to it. In regards to the original reason for changing, lower back ache, the jury's still out on that. I want to give it a few rides before I make my mind up, I think it is a better position for me, it's certainly no worse, but I want to get used to the new position before I pass any comments! Started doing crunches each morning and evening as well, so hopefully this will help bring my core strength up. Now got a Thomson 90mm stem going spare....
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