Sore back after riding setup adjustment needed?

[Wildfire]

I haven't ridden properly for a good 10 years, and ridden at all for around 6 or so. So I decided that as part of my new helthy lifestyle I would invenst in a new mountain bike and get back into biking.

I have purchased a nice shiny Felt Compulsion 4. My first full bouncer and have been trying it out. No I know it's not the best thing to ride around town, but because of a busy weekend schedule I thought I'd ride it into town to see a friend. About 10 mile round trip.

After riding I felt that the saddle may need to be pushed back a bit. But yesterday morning my lower back was quite stiff. This morning it is slightly better but still sore.

I have good core strength, and train in the gym 4-5 days a week.

Does my setup , stem length, saddle psoition etc need adjusting? Or is it just me needing to get used to the riding position (hunched over the bars) again?

[.Adam.]

I have had this problem, at first I thought it was because I was too stretched out, and after trying various length stems/different saddle positions, I went for a proper bike fitting, where I found out my 'cockpit' was actually too short, i.e I was too cramped. I have since stuck a longer stem, and more recently changed my frame for the next size up, and my lower back aches are much improved. I still need to play around a bit, as I sometimes get a slight ache across the shoulders now, but I am much more comfy than before. I would like to try a bit more height on the steerer, but I have no spacers to play with, so I might give another stem I have with a higher rise a go.

Wildfire said:

I haven't ridden properly for a good 10 years, and ridden at all for around 6 or so. So I decided that as part of my new helthy lifestyle I would invenst in a new mountain bike and get back into biking.

I have purchased a nice shiny Felt Compulsion 4. My first full bouncer and have been trying it out. No I know it's not the best thing to ride around town, but because of a busy weekend schedule I thought I'd ride it into town to see a friend. About 10 mile round trip.

After riding I felt that the saddle may need to be pushed back a bit. But yesterday morning my lower back was quite stiff. This morning it is slightly better but still sore.

I have good core strength, and train in the gym 4-5 days a week.

Does my setup , stem length, saddle psoition etc need adjusting? Or is it just me needing to get used to the riding position (hunched over the bars) again?

[Parsnip]

Wildfire said:

I haven't ridden properly for a good 10 years, and ridden at all for around 6 or so.

It is most likely this.

At least give it a few rides before you go spending money on a new stem, bars or a fitting.

[Wildfire]

Thanks Adam

My frame is a 15.5, where as my last was a 16. I think anyhthing bigger and I would have stand over height problems. I'm on a 70mm stem, where as I used to use a 110.

This makes a lot of sense. I think I'll look into a longer stem.

Cheers

Chris

[Wildfire]

Thanks Adam

My frame is a 15.5, where as my last was a 16. I think anyhthing bigger and I would have stand over height problems. I'm on a 70mm stem, where as I used to use a 110.

This makes a lot of sense. I think I'll look into a longer stem.

Cheers

Chris

[Nick_F]

There are plenty of 'rules of thumb', but for basic size you should have the distance from the tip of the saddle to the mid-point of the bars approximately the same as the distance from the point of your elbow to the tip of your longest finger.

If you need a stem <50mm or >110mm to achieve this with the saddle mid-way through its adjustment range then the frame's the wrong size.

If it's there or thereabouts then move around on the bars a bit more, stop and stretch a bit more, and give yourself a few hundred miles to get used to it?

[Wildfire]

Nick_F said:

There are plenty of 'rules of thumb', but for basic size you should have the distance from the tip of the saddle to the mid-point of the bars approximately the same as the distance from the point of your elbow to the tip of your longest finger.

If you need a stem <50mm or >110mm to achieve this with the saddle mid-way through its adjustment range then the frame's the wrong size.

If it's there or thereabouts then move around on the bars a bit more, stop and stretch a bit more, and give yourself a few hundred miles to get used to it?

Cheers Nick

I'll check this later on tonight. I tried a medium sized frame and I felt the saddle seemed pushed in quite a lot and the stnad over height would have castrated me had I come off. So I opted for a small. I'm 5'6" and mediums were sized 5'8 - 6'1".

I did run a 100mm stem on my last bike.

I did feel that the saddle was way too forward. It's set fully forward, so I'll canter it back and then see how things feel.

Cheers

Guys.

[Wildfire]

Ok, checked this and it's about 1/2" longer than my elbow to finger tip. So I guess it's just stifness from not being used to riding. I expect 10 miles for the first ride was not such a great idea.

[Digga]

swerni said:

Where can you go to get someone to check your sizing and set up on the bike.

My lower back aches after about 30 miles.
Not sure if it's down to
set up
just having done 30 miles on the bike
being an old git (41)

or all of the above

Depending on how bumpy and strenuous the 30 miles was, that in itself could be the sole issue. (I'm assuming this is off road biking here.)

Having done a 6hr Enduro myself and talked to other, way fitter riders (XC Champs and triathletes) lower back ache is not uncommon and riders will often slacken off any suspension lockout later in a long race to compensate.

|That said, it's never a bad thing to have your bike fitted and I would have thought than any decent bike shop, worthy of the name, should be capable of doing this for you.