Set up

[Matty1235]

Hi I'm new to the world of cycling, having played football most of my life.

I bought a bike from a retailer that doesn't want to be very helpfull in there after sales. The problem i'm having is after 40mins on the bike i get pains in the shoulder blade area that cuts short my rides rather than fatigue. Is it that i need to bulid up muscle in my shoulders, am i stretching for the handlebars to much, is the stem to long? I get the feeling the shop i visited would sell me something rather than giving honest advice, I want to have more of an idea before i spend more money.

Thanks

[Tonto]

Hi I'm new to the world of cycling, having played football most of my life.

I bought a bike from a retailer that doesn't want to be very helpfull in there after sales. The problem i'm having is after 40mins on the bike i get pains in the shoulder blade area that cuts short my rides rather than fatigue. Is it that i need to bulid up muscle in my shoulders, am i stretching for the handlebars to much, is the stem to long? I get the feeling the shop i visited would sell me something rather than giving honest advice, I want to have more of an idea before i spend more money.

Thanks

Hi,
A certain amount of discomfort when you first start cycling is inevitable, but severe pain that cuts short your ride doesn't sound right.
It could well be a simple case of needing your saddle height/angle or handlebar height adjusted. It could also be caused by incorrect stem length, or, worst case scenario, the bike is simply the wrong size, however, there's a lot of adjustment you can do to your setup before you can arrive at that conclusion.

Check this out:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/pain.html

There is a section on shoulder pain which hopefully will be of some use to you.

Good luck!

[Matty1235]

What a great link, thankyou very much for your advice. I really hope it isn't the frame size, it could prove an expensive sport.



Hi,
A certain amount of discomfort when you first start cycling is inevitable, but severe pain that cuts short your ride doesn't sound right.
It could well be a simple case of needing your saddle height/angle or handlebar height adjusted. It could also be caused by incorrect stem length, or, worst case scenario, the bike is simply the wrong size, however, there's a lot of adjustment you can do to your setup before you can arrive at that conclusion.

Check this out:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/pain.html

There is a section on shoulder pain which hopefully will be of some use to you.

Good luck!

[Tonto]

What a great link, thankyou very much for your advice. I really hope it isn't the frame size, it could prove an expensive sport.

You're welcome. Like I said, there are plenty of minor adjustments that can make a huge difference to your comfort, so don't start to worry about the frame just yet.
A good idea might be to find another bike shop where they're a bit more helpful and ask them to help you out. Someone who's worked on bikes for a while can spot a dodgy setup a mile off.
Most bike shop staff are clever enough to know that if they help you out when you're starting off they'll take lots of cash off you further down the road.

[graf zeppelin]

What a great link, thankyou very much for your advice. I really hope it isn't the frame size, it could prove an expensive sport.

Hehe, this has already been proven. :D Seriously though, welcome to the sport. You'll quickly find, I think, that there is hardly anything more rewarding.

While you can spend a lot, you dont have to. Best advice is as Tonto said: find a LBS that specializes primarily in road bikes and talk to them about helping you adjust your fit in the most economical way they can. I'm sure they'd be more than happy to help you.