Noob: 'Bents and Lumbar Problems

With the huge variety of seats out there in the bent world,
I would think you should be able to find a bent that would
give you some lumbar relief.

"xkred27" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hello.

Due to physical problems brought on and/or aggravated by
the recent

purchase

Quoted message said:

of my first DF road bike, I'm thinking of a 'bent. Now I
know that a recumbent will absolutely fix the first
problem (genital numbness), but

I've

Quoted message said:

heard that lumbar spine problems may improve or may even
worsen riding a bent. For me, whose lumbar symptoms are
aggravated specifically by

driving

Quoted message said:

and, say, reclining in the old Barca-Lounger, I can't help
but notice that the general seating position on a 'bent
suspiciously resembles the other grief-giving positions.
So I'm concerned.

My sense is this regarding DF's vs. 'bents:

a) Upper back, neck, hand, and genital problems will be
most relieved on a 'bent.
b) Lumbar spine and knee problems could go either way

Does this sound about right, or does it all depend too
much on the individual (rider and bike) to make meaningful
generalizations?

Don't won't to fork out big bucks only to discover that
I've swapped one

set

Quoted message said:

of ills for another.

Thanks.
--
Peter

Anti-spam =
a) Remove NS_
b) Replace 3 zeroes with alpha O's

"TimH" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

With the huge variety of seats out there in the bent
world, I would think you should be able to find a bent
that would give you some lumbar relief.

"xkred27" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

I've

Quoted message said:

heard that lumbar spine problems may improve or may even
worsen riding a bent. For me, whose lumbar symptoms are
aggravated specifically by

driving

Quoted message said:

and, say, reclining in the old Barca-Lounger, I can't
help but notice that the general seating position on a
'bent suspiciously resembles the other grief-giving
positions. So I'm concerned.

My sense is this regarding DF's vs. 'bents:

a) Upper back, neck, hand, and genital problems will be
most relieved on a 'bent.
b) Lumbar spine and knee problems could go either way

Does this sound about right, or does it all depend too
much on the individual (rider and bike) to make
meaningful generalizations?

Peter: I have a herniated disc at L5-S1. Six years ago I
went bent. I have ridden most of the bents out there. What I
have found (for me) is as follows:

1. Seats with hard seat pans (hardshell seats or mesh seats
but with a hard pan), regardless of the cushion, provide
me with excellent support and no back problems at all.

2. Seats with mesh bottoms supported by stretch cords (which
absorb a lot of road shock) where there is a significant
amount of give create problems for my lower back after a
few rides.

3. Seats with mesh bottoms which are rigidly held in
place (whether with zip ties or other devices that
have very little give) are acceptable but overtime
create limited problems. This is true whether a
cushion is on the seat or not.

My two cents worth of analysis is that numbers 2 and 3 have
too much give so that there is not a solid platform that
supports my low back and "butt" thus causing my lower back
to move and twist. No scientific proof, just my conclusion.
But regardless of the reason I would suggest you thoroughly
test the seat of the recumbent you are planning to get. And,
of course, from recent postings, make sure that whatever the
seat is it is designed and manufactured appropriately from a
responsive company so that if there are problems with it you
can seek to resolve the matter expeditiously.

Mike S. St. Louis, Mo.

Mike,

Your detailed reply much appreciated.
--
Peter

Anti-spam =
a) Remove NS_
b) Replace 3 zeroes with alpha O's

xkred27 said:

Hello.

Due to physical problems brought on and/or aggravated by
the recent purchase of my first DF road bike, I'm thinking
of a 'bent. Now I know that a recumbent will absolutely
fix the first problem (genital numbness), but I've heard
that lumbar spine problems may improve or may even worsen
riding a bent. For me, whose lumbar symptoms are
aggravated specifically by driving and, say, reclining in
the old Barca-Lounger, I can't help but notice that the
general seating position on a 'bent suspiciously resembles
the other grief-giving positions. So I'm concerned....

One thing you must do when riding a recumbent is to break
yourself of the habit of pulling on the handlebars. This
will not only makes the bike handle poorly [1], but also
it will put stress on the back that can aggravate
existing problems.

[1] Reynolds Weld Lab USS is an exception to this in my
experience.

--
Tom Sherman – Quad Cities (Illinois Side)

"xkred27" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Mike,

Your detailed reply much appreciated.

I have had a discectomy and laminectomy on l4-l5 about
ten years ago. I do five minutes of exercises once or
twice a day religiously. I switched to a bent about 19
months ago. I test rode about ten bents and they all
seemed much more comfortable than my upright. I found
that seats with a more verticle back are uncomfortable
from the get go. I gravitated to those bikes that had a
slight recline and curvature to their seat backs. This
allows some lumbar support and distributes impact shock
over your lower back and butt.

I ride a Tour Easy with a coolback seat. I reclined the
seatback a small amount (and had to trim the seat back stays
a little to get it to work). Even so, I did still find that
my spine would get compressed after long rides or after
several days of short rides. A collegue at work suggested
doing shoulder stands to de-compress my spine. It was
amazing how quickly this solved my problem. I now find that
if my back feels at all out of whack , a take a ride on my
Tour Easy actually helps it get back to normal.

So I recommend you go to one of the big recumbent bike
dealers and go for as many test rides as you can. Tweak
the seat backs (if you can) to find the sweet spot for
your back.

Good luck.

Tom Sherman <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

xkred27 said:

Hello.

Due to physical problems brought on and/or aggravated by
the recent purchase of my first DF road bike, I'm
thinking of a 'bent. Now I know that a recumbent will
absolutely fix the first problem (genital numbness), but
I've heard that lumbar spine problems may improve or may
even worsen riding a bent. For me, whose lumbar symptoms
are aggravated specifically by driving and, say,
reclining in the old Barca-Lounger, I can't help but
notice that the general seating position on a 'bent
suspiciously resembles the other grief-giving positions.
So I'm concerned....

One thing you must do when riding a recumbent is to break
yourself of the habit of pulling on the handlebars. This
will not only makes the bike handle poorly [1], but also
it will put stress on the back that can aggravate existing
problems.

[1] Reynolds Weld Lab USS is an exception to this in my
experience.

I would second Tom's advice (but still totally reject his
use of footnotes 😉.

I have some degenerative disk issues myself (both lumbar and
thoracic). I found with the Vision USS (which I LOVE the
"feel" of), I had a tendency when accelerating or climbing
to pull up on the bars. This was exacerbating the thoracic
problem. I have swapped bars for the more traditional type
of USS and I find the tendency to pull on the bars has
greatly decreased.

As a side note the Vision seat (alas, an "orphan"😉, while
appearing to be totally lacking in lumbar curve, is
actually very lumbar friendly and very adjustable via the
fabric straps. Rigid-backed seats with built-in lumbar
curves are likely superior PROVIDED the lumbar support fits
YOUR back. I would strongly suggest either A) a test ride
of 3 or 4 hrs .. preferably several days in succession, or
B) a commitment from the seller to swap out the original
seat for a different size seat, in case you find the seat
is not what you need.

xkred27,

First thing, I'd find out from a doctor specifically what
kind of "lumbar" problem you have. There are many. You may
need surgery; you may need only therapy. Get a reliable
diagnosis from more than one doctor. Then decide on which
bike is right for you.

In my case, I had one of the worse: spondylolisthesis, which
in short is a congenital condition where a vertebra (5th
lumbar, in my case) is displaced forward. I had surgery
three years ago, which required my being in a body cast for
six months (24/7) and an additional year of non-activity.
One year later I rode my TE across the U.S. without so much
as a twinge.

Get professional advice/help before you make your
decision. :-)

Steve

xkred27 said:

Hello.

Due to physical problems brought on and/or aggravated by
the recent purchase of my first DF road bike, I'm thinking
of a 'bent. Now I know that a recumbent will absolutely fix
the first problem (genital numbness), but I've heard that
lumbar spine problems may improve or may even worsen riding
a bent. For me, whose lumbar symptoms are aggravated
specifically by driving and, say, reclining in the old Barca-
Lounger, I can't help but notice that the general seating
position on a 'bent suspiciously resembles the other grief-
giving positions. So I'm concerned.

My sense is this regarding DF's vs. 'bents:

a) Upper back, neck, hand, and genital problems will be
most relieved on a 'bent.
b) Lumbar spine and knee problems could go either way

Does this sound about right, or does it all depend too much
on the individual (rider and bike) to make meaningful
generalizations?

Don't won't to fork out big bucks only to discover that
I've swapped one set of ills for another.

Thanks.

--
Steve Fox McKinleyville, CA

I just bought a Cycle Genius and really like the bike
However that being said my back is bothering me after no
problems for the last six years. I have problems with disc
L3,L4,L5,S1.

THe first bit of a Problem I took a hot bath follow up with
an ice pack then I toom my mountain bike and went for a
twenty mile bide. The first 10 were hell then I was fine.
Two week later after riding the recumbent it happened again
only the winds were to bad to ride end so I have been
suffering for over a week now.

Not sue why except that when you hit bumps on the cycle
genius you feel it all up the back. It there a cure for this
without me selling the bike, bot sure!

With the mountain bikes you have seat problems after real
long rides with the recumbent you May have back problems!

If you figure it out let me no. thanks geary

I have swapped bars for

Quoted message said:

the more traditional type of USS and I find the tendency
to pull on the bars has greatly decreased.

What kind of bars did you switch to? Or did you just turn
the stock bars around? I tried turning my stock bar around
only to find the reach was too far out for my liking and it
also struck the seat when trying to make a turn if I went
very sharp at all.

A collegue at work suggested doing shoulder stands to de-
compress my

Quoted message said:

spine. It was amazing how quickly this solved my problem.

What are shoulder stands? How are they done, and how do they
de-compress the spine (I have a L5-S1 problem; hopefully,
shoulder stands can provide some releif to me also)?

[email hidden] ([censored] P.) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

A collegue at work suggested doing shoulder stands to de-
compress my

Quoted message said:

spine. It was amazing how quickly this solved my
problem.

What are shoulder stands? How are they done, and how do
they de-compress the spine (I have a L5-S1 problem;
hopefully, shoulder stands can provide some releif to
me also)?

A shoulder stand is a yoga exercise I learned from Richard
Hittleman's yoga book. Basically, you lie on your back, bend
your legs, and rock back onto your shoulders bracing your
hips with your arms. Next you extend your legs straight up.
If you do it correctly, it's easier than it seems. You only
have to hold the position for 20 - 30 seconds. Then you bend
your legs and roll back until your flat on your back again.
(Hittleman's book has photos.)

BTW, Hittleman's book is worth its weigh in gold.

[email hidden] (John) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

[email hidden] ([censored] P.) wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

A collegue at work suggested doing shoulder stands to de-
compress my

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

spine. It was amazing how quickly this solved my
problem.

What are shoulder stands? How are they done, and how do
they de-compress the spine (I have a L5-S1 problem;
hopefully, shoulder stands can provide some releif to me
also)?

A shoulder stand is a yoga exercise I learned from Richard
Hittleman's yoga book. Basically, you lie on your back,
bend your legs, and rock back onto your shoulders bracing
your hips with your arms. Next you extend your legs
straight up. If you do it correctly, it's easier than it
seems. You only have to hold the position for 20 - 30
seconds. Then you bend your legs and roll back until your
flat on your back again. (Hittleman's book has photos.)

BTW, Hittleman's book is worth its weigh in gold.

Thanks. I'll try to find a copy.

I switched to recumbents due to ruptured discs in my back, 2 in my
lumbar area and 1 in the upper thorax T6:T7.

I have a tour easy (with a rans seat), a rans screamer and a
Bachetta Strada. All have similar seats that have a built in
lumber support that supports my back extremely well.

I find that the combination of exercise, building up of my
back muscles and forcing my back into the lumbar support
while I pedal helps my back. In fact, at times when I have
been having severe back pain with muscle cramping, sciatica
and difficulty walking....I can always climb on one of my
recumbents and ride with little or no pain. Sometimes, it is
what I have needed to stop the muscle cramps. It has never
made my back worse. Before I sold my Lemond Zurich, I used
to try to take it out when my back was doing well....riding
it always made my back worse...always!

I second the comment made that you should travel to a
recument bike shop where you can take extended 2-4 hour test
rides. I have done that for every recumbnet bike purchase
that I have made and it has been worth it. In fact, twice I
went after much reading with the intent of buying a certain
model of bike...and ended up buying something different
after a day of extended test riding.

I have an unknown back problem - MRI said something about
l4, but that was 10 year ago and I don't remember what.

I get severe back pain after more than about an hour in any
car where I cannot have a very upright sitting posture -
seat back reclined and/or knees more straight than bent
causes me problems.

I am retiring (tomorrow) and want to get back into bike
riding. I would like a bent if it won't hurt, but don't know
how to get enough time on a rental or something to find out.

I have read this thread and think I can find a bent that
will meet my needs, but I don't know how to find it. I live
about 30 minutes south of San Francisco. Any ideas on bents
that I should try and where I can rent one them for a
couple of days?

Thanks

JKA

--
[As CEO] It's my job to outsource enough jobs to make a
profit and to keep enough jobs here so there are enough
people to buy our products.

I'll just repeat what I wrote a few weeks ago on this
thread. Feel free to ignore the advice, but before you do
anything, get a thorough checkup. Find out what the problem
is and whether there is a medical approach/solution. This
based on experience.

J Ahlstrom said:

I have an unknown back problem - MRI said something about
l4, but that was 10 year ago and I don't remember what.

I get severe back pain after more than about an hour in
any car where I cannot have a very upright sitting posture
- seat back reclined and/or knees more straight than bent
causes me problems.

I am retiring (tomorrow) and want to get back into bike
riding. I would like a bent if it won't hurt, but don't
know how to get enough time on a rental or something to
find out.

I have read this thread and think I can find a bent that
will meet my needs, but I don't know how to find it. I
live about 30 minutes south of San Francisco. Any ideas on
bents that I should try and where I can rent one them for
a couple of days?

Thanks

JKA

--
Steve Fox McKinleyville, CA

J Ahlstrom <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I have read this thread and think I can find a bent that
will meet my needs, but I don't know how to find it. I
live about 30 minutes south of San Francisco. Any ideas on
bents that I should try and where I can rent one them for
a couple of days?

Try Zach Kaplan in Alameda. He doesn't have a website but if
you Google search you'll find his e-mail address. He is
available by appointment and you won't find another more
knowledgeable.

centralcoastdouble.comZach Kaplan Ride Report.htmOpen ↗

"Eddie H" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

J Ahlstrom <[email hidden]> wrote in message

news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I have read this thread and think I can find a bent that
will meet my needs, but I don't know how to find it. I
live about 30 minutes south of San Francisco. Any ideas
on bents that I should try and where I can rent one them
for a couple of days?

Try Zach Kaplan in Alameda. He doesn't have a website but
if you Google search you'll find his e-mail address. He is
available by appointment and you won't find another more
knowledgeable.