Bar width and riders posture

[nath1]

Hi all , i have recently built up a good training bike to put in some good training mileage. I have set it up exactly the same as my race bike to the millemetre as would be expected. But whilst out training i have developed a backache that seems to come on after about an hours of riding, its an ache, in the lumber area of the back that only resides when i stretch it or stop at traffic lights for a rest , but comes back after i set off again. It has got to the point that i have started to experiance tightness in my lower back in the morning, which is starting to p**s me off. Anyway, i have checked all over my bike and double checked for anything not quite right, the only thing that is diffrent is the bar width, on my trainig bike they are quite narrow 42 cms(the only reason i fitted these was because that i had them in the shed and i was scrimping with the cash, im a bit of a tight ****), whereas on my best bike they are the wider 46 cms. Well, what i have noticed is that my back is somewhat more rounded with the narrower bars on the training bike, but on the bike with the wider bars i seem to 'open' out a bit more with my shoulders allowing my back to do the same. My question is, do you think that the narrower bars are contributing to bad posture and the bike , thus putting pressure on the lumber area of my back. I realise that i have an injury that i will have to train around carefully but before i can do this i want to try and find the cause. Thanks in advance

 

[StartTday]

Yes.

The difference in the width you need is pretty big. I rode with a 44cm and then changed to a 46cm and that made a world of difference.

Riding with smaller width bars causes you shoulder to restrict themselves inwards. Which in turns constricts your breathing putting much more stress on your back. You're basically trying to accomodate this posture which doesnt fit.

If you say everything is the same on both bikes I'd suggest to try the following. Take the 46cm bars and replace the 42cm bars. Go on a simple ride and see if that helps.

Also, dont forget that frame geometry is another big factor. You might be riding a small frame with small bars which makes you round your back more to fit on the bike.

Hope this helps and good luck. Back pains are no fun when you're trying to enjoy a good bike ride.

 

[John M]

Hi all , i have recently built up a good training bike to put in some good training mileage. I have set it up exactly the same as my race bike to the millemetre as would be expected. But whilst out training i have developed a backache that seems to come on after about an hours of riding, its an ache, in the lumber area of the back that only resides when i stretch it or stop at traffic lights for a rest , but comes back after i set off again. It has got to the point that i have started to experiance tightness in my lower back in the morning, which is starting to p**s me off. Anyway, i have checked all over my bike and double checked for anything not quite right, the only thing that is diffrent is the bar width, on my trainig bike they are quite narrow 42 cms(the only reason i fitted these was because that i had them in the shed and i was scrimping with the cash, im a bit of a tight ****), whereas on my best bike they are the wider 46 cms. Well, what i have noticed is that my back is somewhat more rounded with the narrower bars on the training bike, but on the bike with the wider bars i seem to 'open' out a bit more with my shoulders allowing my back to do the same. My question is, do you think that the narrower bars are contributing to bad posture and the bike , thus putting pressure on the lumber area of my back. I realise that i have an injury that i will have to train around carefully but before i can do this i want to try and find the cause. Thanks in advance

I agree that a 4cm bar width difference is quite a bit and more than enough to cause discomfort on a longer ride. I would look around for a cheap pair of 46cms for your training bike.