cycling aches

having received some excellent advice from this group already ( knee problems etc. ) thought i'd try
again with another problem.

Just bought a new mtb ( specialized hardrock rigid 19" ) which is a joy to ride after my old 100
quid mtb. the bike seems to be a good fit ( i'm 6'0 and the lbs recommened a 19" frame ) but i've
been getting a lot of lower back ache after each ride. i've got the saddle and handle bars at
roughly the same height and the saddle is at the right height ( if i lower it anymore i'm going to
get my recurring knee problems), so i have a failry upright riding position . Most of my cycling is
on lanes, bridleways etc. but not real rough off-road stuff. Having perused the archives of this
newsgroup the only other cause i could think of was perhaps being too stretched out on the bike (
the bike certainly feels "bigger" than the old 21" mtb i had ) but i don't feel stretched out . If i
put my elbow level with the saddle then my middle finger is about an inch or so from the handlebars.

I guess my question is, have i missed anything that could be causing this problem. i've not been
cycling long but am getting so much enjoyment from it ( apart from the aches of course ) that i
would be loathe to give it up.

any thoughts/suggestion would be much appreciated

Jon

 

Jon Marshall wrote:
> any thoughts/suggestion would be much appreciated

What type of cycling you do? You mention mountain bike, but is it off-road? Also how long do you
cycle before you get back ache? Are you in a fixed position in terms of back angle the whole time?

I find that I get a little back ache but I try and change position a little (inherent with hand
position on the hand bar). I also wonder if back ache is related to not having the handle bars high
enough, as it is obviously stretching.

--
StainlessSteelRat Fox Mulder: Tell me I'm crazy. Dana Scully: Mulder, you're crazy.

 

On Sun, 27 Apr 2003 21:05:24 +0100, "Jon Marshall" <[email protected]> wrote:

>any thoughts/suggestion would be much appreciated

Have a look at the tool at http://www.wrenchscience.com - I have found their system to be pretty
accurate (and free!).

Guy
===
** WARNING ** This posting may contain traces of irony. http://www.chapmancentral.com (BT ADSL and
dynamic DNS permitting)
NOTE: BT Openworld have now blocked port 25 (without notice), so old mail addresses may no longer
work. Apologies.