Neck Pain

rudycyclist said:

It seems that on even short rides, my neck gets real sore pretty quick. What can I do to prevent this? I am assuming it's my form, but am not sure. I don't think my frame is too big because I rode a 58 cm (my bike at home is a 60 cm) for a week, and it seemed way too small. Almost like I was trying to create as much drag as possible. Help me out! What am I doing wrong?

On the 58 cm frame, was your seat post way up relative to the bars? If your regular (60 cm frame) is set up with a 2" drop from seat to bars, and the 58 you rode for a week has say a 5" drop, that would result in a major increase in your neck angle. It takes time for your neck muscles to adapt to changes like this; riding every day on a week-long tour with a borrowed bike is a tough way to make changes in bike position.

To reduce the problem, you can move your neck around with quick stretches. Turn the head to the sides for a second, then press your chin down to your chest, then up. Quick stretches like this on the bike a few times an hour should help.