Justin80 Posted October 17, 2013 Share Hi!I'm looking for advice or opinions on full suspension vs hardtail with lower back pain. I've been living with chronic lower back pain for almost 7 years now. 4 years ago I was barely able to complete a 45 min spinning class but stuck with it as running was (and still is) not an option. This year I tried mountain biking on a borrowed Giant Boulder and have been really surprised how well my back seems to cope. If I'm careful I get very little if any spasm following a ride. So far so good. I've been riding jeep track and a little single track fairly regularly for about 3 months now but still take it quite easy (no big jumps etc). I'm looking at buying a new bike now and would like to know if anyone has any hands on experience riding full suspension vs hardtail with lower (L5,S1) back pain as a result of ruptured disc? I don't have any experience on a full suspension bike. Is it worth forking out the extra cash for rear suspension or would the money be better spent on a better spec HT? I'm 192cm tall, weigh about 98kg and don't have any aspirations to be the fastest or to win any races. I'm riding a Large (21 inch) Giant Boulder that's seen better days (it's also too small) and I'm happy doing 1 - 2 hour rides with a mix of jeep and single track. I'm considering a Giant Anthem X 4 29er but for the money I can find a very good spec HT 29er. If moving to a full suspension has solved or prevented any further lower back pain issues for anyone please tell me about it. ThanksJustin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harryn Posted October 17, 2013 Share You need a full sus. No brainer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSG Posted October 17, 2013 Share Hi!I'm looking for advice or opinions on full suspension vs hardtail with lower back pain. I've been living with chronic lower back pain for almost 7 years now. 4 years ago I was barely able to complete a 45 min spinning class but stuck with it as running was (and still is) not an option. This year I tried mountain biking on a borrowed Giant Boulder and have been really surprised how well my back seems to cope. If I'm careful I get very little if any spasm following a ride. So far so good. I've been riding jeep track and a little single track fairly regularly for about 3 months now but still take it quite easy (no big jumps etc). I'm looking at buying a new bike now and would like to know if anyone has any hands on experience riding full suspension vs hardtail with lower (L5,S1) back pain as a result of ruptured disc? I don't have any experience on a full suspension bike. Is it worth forking out the extra cash for rear suspension or would the money be better spent on a better spec HT? I'm 192cm tall, weigh about 98kg and don't have any aspirations to be the fastest or to win any races. I'm riding a Large (21 inch) Giant Boulder that's seen better days (it's also too small) and I'm happy doing 1 - 2 hour rides with a mix of jeep and single track. I'm considering a Giant Anthem X 4 29er but for the money I can find a very good spec HT 29er. If moving to a full suspension has solved or prevented any further lower back pain issues for anyone please tell me about it. ThanksJustinHi Justin, I had my 2nd back operation in 2years some 7 weeks ago. Had a fusion done on L4 and L5, went cycling for the first time on Tuesday, all though only on tar I really enjoyed it to be back on the bike again. I currently have a 29er HT which works quite good for me at the moment, but I do believe that a full susser will be nicer to have. I've been looking for a full susser frame as well, but I am going to give the HT a chance to see how it goes. I've been told that the most important exercise for cyclists with lower backache is to strengthen your core muscles and getting rid of the love handles and "boep" which I'm working on at the moment and I can feel the difference. And rider/bike setup is as important. Edited October 17, 2013 by BennieGerber Justin80 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arendoog Posted October 17, 2013 Share I am the same hight and weight as you .I have had lower back problems my whole life .I have 3 mtb,s .Santacruz tallboy and a geared HT and aSSHT .Training is mostly on the HT ,s .Never more than 2hours at a time .The tallboy is so comfotable it makes me lazy .I had an anthem before the SC .The HT is good for core training and the SS even better .If you can only afford one bike then anthem 29 is it ,but make sure to keep your core muscles in shape .The best bike us tall heavy oke,s can buy is a SC Tallboy Justin80 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ibruegge Posted October 17, 2013 Share 1.94m, 84 kg, sore back after 30 mins on the hard tail. So bad that I barely made it to the singletrack at Harkerville before the pain started. On a full suspension XL Scott now, and admittedly training more, but pain in the back is virtually gone. Justin80 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skylark Posted October 17, 2013 Share FS all the way, the jarring from a HT is not nice for sore backs especially near the end of a long ride and you tired. Then every root feels like a kick in the back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
igknot Posted October 17, 2013 Share I broke my back 11 years ago and had a s1-l5-l4 fusion. Lots and lots of core strength exercising later and I ride both hard tail and full Suss. Keep the stomach muscle strong and the rest is fine. When I neglect my core for a few weeks the back starts to complain about everything. I had a very good biokinetisist in Pretoria. Abie Marais. Stay far away from chiropractors if you have real back issues. If you want some attention they are the way to go. Now drop and give me 100 pushups. Li Mu Bai 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V12man Posted October 17, 2013 Share FS for sure - not because I believe it is more comfortable per se, but it is more forgiving, and just might save you from a crash that will create more damage. There is no better way to save your back than good mobility and core strength - and its mandatory if you plan to do longer events or multi day races. igknot, Skylark, Sidewinder. and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V12man Posted October 17, 2013 Share FS for sure - not because I believe it is more comfortable per se, but it is more forgiving, and just might save you from a crash that will create more damage. There is no better way to save your back than good mobility and core strength - and its mandatory if you plan to do longer events or multi day races. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin80 Posted October 17, 2013 Share Igknot - you're spot on about Chiro's. Never again!V12man - mobility is key, my hamstrings are way too tight (puts strain on the lumbar discs) so working on that too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V12man Posted October 17, 2013 Share FS for sure - not because I believe it is more comfortable per se, but it is more forgiving, and just might save you from a crash that will create more damage. There is no better way to save your back than good mobility and core strength - and its mandatory if you plan to do longer events or multi day races. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squier Posted October 18, 2013 Share I broke my back 11 years ago and had a s1-l5-l4 fusion. Lots and lots of core strength exercising later and I ride both hard tail and full Suss. Keep the stomach muscle strong and the rest is fine. When I neglect my core for a few weeks the back starts to complain about everything. I had a very good biokinetisist in Pretoria. Abie Marais. Stay far away from chiropractors if you have real back issues. If you want some attention they are the way to go. Now drop and give me 100 pushups. I struggled with lower back pain on the bike but since I've been going to my chiro it has completely disappeared. I'm an advocate for chiros. Doing a routine alignment every couple of months does wonders! Jaidan Mays 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottCM Posted October 18, 2013 Share Justin, welcome to the hub and hope you get the answers you need to have many happy miles on the trails Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DR ◣◢ Posted October 18, 2013 Share Igknot - you're spot on about Chiro's. Never again!V12man - mobility is key, my hamstrings are way too tight (puts strain on the lumbar discs) so working on that too. Get a TP Therapy roller. It works wonders! You can do ITB, Quads, Hamstrings, Pirformis, Glutes etc. This workout combined with stretching post ride will leave you wondering why your legs aren't sore. A few weeks ago I was in a lot of pain. My whole upper body pulled to the left to get away from the pain. I badly needed to go see my regular guy for needling and MF release of the Piriformis in my left leg. THis normally takes three sessions to sort out. Instead I decided to buy the TP Therapy roller and started using it. 2 weeks later I don't even know about any pain. Hurts like hell when you use it but the benefit it incredible. The foam roller comes in 2 sizes. Single is R600. Double is R900. Can be bought at Sportsmans Warehouse Read up on http://www.tptherapy.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr X Posted October 19, 2013 Share Pilates will solve your problem but get a dually anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSG Posted October 19, 2013 Share I struggled with lower back pain on the bike but since I've been going to my chiro it has completely disappeared. I'm an advocate for chiros. Doing a routine alignment every couple of months does wonders!Chiros do work magic for some people, depending on what is wrong with your back. If you've got a disc that has popped out, then a Chiro will only worsen your back pain. It happened to me 3 years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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