Persistent shoulders/neck pain after bike fit

[Eldron]

1 minute ago, eala said:

And a scented scarf for the sweat and a full sports massage after 30 minutes on the trainer .Siestog ! Must be a Slaapstad thing 

This is kind of sad. If you were less opinionated and judgmental cycling would be a lot more pleasant. So would you.

[Hairy]

4 minutes ago, ouzo said:

no, its a new better way of doing things thing.

 

I started cycling (as in doing races) in the 90s, back then we went on the eyeball method. 

One hand distance between crotch and cross bar when standing over the bike

tip of fingers to elbow being the distance from bars to seat tip

leg straight at 6 O''clock position on cranks

 

But thank goodness for sports science and better tech.

LOLI have memories working at the LBS back then selling bikes in this manner getting people to set up like this .... I did make then try up or down a size if they were close and then if needed fine tune the stem to their comfort/fit ... but this was back in 96/97

[Help.Me.]

13 minutes ago, eala said:

And a scented scarf for the sweat and a full sports massage after 30 minutes on the trainer .Siestog ! Must be a Slaapstad thing 

Thank you very much for this useless piece of info.......words really fail me

[Hairy]

36 minutes ago, eala said:

Any 5 hour ride on a road bike will cause aches and pains .You need a really strong core for that amount of time on the bike and being a road bike even more .You don't mention your age .At 25 years old it is slightly abnormal .At age 55 it is normal .Try logic first .Age weight ,fitness level ,comfort on the bike ,time when symptom's start etc. Ride with a Tool in your pocket and adjust the riding position until it feels right .I have never had a bike fit in ten years of riding .Find your own comfort and keep on adjusting until things fall into place .it is not an exact science 

 

13 minutes ago, eala said:

And a scented scarf for the sweat and a full sports massage after 30 minutes on the trainer .Siestog ! Must be a Slaapstad thing 

I have been riding for 24 years and can tell you that in your 10 years of cycling you are doing something wrong with your bike setup if you "have to have body pain" after a long ride. Be it road or trail.

For context I have done a good many 24hr races, and only my legs took a beating .... not the my body.

[eala]

14 hours ago, Stevie G said:

Hi Guys

Just wanted your input on what my issue could be wrt my upper back pain/shoulder blades and sore stiff neck and slightly lame in arms. I heard ridden a 5 hour ride on Saturday up to Chappies and back. I did my bike fit in the week. my pedal reach is perfect now, but i still have the upper back issue.

My height is 1.65m and see my bike measurements below.

Would appreciate your feedback.

 

It is not a bikefit problem .There is no info of said rider ,80 year old lady or 25 year old with BMI of 35 .Wake up !

[The Ouzo]

3 minutes ago, eala said:

It is not a bikefit problem .There is no info of said rider ,80 year old lady or 25 year old with BMI of 35 .Wake up !

there is no info of said rider........ so it could still be a bike fit problem. and probably is. 80 year old lady or 25 year old with BMI of 35, the bike fit should take that into account

[DieselnDust]

This thread is useless without body dimensions. Height is only one measurement. Torso length,inseam, arm length ,foot size are just a few key dimensions required to establish whether it's a bikefit issue or a strength and flexibility issue.

 

PS: the only body pains I have after a long ride are in the legs and ass. I ride a fairly slammed position on the road bike and don't use any issues. I had a proper bike fit with science2sport once back in 2007 and have used the dimensions /geometry eversince.

 

[Hairy]

24 minutes ago, DieselnDust said:

This thread is useless without body dimensions. Height is only one measurement. Torso length,inseam, arm length ,foot size are just a few key dimensions required to establish whether it's a bikefit issue or a strength and flexibility issue.

 

PS: the only body pains I have after a long ride are in the legs and ass. I ride a fairly slammed position on the road bike and don't use any issues. I had a proper bike fit with science2sport once back in 2007 and have used the dimensions /geometry eversince.

 

I never knew you could still slam a stem so low on a road bike at your age!

[Paul Ruinaard]

2 hours ago, Eldron said:

That is a pretty standard story at my shop ????

Bikefitting has come a long way since the days of Lemond's 0.883% of inseam calculation.

3D motion detecting dynamic fitting systems, dual 3D power meter based pedaling analysis, saddle pressure mapping and a variety of other high tech methods are now the norm.

 

Hmm so maybe i am missing something here but if you on average ride a 2.5 hour ride max for your Saturday ride but now go out and do a 4,5 hour to 5 hour race over much more bumpy roads you are saying that  shoulders and neck shouldn't hurt. I normally am very sore after CTCT as the roads are very bumpy and quite fast along misty cliffs etc. I was always of the opinion that if you aren't trained for 5 hours you aren't going to do well when you get there. Like the man says 55+ is vastly different as well so this is something  that is also age and fitness related. Your body hasn't got the experience?

So are you saying a good setup will be able to address this? Can you give me more details as to how? I am riding  a Specialized Roubaix already so i haven't got a flat seating position like when i was a kid? I am just    interested as it would appear i am missing something around setup. 

Which setup framework would you recommend as maybe i am sorely mistaken.

 

 

[The Ouzo]

4 minutes ago, Paul Ruinaard said:

Hmm so maybe i am missing something here but if you on average ride a 2.5 hour ride max for your Saturday ride but now go out and do a 4,5 hour to 5 hour race over much more bumpy roads you are saying that  shoulders and neck shouldn't hurt. I normally am very sore after CTCT as the roads are very bumpy and quite fast along misty cliffs etc. I was always of the opinion that if you aren't trained for 5 hours you aren't going to do well when you get there. Like the man says 55+ is vastly different as well so this is something  that is also age and fitness related. Your body hasn't got the experience?

So are you saying a good setup will be able to address this? Can you give me more details as to how? I am riding  a Specialized Roubaix already so i haven't got a flat seating position like when i was a kid? I am just    interested as it would appear i am missing something around setup. 

Which setup framework would you recommend as maybe i am sorely mistaken.

 

 

I dont know why you're calling the CTCT roads bumpier than the cradle, I dont find that at all.

[Eldron]

4 minutes ago, Paul Ruinaard said:

Hmm so maybe i am missing something here but if you on average ride a 2.5 hour ride max for your Saturday ride but now go out and do a 4,5 hour to 5 hour race over much more bumpy roads you are saying that  shoulders and neck shouldn't hurt. I normally am very sore after CTCT as the roads are very bumpy and quite fast along misty cliffs etc. I was always of the opinion that if you aren't trained for 5 hours you aren't going to do well when you get there. Like the man says 55+ is vastly different as well so this is something  that is also age and fitness related. Your body hasn't got the experience?

So are you saying a good setup will be able to address this? Can you give me more details as to how? I am riding  a Specialized Roubaix already so i haven't got a flat seating position like when i was a kid? I am just    interested as it would appear i am missing something around setup. 

Which setup framework would you recommend as maybe i am sorely mistaken.

 

 

If you're used to riding 2.5 hours then 4.5 should be a little less pleasant but not painful. If you're hurting something is wrong. 

You're welcome to pop into my store and I'll happily show you how ????

 

[Paul Ruinaard]

Just now, ouzo said:

I dont know why you're calling the CTCT roads bumpier than the cradle, I dont find that at all.

Okay that's subjective. Personally I am a lot worse off after a long ride around the cradle than i am after the CTCT, especially neck and shoulders. Ache for days. But like i said if there was a way to fix that via setup i am interested. I am 57 though so i just assumed its normal.

 

[Paul Ruinaard]

2 minutes ago, Eldron said:

If you're used to riding 2.5 hours then 4.5 should be a little less pleasant but not painful. If you're hurting something is wrong. 

You're welcome to pop into my store and I'll happily show you how ????

 

Sure i may take you up on that :-). What sort of framework or method on setup do you use though. NOT being an arse - just interested as this is something i just assumed was age related.

 

Edited September 27, 2021 by Paul Ruinaard

[MORNE]

2 hours ago, eala said:

And a scented scarf for the sweat and a full sports massage after 30 minutes on the trainer .Siestog ! Must be a Slaapstad thing 

you would have done well to read his location under his profile name before you shared your opinion about CT -  that nobody asked for btw haha.

This is what he does...in one of the biggest bike riding countries of the world. #justsaying

[ChrisF]

8 minutes ago, Eldron said:

If you're used to riding 2.5 hours then 4.5 should be a little less pleasant but not painful. If you're hurting something is wrong. 

You're welcome to pop into my store and I'll happily show you how ????

 

He may have "some" discomfort after cycling to your store .... 

[Eldron]

1 minute ago, Paul Ruinaard said:

Sure i may take you up on that :-). What sort of framework or method on setup do you use though. NOT being an arse - just interested as this is something i just assumed was age related.

 

I use www.bikefitting.com hardware and software (as well as tons of supportive equipment). Within the ROAD setup of the software there are 4 presets for position ranging from COMFORT to PRO.

Depending on your flexibility, conditioning, body geometry etc I would use one of these as a base (as an example I use SPORT for my Gran Fondo riders).

From there I would make adjustments based on videos of you pedalling on various pieces of equipment I have.

If I had to chose just one dimension to solve back/neck pain it would be saddle-bar drop and length. If everything is average (flex, body etc) at your age I'd recommend a drop of less than 75mm. There are probably 8 factors influencing neck/back pain in total though and it could be any one of those (or a combination).