AI6YR BenDefinitely pulled a muscle in my back from bicycling. Sigh. I'll survive. It's been bothering me for a few days, but discovered I make it worse and exactly what muscle when I get on a bike. (I blame using the lower bars on the road bike 🤪 ) Stretching seems to be mostly fixing this, but... ANNOYING! #firstworldproblems #BikeTooter #random
David Sacerdote@ai6yr you can get a riser stem which increases the height of the bars for a road bike. I use one which raises it just enough to keep my back happy
W6KME@dsacer @ai6yr I'll second this...fashion may say you need a super-low shoulder position for max aero efficiency. Well, we normal humans don't go fast enough for it to be as important as it is for pros. They don't ride like humans do.
Move that bar up. Learn to put your hands on the brake hoods for riding into the wind, not the drops. Use a slightly broader saddle that actually hits your sit bones. Drop the seat an inch. Be comfortable; you're never going to see the inside of a wind tunnel.
cmgrowell@ai6yr @W6KME @dsacer I just rode my son's road bike this afternoon since it hasn't had much use lately and quickly realized that I should raise the stem if I wanted to be happier with it.
When I first got a used road bike after many years of only riding mountain bikes I felt way too stretched out and hunched over. I kept putting shorter stems on the bike to bring the bars closer and didn't like the old style drop bars. I eventually switched to a wider gravel handlebar, which has a very short drop. I probably could have put a flat handlebar on it, but changing the shifters and brakes seemed like too much trouble.
@cmgrowell @W6KME @dsacer Yeah, pretty sure the hunching is what got me on this. I'll be better in a few days, but was trying to figure out what was going on (was showing up in my arm, but now clearly localized to the back muscles you use for bicycling, lol)
Raven667@W6KME @dsacer @ai6yr years ago I rode my friends classic steel Schwinn bike, with the spring in the seat, 3-speed in-hub gearbox, and upright riding position with the handlebars that bend up and are raked back, no drop bars and not straight like mtb, and that was the most comfortable riding bike I've ever been on. Its not fast, but you get where you are going in style :-)
Frank
smells of bikes@smellsofbikes @W6KME @dsacer I do enjoy the bikes I have with fat Brooks saddles with springs! Nice and comfy. Not designed for racing posture, definitely perfect for riding up on the hoods or holding the top of the handlebars.
@ai6yr @W6KME @dsacer This illustrates one real issue with bikes: it is, as far as I can tell, utterly impossible to predict which bike seat is going to be long-term comfortable without actually long-term using it. Several friends love brooks saddles (by which I mean multiple 200km days on them) and I haaaate them, where I'm riding on something that's practically a contoured sheet of carbon fiber with a bit of fabric glued on, and 200km on it is for me very comfy.
cognitively accessible math@smellsofbikes @ai6yr @W6KME @dsacer
I can kinda tell by where my sitbones hit. The time there was a saddle on sale for twenty bucks and I got one.... and in a week I ordered 3 more .... YEARS of comfort.
When I bought my first Real Bikeshop Bike I asked the guy what I should be mindful about for hurting on long rides. (I hadn't riddenmore than 10 miles. I had NO IDEA I would love long rides.) I'm thinking shoulders, back....
He stated, clinically, "be sure there is no saddle pressure on your soft vaginal tissues."
THe youngster mechanic nearby walked away fast ;P but dude, that was what I needed to know!
I can kinda tell by where my sitbones hit. The time there was a saddle on sale for twenty bucks and I got one.... and in a week I ordered 3 more .... YEARS of comfort.
When I bought my first Real Bikeshop Bike I asked the guy what I should be mindful about for hurting on long rides. (I hadn't riddenmore than 10 miles. I had NO IDEA I would love long rides.) I'm thinking shoulders, back....
He stated, clinically, "be sure there is no saddle pressure on your soft vaginal tissues."
THe youngster mechanic nearby walked away fast ;P but dude, that was what I needed to know!
@geonz @ai6yr @W6KME @dsacer Yeah, 80's saddles were like sitting on a coffeecan, I can't believe we did that. Modern ones with flares up to your sitbones with a nice valley in between for reduced pressure are heavenly. (This is in fact why I don't like Brooks as much as my titanium enema saddles, because they're excellent about avoiding unwanted contact.)
@smellsofbikes @ai6yr @W6KME @dsacer
I liked the Brooks that my friend got, didn't like, & gave to me, okay.... but I suspect I mold saddles to me.
I liked the Brooks that my friend got, didn't like, & gave to me, okay.... but I suspect I mold saddles to me.
@smellsofbikes @ai6yr @W6KME @dsacer (OK OK OK Now I really remember. It was a Selle Anatomica. Supposed to be as good as a Brooks :P :P It was a gift saddle, I didn't pay that much attention.)
@geonz fwiw i quite like Selle stuff.
@smellsofbikes Agree ;) So many seats, I just don't remember them all even though we were in imtimate contact.
@smellsofbikes I *think* I wore it out faster than I thought was worthy of its cost. I just don't do as many 50 + mile rides now. Mebbe when I actually retire :P
Darth Osler@smellsofbikes @W6KME @dsacer @ai6yr i tried that while skiing moguls once
My sit bones hit the saddle so hard my toque bounced off my head
PhilSalkie@smellsofbikes @W6KME @dsacer @ai6yr
I have a skinny little Quintana Roo saddle that I keep angled downwards so the only contact patch between me and saddle is my sit bones. I can ride on that all day, no soreness, no chafing, no pressure.
People look at it funny, but it works for me.
@dsacer The stems on my road bikes are all adjustable (to a degree). I notice the new Trek 1500 I have had them in the very lowest position, and I have now raised them up an inch... I suspect that will help. Probably too low so I was putting all my weight on my arms and stressing out my core, lol.