Touring - Exhausted!! -> Neck & Shoulder Pain

Only had my bike 4 days and have just got back from cycling 42 miles in 3hrs and 10 mins!

I'm finding that whilst cycling and after I'm getting very aching shoulders and back of the neck pain! Is this normal and should it go with time?

Originally posted by Brooky
Only had my bike 4 days and have just got back from cycling 42 miles in 3hrs and 10 mins!

I'm finding that whilst cycling and after I'm getting very aching shoulders and back of the neck pain! Is this normal and should it go with time?

Is this your first bike in a while or a new bike, and you have done a lot of cycling previously on another bike?

Is your new bike a mtn bike, hybrid, road bike or ???

If this is your first excursion into biking for a while, and you did 42 miles on your 4th day, 1) congratulations, that is quite remarkable; and 2), YES you are going to have all sorts of pains to start with, and yes, they will most likely go away. If they don't, have your bike adjusted, but most likely they will.

Give your body a chance to rest. You are giving your body a real change and sressing it a lot. Take it easy, most folks start out with 10-15 mile rides.

Good luck

Yeah its my first bike about nine years, a 2nd Dawes Galaxy Touring Bike. I haven't done sport for years either. Think I may be stiff tommorow! :lol:

Problem is that I'm setting off on a 1000 mile tour in 2 weeks. I feel that I need to push myself a bit. We have about 3-4 weeks max to do it! I don't want to be the one holding everyone up. I'd rather that be someone else!

Are you feeling a lot of pressure on your hands as well?

1000miles of loaded touring in 14 days is a tight scedule if you havent done it before. You will probably need to take a rest day after a week.
The limiting factor for long rides is usually comfort, not fitness.
2 weeks is adaquate to get some miles in, but its better to start with 20s than 40s. Use your bike to do all your local transport/shopping trips etc. Lots of small rides soon add up.

Dont forget to try some rides fully loaded, and maybe camping in your garden, to test your equipment

I think you misunderstood the tour is for 3-4 weeks not 2 weeks. We are leaving in two weeks. Sorry, i worded it badly. My hands are fine, I have some Nimrod cheap fingerless glove wich seem fine.

I've done over 130 miles on my bike now in approximately 2 weeks and am still getting pain in the back of my neck and shoulders. Do you think this is a worry as I'm setting off on 1000 mile tour on Sunday?

The pain goes after an hour or two rest though!?! :rolleyes:

I used to get that pain also. You can reach around with one hand and press hard
near the vertabrae and feel "fire"? Then it feels SO good when you quit? I don't
know what that is. It quit after a couple of years (sorry). Extended rides seemed
to bring that out. Hurts like the devil and is very uncomfortable, but it's not a show-stopper.
At least not for me, just ride through it.

1) where's the tour?

2) say it's 4 weeks - 30 into 1000 is only abt 35 miles a day - thats doable I guess.

Not the leading authority, but I wouldnt go crazy now with the training - you will gain fitness along the way. your only advantage over your team can be in weight - take less than 5kg bags included. get the fitter guys to take soap, sunscreen, shampoo etc etc

oh - one decent thing I discovered wouldve been nice to take is heat rub/tiger balm

best of luck

You might be scrunching your shoulders up towards your ears and towards the back. I see alot of people on road bikes doing that while leaning forward. You can lean forward without putting all that tension in your shoulders. Try to think that someone has their hands on your shoulders and is pushing down slighty. That might keep them in their sockets. Then at the same time, 'pull' out of the top your head so your back is long. It's like your shoulders and the top of your head are trying to get away from each other. And don't let the pressure of your hands on the handle bars push your shoulder blades back towards each other creating that 'pinch' at the top of your back. Geeze..I sound like a yoga instructor huh? It might take a little muscling to do this at first, but try to relax into it. It helps alot (off the bike, too). I have some serious neck & shoulder tension too. And you can adjust this to suit whatever the 'correct' riding position is. I tihnk this is another one I'd have to take a picture of to really make sense....
Hope it helps :)
Nat

Thats sounds very helpful thanks. I shall try it. I have attached a picture of myself (looking very sexy) - Yeah I know cos I'm out of focus !! :D

Does the bike look too big for me?

Right off I see no elbow flex. Do you relax and flex your elbows and keep your hands loose? Your hands seem really tight around the bars.

I don't think I ever flex my elbows much. Hands are quite loose at times. Find myself cycling quite a lot with my hands close together at the top of the handlebars.

If this strech is to long for me I've been told that I can buy an adapter to bring the curl bars up and closer to my body. I think the frame is 56cm. The largest Dawes Galaxy size frame available.

I need to sort this quick as I've cycled 140 miles on it so far and am off on my 1000mile tour on Sunday!! :eek:

Originally posted by Brooky
I don't think I ever flex my elbows much. Hands are quite loose at times. Find myself cycling quite a lot with my hands close together at the top of the handlebars.

If this strech is to long for me I've been told that I can buy an adapter to bring the curl bars up and closer to my body. I think the frame is 56cm. The largest Dawes Galaxy size frame available.

I need to sort this quick as I've cycled 140 miles on it so far and am off on my 1000mile tour on Sunday!! :eek:

I am no expert on fit, and others will be much more helpful. But, I always have been told, and follow the practice, of flexing my elbows and remaining loose in those areas. I would suppose that keeping elbows locked or near locked would put tremendous pressures on your upper back and shoulders, simply through the tension.

As for relief, is it possible to simply flex your elbows more in your current position? Or, IMHO, you need to go to a good LBS and pay some money to get the bike fit properly.

Think I'm gona have to take my bike to a decent shop nearby tomorrow. I'm very typical of my family and have long legs and short upperbody. This means that the frame must be too long horizontally. Darn! Bike seemed ok when I bought it because the one inch rule between your crotch and top bar was just about ok.

This means that the frame must be too long horizontally. Darn! Bike seemed ok when I bought it because the one inch rule between your crotch and top bar was just about ok

Sadly, that is the LEAST important fit measurement. There may be some things that can be done about moving the seat forward or back and adjusting the bars, though.

Ok, I have loosened the seat and have slid it as far forward as it can go (about 1/2 an inch). Do you think I should raise the stem up aswell? Should I purchase a new stem which is closer to my body (horizontally)?

Originally posted by Brooky
Ok, I have loosened the seat and have slid it as far forward as it can go (about 1/2 an inch). Do you think I should raise the stem up aswell? Should I purchase a new stem which is closer to my body (horizontally)?

As I said I am no expert in fit. When you move the seat you change the angle between body, legs and the pedals, which is also important. I again suggest you go to a good LBS for a proper fit, and stop messing with things about which you do not have a deep understanding.

Right well I'm gona cycle to a good local shop which have been great so far. They originally recommended a Dawes Galaxy of the next size down from the one I bought (second hand half the price and immaculate). Most of their bikes are £500 up and they seem to know what they're talking about. Fingers crossed, it will be sorted, only really have tomorrow to get this sorted out!! :crash:

Brooky

From the photo I'd say the saddle needs to go up a touch, the general rule is with the peddle in line with the seat post you should be able to have your heel (in shoes) on the lower peddle and your leg basically straight (remembering everyone has one leg shorter that the other)

Basically your hips should not 'rock' from side to side when riding (seat too high), but you should be be able to straighten your lower leg (if not then seat to low)

With my new bike it took me a good hour and 5 miles or riding, stopping every couple of hundred yards to make ajustments to get the seat height right, and that was only moving it up and down by less than an inch

Broonky

Here are 2 thoughts from your picture:
1. Try raising the stem so the top of the hadlebar is at least level with the seat or higher. This will raise your shoulders and lower the angle betwen the haed and back.
2. Try keeping ypur head lower, not raising it as much. See if this removes the pain.

Seems your head is at a steep angle to your back and your neck is taking the force.

John Hawrylak
Woodstown NJ

Originally posted by jhawrylak
Broonky

Here are 2 thoughts from your picture:
1. Try raising the stem so the top of the hadlebar is at least level with the seat or higher. This will raise your shoulders and lower the angle betwen the haed and back.
2. Try keeping ypur head lower, not raising it as much. See if this removes the pain.

Seems your head is at a steep angle to your back and your neck is taking the force.

John Hawrylak
Woodstown NJ

Brooky was supposed to leave on his extensive tour the day after I suggested that he get himself to a good LBS for a proper fitting.

So, perhaps he will post upon his return and we can find out whether or not the LBS was successful and what he did.

Unless he has internet access, your suggestions right now are falling on deaf ears!!

Another life saver will be to get some clipless pedals and shoes. They aren't cheap but believe me if you are going to ride every day for 4 weeks you will need them. Sneakers have too much flex and after a few days the rubber gets softer and softer, causing strain on the bottom of your feet. Clipless shoes have a hard plastic base that doesn't flex and are better for pedalling also.

CHEERS.

Mark

Has he left already..... Damn I hope he bought some clipless pedals and shoes.

My feet ache just thinking about riding in sneakers.

CHEERS.

Mark

Right I'm back now!! Had a fantastic tour from Halifax to Montpellier in the South of France. Total trip distance, just under 1000 miles (approx 980 to be precise)

Every day I told my 5 other fiends that I was not gona get a puncture on the whole trip and guese what?!??!? I didn't!! HAHAHAHA :lol: Out of 13 punctures between 6 of us one of my friends got 10! :roflmao:

As far as my neck and shoulder pain was concerned, it was hell!! After about 5 miles it felt like someone was sticking a knife into my shoulders!! It got so bad after a while the pain turned into more of a pins and needles feeling, which was odd. Also by about 700 miles I developed painful knees and found it difficult to walk down the stair. They still get quite sore after going up and down stairs, and shoulders sometimes ach a bit.

Nevermind though, cycles 1000 miles in 21 days which I think is an average of 50 miles per day and we only had about 3 days off. The longest trip was 78 miles in one day. We were all astonished that even after that distance we were not that tired!!! :eek:

Never been so fit in my life but havent lost my beer belly!! Literally gutted!! :mad: Also raised about $6000 between us £4000+ I think.

Thanks for all the help and advice from this site it was so usefull!!

One word of advice though, make 100% sure that the bike you tour with fits perfectly!!!!!!! It would have saved me 21 days of soreness!

Originally posted by Brooky
Also by about 700 miles I developed painful knees and found it difficult to walk down the stair. They still get quite sore after going up and down stairs, and shoulders sometimes ach a bit.
I have the same problem with my knee!!!! It was really really bad for me though. I think it was the climbs & hills that got to me after 11 hours of riding.

Here's the link (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?s=&postid=115038#post115038) to my story if you're interested.

Was definitely hills that did it!! Much more pressure and wear. Many of my friends found a knee support really useful.

Only had my bike 4 days and have just got back from cycling 42 miles in 3hrs and 10 mins!

I'm finding that whilst cycling and after I'm getting very aching shoulders and back of the neck pain! Is this normal and should it go with time?
From a yank:

It doesn't matter what kind of bike it is: Racer - Mountain - Hybrid - Feather-weight Graphite Composite - Level - Hilly Terrain; if the seat isn't adjusted right (tilted too far forward) and you are right-hand dominant (i.e.: use a computer mouse with your right hand arm suspended from shoulder-to-desktop), you're gonna have some big time pain problems I just figured out wasn't the insidious precursor to a heart attack at all. Leaning forward on the handlebars ramping up five miles or more combined with the oscillations of bumps (mere stones and acorns) that transmit up through the front forks is going to have you up all night sitting on the edge of your bed eating handfuls of Ibuprofin tablets not feeling at all like making love to your honey!

I get that when I haven;t cycled long distances in a while, or if I'm riding low, road bike fashion. I think it's just the constant strain on the muscles of keeping your head up. It should go, as the muscles get used to it.
I also used to get it when pushing a bike up steep hills for long periods of time. Again, just muscles unused to keeping the head in that chin up position for long periods of time.

This thread is EIGHT years old - a new record?

http://knowyourmeme.com/i/28434/original/thread_necromancer.png?1259372531

Sounds like a record to me!:eek:

Only had my bike 4 days and have just got back from cycling 42 miles in 3hrs and 10 mins!

I'm finding that whilst cycling and after I'm getting very aching shoulders and back of the neck pain! Is this normal and should it go with time?

This is a good indication that your seat is not in the correct position or you have an incorrect stem length. Or it could be you've got the wrong frame size. Heck, it could simply be over doing it!

Check out page 363 in Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance book (3rd addition). He ought to know.

I'm so grateful my yank gallows humor was removed from the forum threads telling some poor guy...er...'bloke' that he probably has cancer. It's just that the pain is so bad in my right shoulder that to me, it's almost absurd to hear about somebody else's which is pretty much like standing between a hall of mirrors like Citizen Kane repeating 'Rosebud! Rosebud!' and isn't gonna do anybody any darn good 'cause it ain't gonna go away 'till it's good and ready.

I see many of you are from the UK. Here in Central Florida we have a jurassic-looking jungle ride near the Kennedy Spaceflight Center called 'Gemini Springs' park that's so enchantingly rich with tropical birds, reptiles, and wildlife that one does ten-mile end-to-end 'laps' where you'll see a different serpent, reptile, or mammal on each leg of your trek (oddly enough lots of tortoises and hares). In the US, this shoulder pain stuff also comes from the left side drivers side of our Jeeps, cars and pickup trucks where we yanks, practicing the unconscious habit of leaning one's elbow on the center console, find that automakers all over the world never install enough cushiness in its padding where the oscillations of the road communicate up where the rubber meets the road through the vehicle's chassis suspension - to the armrest - into the elbow - and up into the shoulder...OW-W-W-W-W-W-W-WWWW. I'm wondering if you guys...er...'blokes' might get that same painful sensation in your left shoulders from driving long distances on that tiny island of yours?

I used to get that pain also. You can reach around with one hand and press hard
near the vertabrae and feel "fire"? Then it feels SO good when you quit? I don't
know what that is. It quit after a couple of years (sorry). Extended rides seemed
to bring that out. Hurts like the devil and is very uncomfortable, but it's not a show-stopper.
At least not for me, just ride through it.

i get neck pain also, but i'm new to serious riding and i only do 10 to 15 miles daily. your advice is both encouraging and discouraging, at once. i'll keep on riding for a couple of years and hope my neck gets stronger. any off-bike exercises that can help the process?

This thread is EIGHT years old - a new record?

whaat? nuts. i must have been 16 then...