New rider with low back problems looking for bike recommendations

[novicerider]

I'm in the market for a bike. I would like to ride for exercise and with my family on the weekends. I have chronic low back pain. Any suggestions on which type of bike to look at? I'm overwhelmed by the choices and not sure which is the best position for the handle bars for someone with back problems. I've tested a variety of bikes (road, comfort, sport hybrid); not one stands out to me as a clear winner yet. I'm afraid I would have to test ride for a considerate period of time before I would feel the affects. Any suggestions?

[maxwell.bruce]

I was a pretty serious cyclist in college -- collegiate races, touring -- stopped in my early 20s due to a bad accident. When I tried to get back into it during my late 30s, I found that lower back problems prevented me from riding for more that 5-10 minutes without pain. Medically, I had two herniated disks which led to arthritis in the facet joints, then narrowing of the openings from which nerves exited the backbone on the sides (foraminal stenosis).

After trying several types of recumbents, I settled on a compact long wheelbase (CLWB) from Cannondale with shock absorbers at the rear swingarm and in the front fork. Total comfort. It's not fast, but it gets me out there with the family.

[masiman]

After trying several types of recumbents, I settled on a compact long wheelbase (CLWB) from Cannondale with shock absorbers at the rear swingarm and in the front fork. Total comfort. It's not fast, but it gets me out there with the family.

+1 on the recumbents. A neighbor has a bad back but gets out regularly on her recumbent. Sorry, but I do not know the make or model. It has a larger (26") rear wheel behind the backrest on the seat and a smaller (20"?) forward of the seat. The cranks are on a boom that are forward of the front wheel. I think steering is via sissy bars that come up to chest level.

[Sci-Fi]

If a recumbent is too far out for your taste, look at a crank forward bike. Cruiser bikes is another option and a lot of them come with more than one gear (up to 8-speed) so you can keep up or climb moderate hills. Breezer bikes are pretty good and comfy, http://www.breezerbikes.com/bikes.cfm , and their town models come equipped with just about everything. If there's a Fuji dealer near you, check out their line of hybrid, comfort, and cruiser bikes...often overlooked but solid comfy bikes. On the high end side, Koga-Miyata line of bikes, esp the Expression model with a Rohloff 14-speed hub, are something else.

[Longfemur]

You know, it's really hard to say. It's a very individual thing. There are some people with back problems who end up feeling best with their back moderately arched over the drop bars of a moderately fitted road bike. Then again, some might feel better on a recumbent. I don't know any ready-made solution except to try them out. Unfortunately, that's impossible to do with just a short trial run around the bike shop. Maybe you could rent several types of bikes to try them out. One thing I do know, is that few back problems are solved by riding a bicycle in a bolt upright position.

[Woodlark]

I too find an upright bike painful to my lower back. I have both a Crank Forward (Rans Fusion) and a couple of recumbents. The Crank Forward, while much better than an upright, still causes some lower back pain. To minimize the pain I had to change the handlebar riser to move the bars up and back so that I wasn't leaning forward as much. With the recumbents there is no lower back pain, however "recumbutt" (which is soreness or numbness in the derriere) can sometimes flare up. Many recumbents have adjustable seatback angles which may allow you to find just the right position for your comfort. As another responder said, the only way you are going to know for sure is to take a LONG test ride.

[littlewaywelt]

I've had back surgery twice. I know your pain. Really, the best thing you can do is go ride several styles of bikes and have the salesperson take the time to fit you to it. Generally speaking you'll probably do better with something that puts you relatively upright, but not completely. The saddle will also make a big difference. A road bike would probably be too much. You might ask them to put the bike on a trainer so you could pedal it for 30 minutes to see how it feels. If you explain your situation, I suspect a decent shop will work to accomodate you.

[bkaapcke]

Trek 7200, 7300 and 7500 hybrids are nice bikes and a good value for the money. They have a relatively upright position and should help. There are similar bikes made by others, but I mention these because friends have them and are really happy with them. We're all over 50 and the days of leaning forward while riding are over.
Also, consider a LWB recumbent. They are more expensive but the comfort is hard to match. I ride a Sun EZ Sport and love it. No more low back, shoulder or neck pain. The Sun Koolback actually has some lumbar support which really makes a difference. bk

[bemoore]

I have scoliosis and have had two operations to treat it. Consequently, I've had back problems all my life. I find that a touring style bike works best for me. The bars are drop style and they're about even with the seat, as opposed to being lower than the seat as on a typical road bike. I find that shifting some of the weight from my saddle to my hands to be helpful. I also like being able to change positions between the drops, the hoods and the flat section on top. I have a Trek 1000C. It has a suspension seat post, which also helps ease the fatigue on my back.

[B0rn2pedal]

As someone who also has scoliosis and back surgery, I too "feel your pain". Finally, what I discovered was that all along I was riding bikes that just were not the right size for me! I don't like the way a recumbent bike feels (just cannot get past the feeling that I don't have enough power with my legs while in a sitting back position). I'm 5'2". Finally, I went to REI and they let me ride (really ride) several bikes, and I discovered I needed a much smaller frame than I had been using. Now, I ride a Novara Safari (I can switch positions on the handle bars) and I could not be happier!

Also, the key for me was being able to switch from a "low" forward riding position to a more upright, casual position, whenever I get too stiff. The Safari has a unique handlebar that allows the rider to choose the position of the hands.

Hope this helps!

Mary

[openclassmx]

I have a herniated disc (L-5) that gives me intermittent moderate-to-serious pain. I ride a Trek 2100 with no ill effects. I don't have any idea why; I would have thought it would aggravate my back but it never has.

[RussB]

It also depends on how severe your back pain is and what type of motion aggrevates it. Like a few of the others, I had spinal surgery for scoliosis. I had 70% of my spine fused together in 1975. I also have a bulging disk in my lower back from hitting a moose on the highway (in my car) and a slip & fall on ice in my driveway. When I decided to get a bike for the exercise, I got a Gary fisher Zebrano. This is a hybrid with shocks in the front forks and seatpost. After a year I found that cycling did NOT aggrevate my back condition nearly as much as I thought it would. Now I ride a Trek Pilot 2.1 spa. This bike has a little more give on the back wheel than most bikes. But it works good for me.