Fifty Plus (50+) - Will this get better?

I have been riding a flat bar bike most of the time but now I have a road bike with brop bars. Had not been on it in 2 weeks. Today I road 25 HARD miles some big hills. My neck and shoulders got realy tired. Will I build them up as I ride? The LBS did a fit so I think that is fine. Just want to know that this will get better. I know I am not bike fit yet I have only ridden 500 miles altogether.

When I first started to ride, I had neck, upper arm and shoulder pain, just from the new position on a bike. It soon went away and what really helped it along was doing bench presses, bent over and upright rows. These weight workouts conditions the chest, shoulders, lats, triceps and traps.

knotty

+1 on weight workouts. Don't forget the lower back and abs, as well, which will help you in lots of ways, including in your ability to climb and in helping to avoid lower back injuries common to cyclists.

Most riders go through a period of neck and shoulder aches and pains. Yes, it can get better as you get stronger and as your position/fit gets dialed in. Also keep in mind that cold weather can make this more likely to occur. Strength training could, as already noted, help.

The soreness went away for me after a few weeks on a drop bar. No bench presses necessary. :D

Yep, it all gets better. I've had back issues and thought the drop bars were going to kill me at first. Now I even use the drops and find them rather fun.

I have been riding a flat bar bike most of the time but now I have a road bike with brop bars. Had not been on it in 2 weeks. Today I road 25 HARD miles some big hills. My neck and shoulders got realy tired. Will I build them up as I ride? The LBS did a fit so I think that is fine. Just want to know that this will get better. I know I am not bike fit yet I have only ridden 500 miles altogether.

Yep -- but only if you keep it going. Every time I begin time trial training using aero bars & ride say 10 miles for a few days a week, my neck gets so stiff and sore I can hardly look up.

Let me add this comment - watch out for numb awww- male member. Be sure your seat fits OK, I really try to sit further back on my bottom 'bones' which prevents blood flow restriction. Take a few breaks especially if you are going 25 miles. Be careful!!
I really be sure my seat position is correct as there is no forgiveness.

Let me add this comment - watch out for numb awww- male member. Be sure your seat fits OK, I really try to sit further back on my bottom 'bones' which prevents blood flow restriction. Take a few breaks especially if you are going 25 miles. Be careful!!I really be sure my seat position is correct as there is no forgiveness.Yes! The seat that came on my new Felt had no grove it like the seat on my Giant. I went to the specialized shop got measured and got me a alias 155. The seat fits good I can tell I am setting on my set bones.

It took me between two weeks and a month to get used to the position on drop bars for rides up to 50 miles or so. My neck and shoulders just weren't used to being in the at position for very long. Several months later I went to a fitter and we tweaked the front end a bit and that helped for longer distances.

I say this because no one else has mentioned it. If problems persist, go back to your fitter. Fitters are people too and subject to making mistakes or getting stuck just like the rest of us. There are also different styles of fit and methods of fitting. Maybe a different fit or method will work better for you. (That's why there are different styles and methods, because some things don't work the same for everyone.)

I seem to be fairly sensitive to bar rotation and brifter position. Bars rotated too low and my shoulders hurt. Too high and my wrists hurt. Same on the brifters. I need them rotated in further than is usual or fashionable. Otherwise my right wrist kills me after 7-10 miles.

Fitters just hate this. They want to see the levers pointing in a particular way and the bars rotated way up on a low stem. It's the current fashion, but it doesn't work for me. It will take a while fo ryou to figure out what works for you.

Easy way to start getting rid of neck and shoulder ache is to ride in the rain. In this weather condition- you have a tendency to drop the head a bit. OK- gives you a problem with vision but does ease the pain.

In other words- on a ride- move your head around a bit. Drop it occasionally to give a bit of rest- sit up on the top of the bars to change the shoulder position- and the neck. Get out of the saddle for a bit of a different position to rest the neck and shoulders and back------And if you have a visor on the helmet- take it off so you don't have to lift the head to look under it.

Most of us would have had this problem when we started out and even though I had been riding for a long time before I changed to riding with my head between the knees- it was the main reason why I raised the bars on my first road bike. 18 months later and I sometimes feel as though I am riding with my head below my knees but neck ache only comes in after a lot of miles and I forget to move the head around

It took me between two weeks and a month to get used to the position on drop bars for rides up to 50 miles or so. My neck and shoulders just weren't used to being in the at position for very long. Several months later I went to a fitter and we tweaked the front end a bit and that helped for longer distances.

I say this because no one else has mentioned it. If problems persist, go back to your fitter. Fitters are people too and subject to making mistakes or getting stuck just like the rest of us. There are also different styles of fit and methods of fitting. Maybe a different fit or method will work better for you. (That's why there are different styles and methods, because some things don't work the same for everyone.)

I seem to be fairly sensitive to bar rotation and brifter position. Bars rotated too low and my shoulders hurt. Too high and my wrists hurt. Same on the brifters. I need them rotated in further than is usual or fashionable. Otherwise my right wrist kills me after 7-10 miles.

Fitters just hate this. They want to see the levers pointing in a particular way and the bars rotated way up on a low stem. It's the current fashion, but it doesn't work for me. It will take a while for you to figure out what works for you.

I can't emphasize enough the importance of a proper fitting. I'm pretty much a structural disaster area, and it took multiple tries to get my bikes set up so I could ride with minimal pain.

Also, one thing to keep in mind that hasn't been mentioned so far is that the fit of your bike can change over time as your body changes. Now that I have the additional flexibility I've gained in a year's cycling, my Trek Navigator doesn't fit me as well as it did six months ago. I believe the OP stated elsewhere he's lost a lot of weight, so he might need to get the bike fitted again, or just make adjustments on his own.

If the height of the handlebars is slightly above the seat that helps quite a lot, I think.

My bars are just below my seat. I think I need to see my fitter and raise the stem a bit.

Back in August I, too, switched from a flat bar to drops, experienced pain and did just what you did: consult this forum!! The suggestions posters had were excellent--you've had some helpful replies, too--and i've been riding pain free after a couple of interventions: first, start with easy, low-mileage rides to allow your body to adjust to the new position; next, i swapped out the stem for a shorter, adjustable one and that made a huge difference in comfort level. But there's one factor no one's mentioned & one that i didn't consider until someone asked if i were wearing a visor on a particularly uncomfortable inaugural ride: do you have deep-set eyes? My Baltic heritage endowed me with eyes that are so deep set that I can look up & see my eyebrows and the whole side of my nose, and I think I have to compensate while biking by holding my head up a few significant millimeters more than someone who's 'normal.' It's like wearing a short-billed visor that can't be removed! So keep at it, do the exercises & make the adjustments; you'll be fine.

No weight training is necessary to get used to drop bars. However, weight training is good for folks our age. Our muscles atrophy faster than ever before and our bones need whatever help we can give them to retain calcium. I believe in the efficacy of weight training, independent of any effect on my cycling.

-soma5

Be sure you aren't wearing a helmet visor.

Practice tucking your chin in instead of tilting your head back.

I have nothing to contribute to this thread.

I have nothing to contribute to this thread.

But you will. I gguuuaaarrraaannnttteee it!

I have nothing to contribute to this thread.



I don't wear a visor. But I still want a nelmet like Tom's

I don't think that's a legal mass start helmet. Tom.....Tom.....no wonder you don't like drop bars.....you've got them on backwards.

I will be at the LBS when they open in the morning to get bars raised if I can. Then going riding. I will ask them if they can order a helmet like Tom's.

The soreness went away for me after a few weeks on a drop bar. No bench presses necessary. :D

+1

I had nothing but pain in the hands, arms, neck and shoulders for the first couple of years I rode. Then, I switched to a drop bar road bike and most of it went away. Strengthening excersises will help a lot too.

Steve

http://www.ccgarmory.com/mopypltimenh.html

alright! :D

I rode my flatbar road bike today, and experienced a few odd pains in my hands and knees. My regular road bike has become FAR more comfortable.

When I get on my Mt. bike I say what the #$%#. Seems so uncomfortable after being on a drop bar bike so much. So many more positions for your hands on a drop bar. As you ride move from upper to drops and to the hoods. Less pain will result.

I have trekking bars on one bike and road bars on the other, but I kept the measurements the same on both bikes and they are both doing the trick. Good luck and I think if you keep using it, you will get use to them.

I have nothing to contribute to this thread.
+1.

One approach to dealing with cycling comfort and fit issues and, also, to decrease the number of painful discussions of pain and discomfort:

http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z284/JanMM/backbent.jpg

I have nothing to contribute to this thread.

+1

I have trekking bars on one bike and road bars on the other, but I kept the measurements the same on both bikes and they are both doing the trick. Good luck and I think if you keep using it, you will get use to them.

George here is a good reference on the subject. He couldn't ride drop bars for a long time. But he worked and worked at it and now is comfortable on a drop bar road bike. Maybe you should post a pic of how your road bike is set up, George.

George here is a good reference on the subject. He couldn't ride drop bars for a long time. But he worked and worked at it and now is comfortable on a drop bar road bike. Maybe you should post a pic of how your road bike is set up, George.

And perhaps Tom could do the same to see if there are any startling errors on set up.

I've been using the cork type (cushy) handlebar tape on the road bike for about 6 yrs now. Hope I never have to go back.

Went to the LBS today glad I did. Had to order a stem should be in thursday. Going to move the hoods back a little and the stem will move up a little. We put it on the fit jig to end up with this fix. But while he was working on my bike he moved the crank and What is wrong it is way to stiff. I tried it and MAN! That thing is way stiff. No wander I was so tired after 25 miles of hills. You would think I would have noticed it. He is going to check it out when he does the stem. It is under warranty so I am glad I took it in. Thanks for all the help even the ones that had nothing to add.

Great tip! It really helped.