Advocacy & Safety - my back hurts!

i just started bicycling, although i used to when i was younger. Ive been riding for an hour or two hours everyday for the past couple weeks, but now my back is killing me. i've always had back issues. it hurts on my spine, right in the middle where i bend forward while biking. am i doing something wrong? could my bike be the wrong size or maybe do i need to just adjust something on my bike? thanks guys.

Well, you might need to adjust something, but it's impossible for anyone to help without knowing at least what type of bike you're riding and how it's set up right now. A side picture of you on the bike would help if you have one. You could be riding too upright, or not upright enough, too stretched out or not stretched out enough, etc.

go to your LBS and have your bike fitted for you.

if you are riding a x-mart specail the limited adjustemnts may mean a new bike. This is also true if you just got the wrong sized bike.

Have the bike fitted.

I fell out of the car on the freeway as a toddler and have back problems my whole life. (Way before seat belts were installed in the rear seats of cars and car seats were just plastic buckets and optional.)

Cycling does wonders for my back. When I bike 12+ miles, I feel great and I rest well, etc. If I take even two days off from cycling, my back kills and I can hardly walk. I jump on a bike and 20 minutes later I feel great again!

:)