Is it worth it to get a bike fit?

[Diggy18]

Reason for asking:
Chronic fatigue/discomfort in lower back.


I've been riding regularly for the past 7 months, maybe 10~12 hours a week. Often after a 3 hour ride, it will get stiff once I get off the back and sit in a chair. Then it's stiff for the next 30~48 hours. The thing is, since I'm new to biking, I have no idea if it's normal for my back to be worn out and thus no amount of fitting will alleviate the problem, or if it's something that will drastically improve with a fit. I mean, my legs are tired too, after a long ride. That's normal. But on the other hand I do see a lot of posts that say pain is not normal.

I also do all my climbing in the saddle, which I read can tire your back more. Maybe that's part of the prob??

So how tired does your back get after a long ride? Or are your legs the only thing worn out?

[pearcem]

i find that my back can be a little tired or stiff, but if it's chronic i would get a good fit, and if it doesn't go away, ask another shop, bike fit expert, or even go to the doctor if it's bad enough. a good fit is well worth the money. my back and shoulders were really sore for the first couple of weeks of road riding, but then it went away. like i said, every now and then it will get sore, but it's pretty rare, and it only happens on longer rides. on a side not, you should stand some when you climb. ultimatley, do what works best for you but standing will work some different muscles and allow you to stretch out some, so you should at least stand every now and then. just my 2 cents. but a bike fit is a good place to start. did you buy the bike from a LBS? if so, did they fit you at all when you bought it?

[Diggy18]

i find that my back can be a little tired or stiff, but if it's chronic i would get a good fit, and if it doesn't go away, ask another shop, bike fit expert, or even go to the doctor if it's bad enough. a good fit is well worth the money. my back and shoulders were really sore for the first couple of weeks of road riding, but then it went away. like i said, every now and then it will get sore, but it's pretty rare, and it only happens on longer rides. on a side not, you should stand some when you climb. ultimatley, do what works best for you but standing will work some different muscles and allow you to stretch out some, so you should at least stand every now and then. just my 2 cents. but a bike fit is a good place to start. did you buy the bike from a LBS? if so, did they fit you at all when you bought it?

Well, I got it at Dick's Sporting Goods, and there was no fit done except the generic standover. I just felt like I would be a poseur or a pansy for getting a fit. Plus the fit and adjustments are likely to cost half as much as the bike itself.

Just curious, Pearcem, how much of your climbing do you do out of the saddle?

[HigherGround]

If the pain is lasting more than 24 hours, it could be a sign that the bike is not properly fit to you (which it probably isn't based on what you said about the service at Dick's), you could be increasing your mileage/intensity too quickly, or you could be having some problems with flexibility. Getting the proper fit will happen over time through trial and error, but a good shop can definitely cut down on that learning curve. Bicycling is kind of a funky sport in the sense that you are locked in to a relatively limited position and range of motion that is highly repetitive. Therefore, any small errors in your position can really add up over time to create a bigger problem. I have found that the biggest help in avoiding over use injuries has been to get my position on the bike checked by a pro, increasing my mileage and intensity gradually, and stretching daily (a tremendous help). Good luck!

[Diggy18]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure the fit's not quite right for long rides. But until now I figured I could tweak it as needed, but whoo-hee that are a lot of different variables. Too many for me, and I haven't gotten it perfect yet in 7 months.

[sbeatonNJ]

If its persistent pain than get fiddle around with the fitting. IMHO, people make too big of a deal over fit. If its comfortable its good and no magic formula or machine can tell you what is right. Plus, I have seen literature for certain fitting devices and the main selling point to the LBS is that its another service they can charge for and they should jack up their prices because they are a fitting facility. Just play around with your bike until you find a sweet spot than mark it or write it down.

[pearcem]

i actually try to stay in the saddle as often as i can, but if there is a short steep spurt and i don't wanna gear down, or if i am chasing another rider, i stand up. if it is a longer climb, i spend most of my time seated and crank a higher cadence in a low gear. if the climb is shorter, i will stay in a higher gear and stand up and really try to push the bigger gear. when you stand, you normally make more power, but it tires (sp?) you out faster, so it is much less efficient on long climbs.

[skydive69]

Reason for asking:
Chronic fatigue/discomfort in lower back.


I've been riding regularly for the past 7 months, maybe 10~12 hours a week. Often after a 3 hour ride, it will get stiff once I get off the back and sit in a chair. Then it's stiff for the next 30~48 hours. The thing is, since I'm new to biking, I have no idea if it's normal for my back to be worn out and thus no amount of fitting will alleviate the problem, or if it's something that will drastically improve with a fit. I mean, my legs are tired too, after a long ride. That's normal. But on the other hand I do see a lot of posts that say pain is not normal.

I also do all my climbing in the saddle, which I read can tire your back more. Maybe that's part of the prob??

So how tired does your back get after a long ride? Or are your legs the only thing worn out?

Yes, I know many cases of even experienced bikers (for example, one who had done the Hawaiian Ironman) who alleviated their pain through a professional (read: not the BS typical LBS fitting). I received a professional bike fitting for xmas. It was about an hour and a half procedure. The final settings were drastically different than the LBS ones. My seat is much higher and farther forward. I have a new stem with much less rise, my right cleat got a shim due to leg length discrepancy. I could not believe the video of me pedaling when I arrived versus the video of me after the incredibly thorough fitting. I got rid of my knee pain, and cycled the most mileage ever this week sans pain. I am much more powerful in my sprints. The Ironman participant I alluded to earlier arrived with all kinds of pains that were gone within the first week after being fitted. People fly in from around the country to be fitted at this place, which happens to be Florida Bicycle Sports in St. Petersburg, FL.