tntom

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.

knotty

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

Jet Travis

+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.

BSLeVan

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.

waffenschmidt

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

Digital Gee

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.

Red Baron

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.

tntom

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.

tsl

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.

stapfam

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

Neil_B

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.

RalphP

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

tntom

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

Bluetail

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.

soma5

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

DnvrFox

Be sure you aren't wearing a helmet visor.

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

Tom Bombadil

I have nothing to contribute to this thread.

DnvrFox

But you will. I gguuuaaarrraaannnttteee it!

tntom

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

maddmaxx 

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.

tntom

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.

cheeseflavor

+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

Tom Bombadil

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

maddmaxx 

alright!

Digital Gee

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.