Originally Posted by Cleave
Hi,
I guess that my irrational fear may not be so irrational after all.
I keep thinking that I will wake up on the morning of my 50th birthday (a few months away) and I will not be able to ride in my normal, somewhat aero position.
When I started racing in the 1970s, we would push our stems as far into the steerer tube a possible. We also used deep drop bars to get as low as possible while in the drops. Now I'm not the most flexible 49 year-old in the world, but I have been racing fairly consistently since I started and I have rarely had any back pain. My theory is that being bent over (assuming you are flexible enough and that your core muscles are reasonably strong) puts less pressure and force on the discs in your back than sitting upright.
In my particular case, I have a short neck and it is hard for me to raise my head high enough to see forward with today's helmets (no problems in the leather hairnet days), so I do spend a lot of time on the hoods vs. the drops, but my hoods are as low as the drops on other's bikes.
Anyway, having a reasonably good, aero position is important to me and I know that over time I will not be able to achieve it. Hopefully, back pain will not be the reason why I have to be more upright.
I didn't say everyone. But some people do have problems. My friend is one of them. He specifically had to stop racing because of the permanent damage done to his neck. Damage that would not have been there if he hadn't raced at all. He rides a more upright position now, and has luckily not caused any further damage.
In many ways I'm like you, I tend to hurt my back more just doing manual labor, and chores around the house more than riding. Riding on many ocassions actually stretches things out and helps a bit, but not always. My case may not be for everyone. It is a matter of known fact that bending over alot is more detrimentel in the long run, than standing upright all day. Especially when you are applying any kind of stress. That's why it is best to bend your knees when lifting something, instead of at the waist. The mere act of applying an angular pinching pressure to the lower discs as result, is an environment which leads to a higher incidence of lower back injury.