Originally Posted by aroundoz
Thanks for the advice and I you have motivated me to stretch more regularly siince I know I definitely lack in this area.
Again all I was speculating was more road viabration, a harsher ride as a result of wheels or frame, can affect joints including low back. Since the only thing that changed was my wheels, I was attributing the pain to them especially since I was feeling the road more. About the only thing I did learn in college was correlation does not imply causation so I better focus on the stretching.
Dr. Pete, I was doing (Ashtanga Yoga) but switched to Pilates. Do you think one is better than the other?
Well, I'm not Dr. Pete, but I am trained as a yoga instructor, and have friends who are pilates instructors. Common wisdom is that pilates will build up your core strength better than yoga, but doesn't do nearly as good a job stretching out your back, and more importantly for cycling, your hamstrings. You can pick out people who are primarily pilates practitioners in an advanced yoga class pretty easily; they are the ones having trouble with forward bends, tight hips and hamstrings. Of course, they are also the ones cruising through the sequences working the abs. Note that a good position on a bike is a forward bend, and having flexible hip joints lets you get into a deeper drop and keep a straighter back while pedaling easily and powerfully.
Having said that, ashtanga is about the best flavor of yoga for building up core strength, though it does get kind of boring doing the same three primary sequences after a while. You might try doing a vinyasa class if you've got one in your area.