I say "road biking" because I've been biking for a long time now, just not with anything with drop bars

So, following the input of some of you wonderful individuals, I recently purchased a cross bike to meet my commuting needs (this one to be exact: https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/..._pro_ti_xi.htm)


Assembled it, tuned it up (and then had a lbs check on my job ). Small problem, though, which is this terrible pain in my lower back that's occurring after virtually no time riding at all (talking like 10 minutes into the ride).

Prior to riding it (and then again after) I read / watched videos about setting up saddle height, headset height, etc. etc. and thought I had things around where they should be (I attached a picture below...not sure if it's useful at all, but thought it couldn't hurt).

Following the first ride I brought the stem/handlebars up since I figured they might be too low (and since, at least as far as I can tell, my seat height is about where it should be). This didn't really help though (maybe a little).

I don't feel as if I'm resting all my weight on my palms, and there's virtually no strain in my neck or shoulders. It may not be clear in the picture, but my arms definitely aren't locked out when I ride.

So, couple questions:

1. I'm assuming at least part of this is due to the fact that I've never ridden in this type of posture before. I mean, I'm in pretty good shape (core is decent), but still, how much of this could be simply a "lower back isn't used to this type of thing" issue? The only thing about that theory is that I would think fatigue / soreness would set in a lot slower (seriously talking about a mile or two into the ride, max).

2. In the same vein, how much could be due to not using proper posture? I've tried to read about how to properly ride posture wise, but again I've never really done this before so it's very possible I'm doing something wrong

3. How much could my actual saddle be contributing? I really kind of hate the saddle that came with the bike (super uncomfortable, and it seems likes it's too almost too long). I was planning on replacing it anyway, but I wanted to at least give this one a chance since I've read a number of posts about saddles being uncomfortable at first and then you getting used to them (after dropping $1700 on a bike I'm not super enthusiastic about spending more money at the moment).

I'm really tempted to go to the lbs and have them fit the bike for me, but again that's more money. I've never had lower back problems before, which is why I'm so surprised by this. After a short period of time riding though my back reminds me of the days when I was doing deadlifts improperly (if anyone does barbell lifting they probably know what I'm talking about). So if you guys have any suggestions I'm all ears

thanks

I have a few thoughts:

1. You're probably right that you need a new saddle. A poor saddle can turn a perfectly good bike into an instrument of torture.
2. Are you sure you have the right saddle height? You probably do, given what you mentioned in your post, but my own experience tells me that a difference of even a couple of cm can mean the difference between IT band agony and total comfort.
3. Maybe your handlebars are too low.
4. Go to a really good bike shop and get a professional fit. Yes, it's money out of pocket, and it seems silly to go through all of that Tour de France preciousness for a daily ride to your day job, but it's probably worth it, especially since you're experiencing pain in such a short period of time.

if it is saddle height would you guess too high or too low or just no way to tell?

In the long run I'm going to have the bike professionally fitted, but I'm not in my permanent residence currently. In about a month I have to disassemble the bike anyway and ship it back home when I head back to Chicago, so it doesn't seem to make sense to pay a ton of money to have it fitted just so I can take it apart.

Maybe I'll have the guys at the shop take a look and I'll test out some saddles and go from there.

not an LBS guy, nor do I know if it would help/hurt/or otherwise but the sadele looks a bit high to me... you might be reaching at the bottom of your pedal stroke and not really even know it... IMHO

Try moving the saddle a bit more forward (do it a little at a time). Make sure your sit bones are on the widest part of the saddle. Make sure the saddle is level. Ride it for a good 10mi or so, and see if the discomfort subsides/goes away.
I agree on trying different saddles too.

I don't know if it's worth switching the frameset for a Nashbar touring frameset but it looks to me like the angle is OK. Maybe you could ask your doctor to check your back.

Looking at your picture again, it seems to me that your bicycle's frame looks a bit small for you. I could be wrong about this, though. You probably already know this, but when your cranks are parallel to the ground, and you look at your forward shin bone, is it perpendicular to the ground? That is, is your knee above your pedal? I know this seems pedantic, but, again, even a seemingly minor maladjustment can have big consequences for your comfort and injury prevention.

You can also try flipping the stem up to get more upright. My first road bike I had lower back soreness which was caused by too much reach. I ended up putting a shorter stem and shorter reach bars to significantly shorten the reach from stock. Could just be the picture but you look fairly upright already. If your back isn't killing you though I would ride it for a week and see if it gets any better. I went through all sorts of aches and pains when I got a road bike that went away with time.

I assume you're talking about kops, right? I'm not actually sure since I think my interpretation of this idea was wrong. It's pretty likely that my knee is tracking slightly behind the pedal spindle when the pedal is horizontal to the ground.

Just out of curiosity, why would you say the frame looks small? Seat tube length seems right but do you think the toptube is too short? It is a CX frame, which will make it a bit more upright from my understanding than your typical road bike.

I'm not sure if flipping the stem would help in my case since it's already sloping up. I think I look more upright in the picture than when I'm actually riding because I'm trying to keep myself from falling over at the same time

Fit and saddle might be the issue but it might also be dehydration. I get terrible lower back pain when I don't drink enough.

your drop-bar specific musculature will develop over time.

- what he said...

Also, as ones front side diminshes (no offense intended) your back will be thankful as well. Finally, you never mentioned your height and the frame size. I though, don't believe it to be frame size. And, let's not overthink this. You're riding drops. It's new and different. Chances are with a minor change and more imprtantly adapting and strengthening you'll be fine.

I usually ride flat bars and I notice a huge difference when I ride a long ride on drops. I feel a lot happens in the triceps and other muscles when riding drops (angle and width of the bars is different.)

Thankfully, the cardio transfers.

Your seat looks a little high in your photo. Can you rest your heel on the pedal when sitting on the seat? That's a good starting point for seat height.

I sometimes get lower back pain after climbing a steep hill. I'm pushing hard on the pedals at a very low cadence.

Are you spinning easily, or pressing hard on the pedals?

From what I've read (not personal experience) lower back pain while riding a bicycle, tends to come from being in a too stretched out position, which means getting the saddle and handlebars closer to each other, either by shortening (less far forward, that is) and/or raising the stem, tilting the handlebars, and/or moving the saddle position forward.

Also, core exercises, to strengthen those muscles that support your torso when riding, aren't a bad idea even if you don't have any pains. Dead bugs for the back-friendly win!

Try all the suggestions here and ride it for awhile before making any major changes. The bike looks like its the right size.
Just make a few adjustments here and there.
Good luck!

I'm just under 5'10" (5'9.75" to be exact), frame size is 54cm, but anything taller with this frame would probably been too tall (again, b/c of how cross bikes are).

If I put my heel on the pedal my leg is straight at the bottom of the stroke (this is how I adjusted the seat height, as per some videos). Pedaling seems fine, although if I start spinning too fast my hips seems to rock side to side for some odd reason (never had that happen on a bike before).

But I'm going to try dropping the seat a bit to see if that helps. I also don't think I'm sitting quite in the right place on the actual saddle so I'm going to try adjusting that as well.



none taken, although not sure what you mean. maybe the picture is misleading? I'm 165lbs, and like I mentioned am in pretty good overall shape (including core, thanks mostly to squats and deadlifts lol).

not to disagree with you, but the bike obviously does, indicating you need more core strength.

also, FWIW, 5'10" and 165# isn't really bike-slender (over even remotely slender over here for a reasonably fit person).

Nor am I trying to be bike-slender...165lbs is where I should be around based on my overall fitness goals (sitting at 10-12% bf currently, aiming for below 10% over the next couple months without losing any significant weight). But that's neither here nor there...my workout routine already includes a significant amount of core work so if that really is the issue then it should be solved on its own with time.

Personally, I think 165# is OK for an average person. However, I would expect that 165# doesn't indicate bike fitness (1.9-2.5#/in), so I'm not surprised by the soreness (especially if it's new to you ... riding with drops.)

edit: I should also note that cycling with drops works out specific muscles that can't be worked out any other way, therefore, in essence, it's a process.

Ahhh, I remember going from a mountain bike frame for years to a road bike frame. I went through similar struggles with lower back pain and knee pain. The fit on a road bike is much MUCH more sensitive then just 'getting in the ballpark' with a mountain bike frame.

As others have mentioned, I would =suggest just riding it a little more. Your body will need to adjust to the new position and develop the necessary muscles. I would also work heavily on flexibility and core strength. That was key for me. The more I worked on stretching and core, the more natural my back felt bent over for longer periods. Especially on the more aggressive positions.

I'm also not a fan of KOPS. I used that approach and it never felt right - for me anyway. I have a short torso and long legs and Peter White's approach of achieving your balanced fore/aft position felt much better. I needed my seat farther back than what I would have with a proper KOPS setup.

https://www.peterwhitecycles.com/fitting.htm


Nice bike BTW! It's taking every bit of will power for me to resist buying a TI frame.

Unless my math is wrong 165/70 is within the range you're citing...

But I'm not disagreeing with what you're saying overall, I'm sure there's strengthening in my lower back that will come as a result of the switch that will ultimately help reduce any pain there. I'm just trying to make sure it's not a mix of both conditioning and fit since the fit issue obviously isn't going away.

@CXT, thanks for the read I'll have a look

I have to agree. Squats and deadlifts strengthen the wrong kind of core muscles, (and they take a toll on the health of your backbone). The muscles that support your back and give you stability while riding, are the transverse abdominals, which don't have anything to do with the "washboard" abdominal muscles. Dead bugs and planking are good exercises for the proper core muscles while not putting added strain on an already sore back...

Your saddle looks like it might be higher than the handlebars which is not for everyone. For $23 you might want to try an experiment: https://www.universalcycles.com/shopp...5&category=628
Try 110 mm at 125 degrees or you could look at the site and get an adjustable stem. Try a few positions and then when you find what you like buy a fixed.

(or just get a fitting and do it right the first time)

EDIT
Took another look at the picture (after original post) and think that if you go to 125 degrees you will need a substantially longer stem to keep your hands from moving too close to your body. Anyway - the idea is to try another stem that will raise your hands keeping them in roughly the same position relative to horizontal distance from the seat.

Planks are already a part of my core workout (one of the main parts actually), but I had never heard of dead bugs before. Look good, so I'll try incorporating them.

Not going to get into an argument about the usefulness of squats and deadlifts here, other than to say that done properly they do not pose a health risk...