Dull pain in upper back
 

Hi all. Last month my first road bike, and one true love, my beautiful Nishiki (and I) were victims of a hit and run. The frame was cracked and I had to scrap it and search for a new whip.

I recently found a sweet Giant Perigee but I can't quite get the fit right. My first instinct was that the frame was too small and I felt hunched over, but I switched out the stem for a longer one, and height wise (feet to pedal) the fit feels fine. I I try to keep my shoulders and neck relaxed, however I still get a slight ache in my upper back, between my shoulder blades, from riding it.

The Nishiki fit like a dream, I was always exceptionally comfortable on that bike, even during 100+ mile rides. No back problems or anything, so I'm trying to replicate that fit as much as I can.

Here is the Nishiki http://imgur.com/m4OeuJJ.jpg and here is the Perigee http://i.imgur.com/wgPpGwG.jpg.

I know that I don't have an aggressive fit at all, and I know the handlebars are a little wonky still on the Perigee (but they feel comfortable and I can't reach the brakes otherwise so I'm not worried about that for now)
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Help me figure out what to adjust, I just wanna bike all the time again.

In your photos, the Nishiki bars look just below the saddle and the bars themselves look tipped down a bit and the brake levers look plumb. In my own fitting and search for comfort, often a tiny bit of difference in heights or angles is all it takes. I make a small dot with a white-out pen on the bars or seat post or whatever I'm changing. Then if that change has not worked out, it is easy to get back to the previous position.

^Yes. Drop the bars on the Giant to where they were on the Nishiki. Similarly rotate the bars and move the levers so they are the same also.

Auuuugghh, dropped and rotated the bars, but still feeling tight in the upper back and neck area. Also, pretty sure I look like a gargoyle on this thing.

It seems whatever I do I'm still experiencing discomfort. Could this possibly be a result of not being on a road bike for a month? I don't seem to recall this pain when I first started out.

Thanks for all your help anyway

Did your doctor give you the once over after the accident?

The stem on the 'GIANT' looks to be longer than your old one. If you have the old one and it will fit swap them and see if it helps. Might be the reach for the two is quite different. Try measuring and matching the old to the new.

Your new bike looks to have a less aggressive position. This actually causes lower back pain for a lot of people because it doesn't allow you to "lay out" your back nice and flat on the bike. It looks like you need to lower the bars a few cm and tip the entire bar down to where the bottom of the drops are almost parallel to the floor. Your hands and elbows must be in a weird position grabbing those now. Also, if you loved your Nishiki, you would try to use the saddle off of it on the new bike. If you don't have it, try to find one. Finding the right saddle is harder than finding the right woman to marry. But once you find it, don't ever let it go. I worked for a manufacturer for 6 years and got to try hundred of saddles until I found the one I liked. And guess what, everyone else hates it, but it's right for me. That could be causing you problems too in how your weight is shifter towards the bars causing more pressure on your upper back. Make sure it is level or 1.5 degrees tilted down (put a book and a level on your saddle to check that).

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