I have my Cannondale Synapse dialed in pretty good. I have 2500 miles on it so far and its pretty darn good.
I can do my morning training rides (20 miles) and my longer group rides on the weekends (50 to 100 mlles) with no pain or discomfort. I'm happy with that

My only issue and question is....when I get done with a ride and am just warming down, sitting more upright my upper shoulder/ base of neck starts hurting..getting tight. Or if I go for a Easy ride with my wife I get sore in the same area. I have to really make sure I stay down and elbows bent. Here is a photo of the area that gets tight.

I am hesitant to change anything because its so good on my other rides ..... but just wondering what would cause the soreness / tightness on these Easy rides ?

Thanks for any thoughts

https://goo.gl/photos/3PnM75rAZV97dkDs8

In the Shop here is the method, stand over the bike, ahead of the saddle..

1 hand on the bars, q1 hand on the seat, lift the bike straight up under you.

how far off the floor are the tires?

find another photo posting service that one never seems ton work, here..

It does seem odd, the opposite of what one would expect, that discomfort begins when you sit up, not when low over the bars. I've had a similar experience where my back is seemingly fine but caused discomfort when changing position. I am just guessing but your position on the bike is fine and the issue is with your neck or shoulder muscles.

Often first thing in the morning I have a stiff neck, just like yours at the base of the neck. If I run fingers along the vertebrae there, I can feel those neck bones pop into place and the stiffness is then gone. I attribute this to worn discs that need help finding their proper location. I hope your issue is as easy to solve.

2-3" off the ground

I have a new link to the photo also

For me, soreness in that area of the neck/shoulders is dependent on how much time I spend in the drops. And I think it's simply that I have to use those muscles a lot to pull my neck back far enough so I can see what is ahead of me.

I think it goes away somewhat the more frequent I ride in the drops, but typically I ride more upright with my hands on the top of the bar. Possibly a better fit might solve my issue, but I think it's more to do with the flexibility of my own head and neck and somewhat with my not-so-great upper body strength.

And I don't really notice it while I'm riding. It will usually be later after the ride that the soreness gets noticed.

I've suffered from that pain for years. I've recently found that the solution for me is to do pushups and overhead presses.

Relax your shoulder blades and concentrate on putting them in your back pockets. Straighten your back as much as possible. You may not be stretched out enough on the bike. A longer stem cured my shoulder problems.

I can agree with most all of this, but if most rides are comfortable then don't be quick to change stems.


Relax, bend your elbows. You can ride steady (not fast) in a lower position, don't mash. Locked arms when upright is fairly common, which can lead to sore shoulders.

I find easy rides with slower groups to be painful, in more than one way. Maybe you too?, @MBurke. Different bikes for different purposes, N+1 = slow ride bike. May I suggest a vintage city bike, w/ more upright or moustachy bars, hammered fenders, racks, leather bags, clips and straps. All that stuff to slow you down. Cycling is many things to many people, try a different side.

I think maybe bend your elbows some and let your arms cushion your ride to your neck. If you ride with straight elbows all the shocks go right to your neck

You changed a stem to achieve those puny changes? 4mm? Seriously? And the 10mm of drop could have been achieved by removing a spacer under the original stem. I think you are way overthinking all this. HTFU is what others are saying far more diplomatically than I.

I get that, too, when I'm riding a bike that doesn't have enough reach and drop in the handlebar. My back is used to a certain angle on a road bike, and if the handlebar forces me to sit higher than that, the lower back works against the arms and shoulders.

Try lowering the the handlebar.

When we've trained ourselves in a certain position, say you mostly ride only one bike and you ride it the same way almost all of the time, our bodies become efficient in that exact range of motion. That certain balance of weight and load. Any change-up and we can get tense somewhere, or fatigued in specific muscles, with aches and soreness. I've experienced it myself adding a bike with an appreciably different position. I've also felt some discomfort riding slow with my wife though mainly in the lower back and seat. When sitting up you also get a different angle for the load in your back, and that makes a difference. I prefer to ride my "slow" bike if we're going a few miles together, but I have no problem now on the "fast" bike with her.

If that's the case with you, changing the fit is not the solution. More time in the second, slow-poke position helps to acclimate, and I've found that moving around more in general helps my joints get used to different angles. At one time I found it helpful to constantly remind myself to relax in the shoulders and neck and to keep my arms looser. That definitely helped, maybe most of all.

Thanks for all the suggestions.....I made just a couple Small changes and its even better that before
Did a 93 mile ride the other day and it was comfortable all the way
and did my cool down this morning after my 20 mile morning ride and things are GOOD
Some times it doesn't hurt to make a change here and there....you can always go back if it doesn't work
I'm in good shape

Thanks for closing the thread properly.
Care to share what change(s) made the diff?

Well...like I mentioned before..my fit was pretty good, comfortable.
I changed my stem( I had one on hand)
I went from a:
6° up 100mm stem
to a
0° 100mm stem
It didn't change but just a few mm each way (reach & height/ lower) but I could tell the difference. I'm very happy with the changes.