BrazAd

Gang,


Summary: Bought a serious bike in mid-June, had a fit done about 250 miles later in mid-July. Now at 1,200 miles and the only issue I'm having is neck pain/discomfort on the right side after 20-30 miles, give or take.

Is this something that will get better with more riding time in the saddle? Or does it sound like a fit issue?

Note: About 2 months ago my right hand was tingling after 15-20 miles. My wife mentioned that my right arm is longer than my left and when I measured them, she was right (to my surprise!). So I talked to my fit guy and afterwards adjusted the right brake hood about 1/4" down the bar to allow for that.

The tingling is gone but the neck pain on the right side persists, again after 20+ miles.

Thoughts? Input?

Gary

Carbonfiberboy 

I'd suggest 2 things:
Read this thread: Riding Position Discovery

and do some dumbbell exercises: shrugs, lateral raises, front raises, rear raises, and seated presses - once or twice a week.

Oh, and always have bent elbows.

Iride01 

Probably what the previous post recommended as well as just getting used to the position is what is needed.

I did have some pain in my upper shoulders and lower neck that was because I had to hold my head up to much to see very far in front of me. Taking the visor off my helmet alleviated that.

WNCGoater

This following is specific to me.
I have arthritis in my neck, around C-7 which you can feel as that bony "knob" high between your shoulders. It can become excruciatingly painful on a long ride. What I've found is a lot of that is caused by posture. I have a tendency to lean into my arms, which causes shoulders to tense up and my head to jut forward. Thus I have to raise my head higher and that causes pain over time. Even though it feels my head is level, my torso is tilted forward and so to level my head, I am actually looking up.
Envision holding our heads in that position and then standing up. We'd be looking at the sky. How long can you stand looking up at the sky before you neck starts to hurt? That's what we do over a 2-3+ hour ride.
It is my understanding C-7 is connected to arm/hand function as well, dunno, but leaning too much into the arms, i.e. bearing weight on the bars causes numbness in my hands and arms and it is all connected to posture mentioned above.

I am currently experimenting with a stem riser for a more upright ride. But the best thing I have found is consciously being aware of pushing weight back off the bars, transferring it to the saddle, relaxing my shoulders in effect, dropping them (it helps me to pull my elbows inward) and making sure I am not jutting my head forward. This relieves a lot of stress in the hands, neck and shoulders for me. But I have to consciously do it.
One other thing is a regular shifting of position of the hands and standing to pedal at times. And occasionally get off the bike and stretch.

linberl

A couple things I noticed that were causing me neck pain, ymmv. First, my helmet had a visor which put me in a position that made me crane my neck to see better. Visor removed and much better comfort. Second, my helmet was actually kind of heavy so I got a lighter one and that helped as well. Finally, reminding myself to turn and look left and right often rather than just locking in on one position straight ahead made a huge difference. I would literally ride for hours not moving my position on my neck on straightaway rides - it's important to change positions =).

Carbonfiberboy 

All good. I was out on my rollers just now, thinking about your post. I ride the standard road position, slammed -17° stem, good reach, etc. Your comment about looking at the sky? It doesn't work that way. In the standard road position, one's torso will make a 40°-45° angle with the horizontal. Thus standing and staring at the sky, one would be looking at a point halfway between the horizon and overhead. That's what it should be like riding your bike - one mostly looks up with one's eyes, the head staying almost aligned with the torso.

Have another look at the "discovery" link in my post 2 and follow the links in that thread. Then get on your rollers or trainer and look at your position in a mirror. Is your back straight or nearly straight from the top of your shorts to midway up your shoulder blades? Would a straight edge put up your back also hit the back of your head? Proper back alignment when riding should be about the same as when deadlifting.

Iride01 

I think what you say might be true for many. But I my case it is quite like @WNCGoater described. I just can't get in a position with my head down and have the ability to see far in front of me. Maybe years of bad posture, old age and maybe even weak muscles in my eye sockets not letting me roll them up far enough.

So I can never be very "aero". My heads just going to poke up like a periscope into the air stream. It looks silly and I'm a little self conscious about it sometimes. I envy those that can have their head in front of them while they ride.

Removing my visor from the helmet did help quite a bit to letting me lower my head a bit to prevent strain. But I still probably look like a turtle with it's head poked up out of the water.

Andrey

I would recommend checking the fit again. Most people have their bikes set up with saddles too far forward and/or tilted down causing their bodies to slide forward and use the handlebar to stop the sliding. That tension is causing pain in the shoulder area and hands, especially on long rides.

I would recommend moving the saddle back and tilting it up slightly. The rider should sit on the bike bent in riding position on the saddle and pedals and not touching the handlebar comfortably. Then there will be no weight on the hands/shoulders and no pain.

Longer stems should also help to reduce shoulder pain.

WNCGoater

My point was IF I don't pay attention to posture while I'm on the bike, I have a tendency to lift and tighten my shoulders, and allow my head to jut forward. This requires me to lift my head too look ahead. That head position transferred to standing would put it in a position where one would be looking at the sky. That along with tightened up shoulders aggravates the arthritis in my neck. We can throw into the mix, leaning with too much weight on the hands, bending over i.e. arching the back vs. bending at the waist, etc.
What you are describing is true, and I have to constantly concentrate on maintaining a straight back bent at the waist with head aligned with spine and lifting my eyes rather than my head to look down the road.

And then there's that. I too have some posture issues brought about by 33 years bent at a jewelers bench. In spite of ergonomic chairs, low in position to a high bench, posture suffers and I believe it is the reason for the arthritis in my neck. Sometimes, age just doesn't allow some flexibility or certain positions, especially after the damage has been done.

Absolutely finding out about saddle position. Lower back pain is the other issue I have when riding. I have learned literally in the last few months I prefer slightly nose up on the saddle, and I do better with it farther back from the bars. Both of these adjustments have helped relieve lower back issues. And I've learned that LITERALLY 1/4" adjustment can make a big difference. I'm not there yet but constantly tweaking. I've started making notes of every adjustment and the results after a ride.
I've also learned I can ride almost anything for 30 miles. Usually after that is when fit issues start manifesting.


Back to the OP, one suggestion I would make is take some notes and make only one minor adjustment at a time. If for instance, you change saddle position fore/aft and saddle tilt, you won't really be able to evaluate what adjustment produced what result.


I kind of feel out of my element offering any type of "advice" to anyone. I'm constantly fiddling with fit, trying to hit the magic sweet spot and have little REAL experience. But the OP's neck pain comment resonated with me & so I thought I'd offer what little I do feel has worked for me.

Carbonfiberboy 

^Righto! When pilots are flying on instruments, they check their gauges in a particular order. When they finish one cycle, they begin the next. Their attention is constantly moving from one check to the next. Similarly on the bike, one develops a check list and just keeps at it, something like: ankles relaxed, knees over feet, pelvis rotated, back straight, shoulderblades dropped, neck relaxed, shoulders dropped, elbows bent, hand position safe, appropriate, and correct. Then: kick pedal forward, push down lightly, pull back at bottom, unweight coming up, drop ankle and push forward, then back to ankles relaxed . . . After a few thousand miles it gets more automatic and I only run the list maybe every 10 minutes now.