When I ride for a long time my back hurts, could it be because my stem is long and the rise on my handle bars isn't very high? I got a 2003 Giant Iguana.

I accidentally posted twice so I changed this one. oops

Have you tried a shorter stem with a riser bar. If you are freeriding this is a preferred setup anyways as it gives better control of the front end and pushes your body back over the rear wheel (a real key to freeriding or dh).

I haven't ever tried either but I was wondering if it is worth my money to buy a short stem and riser bar.

I would give it a go. It worked for me. It also puts you in a more freeride position for doing wheelie drops etc..

I would start with a shorter stem. That will make a more dramatic change in the handling and feel of your bike. If you've only got a limited amount to spend, start there!

L8R

FreeRider05, I hope that you aren't doing anything too "freeridish" on your iguana...its not really meant for it. you could end up break your bike, or worse, your self...

I do some freeriding but not nothing extreme. Just little jumps in town and stuff. I do a lot of xc and trail riding stuff like the bike was ment for. I was just curious about the shorter stem for back pain. I might use the money for clipless pedals instead.

it might be your posture. you might want an experienced person to take a look at it so see if it can be improved...

All depends where the back hurts. High up around the shoulders and it could be that you have the bars too low, have to keep the neck up to look forward, hence the pain. Riser bars will help here, as will a shorter stem. Incidentally , do you also get numbness in the hands?, if you do, another pointer to too much weight too far forward and low. If the pain is lower back, could be too short a stem, leading to a rounded back, and hence pain.
I may be of the old school, But I don't see many bar ends in use nowadays. These are usefull to give a change of position on the bike,and do help a great deal on climbs, where you do want weight forward on the bars.

The pain is in my lower back. However, I did mess it up at work and it hasn't been right ever since either. So maybe it's something I'm gonna have to deal with.