Low Back Pain
 

I recently changed my wheels out. I was using Campy Protons which are low profile and now have Velocity Aeroheads which are deeper but nothing like a cxp33, for example. Never had a problem w/ low back pain and when I did, cycling would work the kinks out. I definitely feel the road more now and wonder if the wheels are causing the back pain....or am I just getting old?

hmm you're getting old :P joking... are the wheel the same size and height as your previ ones? new say the rear size is larger than the front and forcing some extra weigh on your back or a slight amount of forward body lean. if not the size perhaps how the old tires mount compared to the new... wonder if that made sense or even possible?

the wheels?


...


are you serious?

my low spoke count bontrager race areo lite's are a bit stiffer then my mavic elite's but not in the order of magnitude to affect back pain. Same tires???? if so try lowering your PSI's by 5 or 10 if you're running them medium to high right now, if you went to a smaller or different set of tires then that might be part of the difference. the smaller a tire, the harsher the ride generally speaking.

Do some yoga. Seriously.

Did you change tires as well?

Stretching and workout your core muscles.

did you guys just blame the wheels ?

Okay I've read it all on bikeforums

Thanks for the feedback

I am serious and I think it is the wheels. A friend had some CXP33s and returned them because they gave too harsh a ride. The huge on-line mail order company in Colorado wasn't suprised to hear this and exchanged them for Open Pros which were a huge improvement. At least to me, it only makes sense in that the deeper the rim, the harsher the ride.

I did change the tires also. I had GP3000s and now have some Maxxis Zenith Hors Categorie (great tire by the way) but I am running them at the same pressure so I wouldn't think they would make a difference. Nothing else on the bike has changed and both tires are the same size.

The last two rides I did, 92 and 95 miles, involved a lot of chip seal. On my Protons, it wasn't a problem. On the aeroheads, I really feel it.

Great advice on strengthening the core. I am doing Pilates and have never felt better (at least off the bike).

I was hoping to hear that someone experienced the same thing and drew the same correlation. Maybe I am way off but I am serious about replacing them or at least trying a different set for a while. Unfortunately, I am probably the only guy in this small town who rides campy and even if I weren't, everyone seems to be riding v-type rims.

Ovaleg, I have read crazier things on bike forums. Obviously different types of frames give different types of rides. Why not wheels? There are so many different variables involved w/ wheels and these variables would affect more than just speed.

I know, quit whining and ride.:)

its not the wheels, its your form and possibly stem/seat issue.

blaming the wheels is like blaming your water bottles

I ended up needing a +1.5 shim in my left shoe to calm triggering some type of stress on that side. I end up with a low back muscle spasm on that side. Have someone check you and see if that's part of it. I also had my saddle too low. In addition, if I'm really pushing I have to take a break and change posture if it starts to cramp. Otherwise if I just keep pushing I'm screwed and can't shake it.

+1 to Dr.Pete. Stretching is the solution.

I can't ride without stretching. For years I thought my poor performance on the bike was due to fatigue and poor conditioning. I always had lower back pain starting at about mile 8 or so. About 2 months ago I saw a post here about the benefits of proper stretching. I was waiting for a friend to show up so I figured why not due some stretching. For the first time I had little or no pain and I was able to ride much harder. The pain was holding me back and I never fully realized it. Take care and best of luck.

Thanks for the advice and I you have motivated me to stretch more regularly siince I know I definitely lack in this area.

Again all I was speculating was more road viabration, a harsher ride as a result of wheels or frame, can affect joints including low back. Since the only thing that changed was my wheels, I was attributing the pain to them especially since I was feeling the road more. About the only thing I did learn in college was correlation does not imply causation so I better focus on the stretching.

Dr. Pete, I was doing (Ashtanga Yoga) but switched to Pilates. Do you think one is better than the other?

I try to do mat Pilates 2-3x per week, but... I was out of town most of last week, didn't exercise at all, and then did a 100+ miles Sat and 45 mi Sun. Now I have slight lower back pain on left side that I've never experienced before. Going to Pilates class tonight, and hopefully the movement will help, not hurt. Any of the core strength + movement exercises (or, Yogalates, as they say in the OC), are good to do if done under supervision of a knowledgeable instructor (at least initially), and are done progressively.

Side benefit is that it's usually me and about 30 women.:D

I recommend that you try different types of core/movement classes, see what you prefer, and find the best instructor for whatever you do. If you try some of this stuff without a good knowledge of biomechanics, it's likely to be ineffective, damaging, or both. Good luck.

Oh, and the wheels. Your theory could be correct. Stiffer setup is like riding more miles, and you probably just maxed out a previously unidentified muscular/structural imbalance like I did. Your body may adjust to the stress - or not.

Thanks Terex. Hmm...100 on Saturday and 45 on Sunday. Did you also do STOKR?

Well I guess I am going to have to say it's me. I did 50 on my slow but cushy touring bike and again, low back pain. I still think the harsher ride aggravated it more but lets leave it at that.

I am also going to Pilates tonite which seems to be working. Really liked the Yoga but without sounding too non-spiritual, it was a little too over the edge for me in that regard. Pilates seems to be a little more scientific.

Thanks to everyone for bearing w/ me through this one.

Well, I'm not Dr. Pete, but I am trained as a yoga instructor, and have friends who are pilates instructors. Common wisdom is that pilates will build up your core strength better than yoga, but doesn't do nearly as good a job stretching out your back, and more importantly for cycling, your hamstrings. You can pick out people who are primarily pilates practitioners in an advanced yoga class pretty easily; they are the ones having trouble with forward bends, tight hips and hamstrings. Of course, they are also the ones cruising through the sequences working the abs. Note that a good position on a bike is a forward bend, and having flexible hip joints lets you get into a deeper drop and keep a straighter back while pedaling easily and powerfully.

Having said that, ashtanga is about the best flavor of yoga for building up core strength, though it does get kind of boring doing the same three primary sequences after a while. You might try doing a vinyasa class if you've got one in your area.

Crunches and sit-ups helped my back pain. Build up your core.