k12ug

i just switched front a very upright bike, to a very aggressive road bike, and ive got about 150 miles on it now. today, i went for my long ride yet on THAT BIKE. towards the end my whole upper body was in pain, will the fit grow on me? i got a pro fit from a very experienced LBS.

my legs feel great though, avg. about 17-18 mph @195 lbs @ only riding for 2 months on and off +vacations. started at avg. 13-14 mph. also, will losing any wight help this problem as well? (i plan on doing this regardless.) stretching?

or just a bad fit? hope that's not the case.

ShooterK2

I'm gonna say it's too early to really tell. I went from a hybrid to a road bike and my whole upper body, as well as hands, hurt for a while. I started to think something was wrong, but, I live two hours away from the shop I bought the bike from, so I was determined to make it work if at all possible. As the miles went by, I started getting more and more used to it. Now, with over 2,000 miles on the bike, I couldn't be more comfortable. And I was NOT fitted when I bought the bike....

If you keep riding and it doesn't get better, I'd say go back and see if they can tweak something. But if you're just used to the upright feel of your other bike, you may try just giving it some time and a few hundred miles and see if it gets better. Not saying that it will, but it sure did for me.

johnny99

Upper body pain is often caused by poor posture or poor pedaling technique. Try bending your elbows all the time. Also, bend over more at the waist. You may have to improve your core strength and/or your bike fit to accomplish this comfortably.

k12ug

ya, the guy at the bike shop said that i bend in the middle of my back, i think that could be the problem. lol

k12ug

thank you, that's comforting to know.

tntyz

+1 on the "too early to tell" - unless it's making the bike unrideable. Everything hurting doesn't seem right.

I switched from a hybrid to a road bike this year. Have about 500 miles on it and just starting to feel good with everything. I had/have to focus on some things to improve comfort:

• Head position. Don't crane your neck up to look around, move your eyeballs instead. Remove your visor if you're using one now.
• Shoulders will feel better if you keep arms bent.
• You've got a lot of hand positions available - don't be afraid to use them.
• Try to carry your weight with your big abdominal muscles.

Side note: I had my hybrid out this Sunday, just to see how it felt. Ugh! 30 minutes into the ride my wrists hurt like crazy. My butt was carrying all the weight in that upright position, so that was sore. The compressed nerve in my upper back started to bother me for the first time in 9 months. Couldn't wait to get back on the road bike.

Good luck.

AEO

relax your shoulders.

a tense back leads to neck pain and headaches.
just ask the busty ladies.

G_C

Good points made so far and I agree that it is too soon. You have a drastic position change from your old bike to the new bike. Your body will need to build strength and flexibility if you don't possess. Make sure the helmet isn't overly tight also. When the weather is cold and I wear a cold weather skull cap under the helmet with a high exertion level I can get tension headaches from the pressure. Just something else to be conscious of.

joep721

I had a similar situation a few weeks ago, I went into the LBS and was fitted to my bike. In my situation, I was sold the wrong bike. I originally purchased a 58cm road bike, more pro-like geometry. What I ended up doing is switching to a 56cm bike, more upright. Since then the headaches went away. SO, I'd recommend you go into your LBS and have a refit. This will remove that from the equation. If its not size or geometry, then relax your upper body while riding (these are a couple of ideas told to me in my thread). Good luck!

Joe