So I've been riding for longer and father distances lately. I've noticed that my neck and upper back has started to ache a bit. Is this a symptom of poor fitting? I don't want to lower then seat because I believe that it is in the right position. Should I flip my stem over for a more upright position?

Sounds like too much weight forward. Flipping the stem is a good, no-cost option. Stretching and exercises to increase your abdominal strength front and back will also help. If flipping the stem doesn't help right away, get a shorter stem or one with more elevation. Then, as your core strength gets better, swap the old stem back in if you like.

Ideally, you should be able to remove your hands from the handlebars and still be able to hold yourself up.

I had similar problems. I have a shorter body build and I found a shorter stem, more narrow bars helped.

That would be the first thing to try. Flip it up and see.

if you've only just started the longer distances then its simply that those muscles which have to deal with weight bearing like holding your head up while you ride are tired.
if you just bear it out those muscles will get stronger and you will be able to stay in the aero position for longer instead of having to adapt your bike to give you a more upright position.
i had it when i first started road riding and the best way to deal with it is to just bear it. a bit like breaking in a brooks saddle, you're breaking in your back muscles to hold up your head for long periods of time.
if you ride long distances regularly you might notice (after a while) your back, especially lower back muscles getting stronger and getting bigger.

yup, what he said.

Srsly?

Wrong.

i was just candy-bar sliding around my apartment parking lot literally 5 minutes ago and as my foot dangled over the bars it got sucked into my front wheel. obviously i just slammed my face into the pavement. now i have a sore neck and upper back!

I actually made a mistake in my post. My stem is already in the upright position. I also already have a pretty narrow hand position. I'm riding flat bars(not risers, just straight tarck), about a foot wide. I think I'll just have to deal with it until I get stronger.

That's just gods way of telling you to stop being a hipster.

Different bars ___MAYBE!!!!

a foot wide? bars might be too narrow then.

I agree.

First of all, though, the rider must have his or her saddle in a proper relationship to the pedals.

With the right saddle postion, pedalling itself holds up the torso.

For riding on the street, and not on the track, one will find that a saddle/pedal/handlebar relationship, in which one COULD lift his hands off the handlebar while pedalling, with only a minor effort required to hold the torso in place, represents the ideal position.

If one wants to know what that position looks like, starting from a standing position with the bare or stockinged feet pedal width apart, one should sit on a hard chair on a hard floor, and then, bending forward and placing the hands and arms in front for balance, begin to stand again; at the moment one's bottom breaks contact with the seat, notice the angle of the torso, and also note that one can hold this position indefinitely.

Look at the saddle to bar drop on my Angus. I don't have very long arms, but I can still hold myself up for a little while even from the drops.

hold yourself up with your torso, not your arms/shoulder. be sure to bend your elbows.

ive had a stiff neck\shoulder all weekend. i dont think it was caused by the bike, but i think the bike might have caused it to get worse. my problem i think was that the hoods were not in the same position on the bars, you dont have hoods but you might check that the stem is straight. i have definitly had a slightly crooked stem cause muscle soreness before.

hey man, if you are like any of us, and spend a fair bit of time in front of a computer, ur upper back and inner shoulder-blade muscles are not too good to start with.

i started getting really sore the first few 2+ hr rides out with my buds, but i found 2 things helped a lot:

1. focus on relaxing ur shoulders and pushing out ur chest when ur on the bars
2. bend elbows.

i ran with drops and now with pursuit bars, so I don't know how well this applies to flat bars.. shorter stem may help as well.
but, correcting posture is far better than swapping parts and still riding with messed up posture.