Handlebars-back problems
 

After riding my stock kilo on what ended up being a double century a few days ago with a 15 lb backpack, I've been experiencing tremendous back pains on rides > 5 miles. F wind resistance, I need something more upright. Recommendations are appreciated.

Hate to say this but... DUH !

Ask anyone who rides distance regularly and they'd tell you to bring your bars close to level with your saddle and not to carry a backpack.

If you aren't running a brake it would be easy to set up a second set of bars you could swap in... and you would probably need a riser stem to bring them up.

Bar choice is a personal thing... I prefer rando bars over all others and Nitto makes good ones.

Trekking bars may also be a good solution as they offer a lot of hand positions and you can rotate them up and down to change fore aft position and their height.

How often do you ride? I think the majority of cyclists are going to have some back problems after riding 200 miles with a 15lb backpack strapped on them.

Don't wear a back pack when doing 200mile (or km) rides?

Back pain is caused by the angle you are sitting at, you want your back to arch smoothly and not be straight.

I've done backpack centuries on my Pinarello. I dunno if I could roll a double like that. It takes some time to work up to the century, and I could never do that with a cheap or otherwise lame backpack. I do 200 crunches almost every weekday evening during the commercials on Jeopardy.

If you ride upright for 100 miles you will be experiencing some pain also, just in different places.

I ride with a Marmot Zephyr pack with the sternum strap fastened if there's any kinda load in it. I also ride my 8-10 mile commute with at least 10 lbs of junk in the back pack every weekday.

I'd start with some stretching, easy rides with no load and see if it works itself out.

If you really want an upright ride, I like Raleigh Sports 3 speeds. I also like my cruiser and my cruiser-fied MTB.

You just came here to brag about a double century on a kilo. Take a few days off the bike before doing anything radical.

Doh, just noticed the Handlebars part of the post title. This is what I got on my cruiserfied MTB:
http://www.amazon.com/Dimension-Supe.../dp/B001UT222E

It kinda depends on how your bike fits you though. If it's kinda small and has a short stem, a Northroad will put you upright.

I guess since I never ride in the drops, I'll give elevating the bars a shot. panniers aren't really an option on the kilo, so after some extensive looking I just ordered this. http://www.banjobrothers.com/products/01150.php

I may also consider the 'trekking bars,' the side positions may provide some solid leverage. Any anyone might care to recommend?

Just looking at the stock set up on the kilo makes my 45 year old back hurt... but I can ride all day with drops when they are set up right.

And I have a really bad back... am often too crippled up to walk any distance but riding offers much relief.

My brake hoods tend to be level with my saddle so those raise the flats a little above my saddle and I have a higher drop position that I can stay in for longer periods. If I get too low I really start to have back issues and cannot sit upright for any distance at all.

Also like my trekking bars a great deal... I don't there is a better bar out there for long distance riding unless you really like staying in the drops all day.

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikep...v2010trek3.JPG

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikep...v2010trek1.JPG

That is a TERRIBLE backpack for long distance riding, IMO.

Get something with a suspended back.

I just purchased a Kilo WT, and one of the reasons that I chose it over the Kilo TT is that it comes standard with hooded brake levers instead of cross levers. I ride mostly on the hoods, just as I do on my road bike, and find it to be far and away the most comfortable position. I ride the drops only when trying to push hard into the wind or on fast descents when I want more control. I very rarely ride on the flats near the stem. Also, I only have a modest 1" drop from the top of my saddle to top of my bars, and I bend my arms so that I am not sitting bolt upright. I should be receiving a Brooks Pro saddle shortly to replace the rather cruel stock saddle.

perhaps this founders double trouble has gotten me into a hasty situation, where perhaps a secondary source of bad judgement could be interpreted...regardless, it seems like an alright backpack for my daily commute (10 miles). The fact that it's water resistant is imperative, I couldn't find anything providing suspended back support in my price range, while yielding comparable results. As much as I'll get chastised, I'm thinking about picking up a windsor tourist for my long distance touring needs. Before doing so, I have one double century left next month, I suppose I'll grab some trekking bars, any anyone would care to recommend?

Yep, that pack is GREAT for 10 miles round trip. Not good for anything over 1.5 hours in the saddle, if you ask me.

You got pics of your current bike setup? You might be able to flip your stem or just get a cheap stem with a higher rise if you're otherwise happy with your current bars.

i used to have that problem, until i started weight training those specifics that were aching and whatnot. nothing to get big and bulky but my back neck never get tired or uncomfortable anymore.

I've bought the same Dimension Super Wide Cruiser bars for my Gary Fisher Klunker. It needs to be cruiserfied and that's why I'm replacing the stock bars.

Bars.......
 

It may not be the bars aqs much as the stem. If you don't care about the {pure track look}, try a stem with a thirty degree rise instead of changing the bars ? That seems to be a comfortable angle since most comfort fixed sttems are at that angle. If your stem is long { no pun intended,LOL} raise it up to or past seat height for now. It may do the trick??

If you're having back problems I feel bad for you son, I got 99 problems but my bars ain't one.

You should ask for advice in the Long Distance Cycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling forum.

Even though you did this on a single speed or fixed gear, this is more of a question for that forum.