Midnight Biker

I ride my hybrid bike on the roads and sometimes the sidewalks because there aren't any trails around where I live. Sometimes getting on a sidewalk is the only alternative to riding on a very narrow, car-filled street. The only trails there are in my area consist of mud and protruding roots, boulders and other obstacles, not really my thing.

When I ride on the roads, I can feel almost every crack, bump, hole or grove in it. Most of the time it's only a gentle shock but even then I am able to notice my "vision shake". If my eyeballs are affected by these (mostly) small shocks, then the same thing must be happening to my brain, and that's the thing that worries me the most. Each time I ride, I subject my brain to these shocks, equivalent to those you might experience by gently tapping yourself on the chin with your fist, sometimes worse. Have there been any studies done on this? Can biking on the wrong terrain lead to brain damage? I know this sounds ridiculous but my concern is genuine.

The problem is the roads are in disrepair. I see people biking all the time on the same roads and I always wonder how they are able to deal with the constant shaking. What I do is I stand on my pedals instead of sitting down on my seat, and I barely grip my handlebars with my fingers, keeping my speed less than 5 mph. Sometimes I even arch my back and extend my neck forward to keep the shocks reaching my head to a minimum. I noticed that even when I do all these things, shocks still enter my body through the pedals, up my legs, then up my torso/spine and into my head. It is painfully annoying. Sometimes I have to keep my speed at 2 mph to lessen the impact of the wheel running over a crack. Sometimes I have to get off my bike altogether and walk...

I'm not really looking for advice. I know what I need to do: get a full suspension bike or a comfort bike or drive out extremely far to the nearest well-maintained bike trail. Anyway, do these cracks and groves bother you when you ride? Can you feel the shaking in your head and see it in your vision?

Midnight Biker

jbchybridrider 

I can't say I'm bothered by roads that much and you must have "really" bad roads.
Can I ask what bike are you riding now does it have any suspension at least at the front and what size tires are you using.

Midnight Biker

I ride a Schwin which has shock absorbers only in the front. I was told the tires are the standard size for a hybrid bike. They are narrower than those on my mountain bike, which is currently not in working order, and has no shock absorbers to speak of since the front ones got fused somehow.

I think maybe I should post pictures of my bike and of the roads. I will do that soon.

10 Wheels

You need to stand up over bumps or just put more pressure on your legs to get your butt off the saddle.

Midnight Biker

I do that. I bend my knees, sometimes I even stand on my toes and bend my body forward. Sometimes, though, a crack or bump appears out of nowhere and catches me off guard.

Maybe I do need advice... I was thinking about getting my seat post replaced with one that has a built-in shock absorber. Would that help somewhat? Maybe I wouldn't have to stand on my pedals the entire time. What do you think? I noticed that a lot of shocks enter my body through the pedals when I stand on them. Can that ever be avoided? Will a full-suspension bike have that problem?

jbchybridrider 

Yes we all love pic's on here do post them.

sdold

That kind of stuff doesn't bother me, and I've never heard anyone else make these kind of complaints over what sounds like normal road "imperfections". Either you have unusually bad roads, or you are much more sensitive to small shocks than most people. I suspect the latter, and I don't know what you could do other than larger diameter tires (not wheels) with lower pressures, a sprung saddle, maybe switching to full suspension, etc.

As to your question "could biking on the wrong terrain lead to brain damage", I suspect it could, based on some of the political and sociological discussions I see on the forum. Be careful out there.

no1mad 

Moonlander. If you can still feel the expansion joints and the odd cracks riding this, consult a medical professional- you may have some sort of condition and not know it...

10 Wheels

Post some addresses on the roads you ride.

We can see them on Google Map.

Face Palm

Some quick thoughts:

Yes, please provide some specific details about your bike (tire size, usual pressure, frame. material...) or just post a picture? Maybe that would help, but no offense, it does sound like you're just being oversensitive to what a lot of people deal with everyday. Are you relatively new to this type of riding? If so, it will get easier with time.

I ride a steel frame bike with an unsprung leather saddle, tires with no tread, weigh about 200lbs, and often ride very rough urban streets. While it's sometimes rougher than I'd like, I always enjoy my rides.

Your technique for standing to soften bumps might also need some work. Do it right, and you'll feel like you are 'floating' above the rough road. Be sure you don't put all your weight on your hands when you do this. You also need to get better at looking ahead further and seeing potholes and bumps before you are surprised by them. Once again, it sounds like this is an issue of practice. keep at it, and your reflexes will improve.

Honestly, I don't think suspension is a good fix for this. It will just help hide bad technique. Get your technique down, and then maybe consider a sprung saddle if you still want it. Suspension on the road just sucks your power. And you have a hybrid bike, which should already be pretty comfortable by nature.

Any medical questions, please just ask your doctor. Don't take medical advice from us clowns on the internet.

And please, don't ride on the sidewalk. If the street is to narrow to ride next to the cars, you have every right to ride in the middle. Riding on the sidewalk is dangerous, and creates animosity towards cyclists.

fietsbob

If they bother you enough run for a seat on the city council
or county planning commision and do something about it

Midnight Biker

Sorry, but are you serious? Ride in the middle of the road with traffic?

no1mad 

Yes. It's called 'taking the lane'. Consult your State's Driver's Manual- there is a section in there that applies to riding a bicycle on the road. Riding on the sidewalk is illegal in many areas, but it's usually not enforced.

Oh, just in case you weren't aware, when you do ride on the street with traffic, ride with the flow- not against. Might want to invest in a mirror...

Face Palm

Yes, I'm very serious. I'm not saying do it when there is a bike lane or enough room, but when the road gets too narrow, you need to "take the lane" for your own safety and motorists are required to respect it (if not like it...). This has been discussed many times on BF. Just do a search.

Also, if there are multiple lanes, and a turning lane on the right side, and you want to go straight, you can take the lane that goes straight to cross the intersection, and let turning traffic just pass on the right.

And if you are uncomfortable with the number or length of tight roads, or uncomfortable riding in traffic generally, then plan your route to stay on major streets with bike lanes. Once again, you should not ride the sidewalk.

Joelpatrick

Are you trolling? I ride around New Orleans, LA on a bike with no suspension, only a carbon fork, and don't have any of the issues you speak of. Brain damage!?! You gotta be trolling. We have some of the worst roads I've seen in New Orleans due to our ever sinking ground and I get around just fine.

Midnight Biker

I know, I usually stay on the bike lanes but still, the cars sometimes zoom dangerously close to me. I usually bike on the side streets, which are relatively quiet but have more cracks and pot holes and whatnot.

Face Palm

You make the argument yourself. the reason to take the lane on narrow streets is to avoid cars zooming past you.

Now, if you are nervous on the bigger roads that have bike lanes, that's a different issue. You have to decide if you are comfortable enough with your skills to ride in traffic. It gets easier. But you need to ride with confidence. Being too nervous or hesitant in your actions on the road can be just as dangerous as being to aggressive.

Noize4

I'm not trying to sound condescending or mean, but asking if it will cause brain damage sounds like borderline hypochondria to me. Sure I notice that sidewalks are bumpy and annoying on a narrow tire bike more focused toward road riding, but the thought of brain damage never crossed my mind. I'm not paying attention to my eyeballs enough to notice if they are shaking. I'm way more preoccupied with my burning leg muscles and trying to climb that next hill.

You're going to notice a harder overall shock from running, but for some reason, you're focusing on the sensation way too much that you're overreacting and perceiving it as dangerous. It isn't. Millions of people subject their bodies to more "shock" than what we see riding a road bike on the sidewalk on a daily basis with no a ill effects.

The human body is an amazing instrument, infinitely better than any man made device out there. While that doesn't mean you can abuse it at will, it'll take a whole lot more punishment than you seem to be giving it credit for.

Tell yourself to under-react, and accept the harder terrain as verification that you're also getting a good workout. If you can't, get a cruiser with shocks and find a better place to ride. This is a psychological battle, not a physical one.

Happy pedaling!

no1mad 

I take it y'all missed the "biking should be reserved for recreation" comment in the 'Bike Rage' thread up in Commuting, huh?

SlimRider

Sell your hybrid and buy a nice new suspended fork for your mountain bike!

-OR-

Better yet, buy a MTB frame from Nashbar.com and a Rockshox suspended fork. Then switch over most of your components to the new frame.

ksauers

How much does a carbon fork help?

009jim

I notice a huge difference just after I set my tire pressures back up to 100psi. By the time they get down to 80 or below its a lot smoother.

no1mad 

Tablelling the legality of sidewalk riding (for now), something still doesn't add up for me. The quality of sidewalks vary as much as the streets do. They have regular 'expansion joint' intervals, tend to be affected by tree roots more, and depending on zoning, tend to be rather sporadic, since the individual property owner has to pay for and maintain the sidewalk. I've been on improved hardpacked dirt trails that were in better shape than some sections of sidewalk.

tsw910

go faster and all the bumps will disappear

fcarpio

Larger, lower pressure tires will help, but in my case (I have narrower tires) I just put my weight on the pedals with my knees bent and my rear just above the seat when I see an imminent shock coming.