azza_333

Im 24, my bike is a 2015 Kona Sutra, and 1 have never had any issues with my back before, but when ever I go for a long ride lower back pain starts to kick in around the 45-60min mark, I have read online that it could be a number of issues, tight ham strings, imbalance in strength between core and back muscles bike fit, as there is no bike fitter within 1500km of my location, I have to try and guess what the issue is.

I have started stretching my hamstrings and other muscles each night before bed.
I have started working out my lower back twice a week, in order to even balance my core and back

So the only thing left is bike fit, I have ordered a 90mm adjustable up to 60 degrees stem to replace my 90mm 7 degrees stem, I am hoping this will help in the interim, however I am wondering is a longer or shorter stem may be the answer.

Does anyone have any possible solutions or any idea what could be causing my lower back pain, I should also add that when I ride on the "tops" I don't get lower back pain, I assume because it puts me in a more upright position, but I would prefer to keep a low position on the bike instead of a more upright riding position, as I feel it gives me greater control over the bike, and an added aero benefit.

bikemig 

I don't have a precise answer to your question but I do have two suggestions. The first is to buy a copy of Andy Pruitt's Complete Medical Guide for Cyclists. There's lots of really great advice there on bike fitting and on what may be causing your pain: Andy Pruitt's Complete Medical Guide for Cyclists: Andrew L Pruitt, Fred Matheny: 9781931382809: Amazon.com: Books I highly recommend it. The second is to get over your dislike (it almost sounds like a prejudice) of riding on the tops. Moving back and forth on different positions on the bars is really helpful. There's nothing inherently wrong about sitting a little higher up as opposed to riding in the drops. Also riding with your hands on the brake hoods is a good position. Try moving around a lot and stretching a bit on the bike as you ride.

azza_333

I should have explain myself a bit better, I very really ride on the drops, the back pain is caused from riding on the hoods, but is fine when on the tops, I don't have anything against the tops, except I like to have my hands on the hoods for the brakes, while on the tops I am quiet slow to brake

Machka 

What's your saddle like? Is it pancake flat?

Machka 

Also ... CYCLING PERFORMANCE TIPS - Back Pain & Neck Pain

gregjones

Once again.....your wondering has you wandering into areas that no one but you can provide solutions to.

I have a selection of seven cheap eBarf stems, 90-110 and zero-twelve degrees, to use when I set up a new bike or make changes to an existing one. Then I can buy a "good" stem that fits. Whatever makes a "good" stem is also individual preference.

fietsbob

Work on the core exercises to strengthen your back muscles some..


Did You ask a Medical Doctor Yet?

Tourist in MSN

How high is your handlebar compared to seat height? Higher bar helps.

Your arms reaching towards the handlebars are at an angle. If you had a horizontal stem, a shorter stem will raise your shoulders up the same way as a higher handlebar position would.

I got more back pain when I weighed 30 pounds more than I do now. That drop from 205 to 175 pounds made it a lot easier to use the drops too. I used to use the drops maybe 5 percent of the time, but now maybe 30 percent of the time. To put this into perspective, I am about 72.5 inches tall. After I lost that weight, I even found that I wanted to lower my handlebars by 10mm.

Exercising your lower back muscles can help. Try to hold a plank position (google it) for a minute. If you can't do that for a minute, try that every day until you can hold it for a minute or two. I am not saying that will solve your problems, but stronger lower back muscles will certainly help.

Because of spinal damage, I also have to exercise lower back muscles using a torso rotation exercise (google that too), similar to the way I use my lower back when I paddle my kayak. I have no idea if torso rotation exercise would help with biking or not, I do that exercise for a different reason. But it might help?

bikenh

How well hydrated are you? Is the pain in the kidneys area? Whenever I get lower back pain and I go out and stat drinking the lower back pain disappears.

I would agree it does sound fit related though. I thought I would toss in another possibility as dehydration can have so many different symptoms that can look like bad bike fit. I used to get sore muscles on the back side of the arm towards the end of long(150-200 mile) rides. Quite often the ache would move on up to the neck. It wasn't until I straightened out my low sodium issue that I got rid of the problem. Both of them plus the lower back pain all disappeared instantly and I haven't had any real trouble with them again since...unless I'm not drinking enough/not getting enough sodium.

mm718

Add cross levers to the bar tops. Great for a third hand position and for climbing and descents. Having the brakes in your hands also makes it more comfortable than if you were just gripping the bar top alone.

Doug64

+1
I put a pair of interrupter levers on my bike when I had shoulder surgery. I didn't want to put a lot of pressure on my shoulder, but wanted to ride. I really liked them, and got another pair for my touring bike.

However, you still need to find the root cause of the back pain.

seeker333

+1

If you have very good medical coverage you might consider a visit to a neurosurgeon, who would probably recommend a MRI of lumbar area, which might reveal the cause of back pain.

Bulging disc pressing on nerve bundle is common cause of back pain - and worse.

djb

Azza, always is going to be a crap shoot diagnosing stuff not in person, but I personally have had similar issues that gott helped with less "reach" from putting on shorter stems. I too was on the tops and ok but the hoods were just a bit too far. Often just a couple of cms can make all the diff. I'm more in the camp of changing stuff so you feel better right away, ie listen to what your body tells you.
Again, the clue you say of it being OK on the tops vs hoods is the kicker, same as me, but in the end it's up to you to know what your body is telling you.
Stick a bag on your head and take some level photos of you on the bike to show your position, or just crop out your head, this will give a much better idea of how you are on the bike.

azza_333

My saddle is a B17 with a couple of thousand kms on it

azza_333

My saddle is the same height as my handle bars. I don't really have any weight to loose. I have been doing planks every second day for the past couple of years. I will give the torso rotation exercise ago to see if that works.

FBinNY 

One of the biggest causes of back pain for newer riders is a saddle slightly too high. This has you reaching for the pedals and your hips ricking with each stroke. The rocking flexes your lower spine and requires more strength to stabilize everything.

Have a friend ride behind you and observe, and if your hips rock, drop the saddle a bit. This may be lower than ideal from a power/legs standpoint but if it relieves the pain, will allow you to ride farther. Over time the muscles that stabilize the back will strengthen, and you can bring the saddle higher without the hip rocking issues.

Tourist in MSN

Is your saddle too far back? If you are on the drops and if your saddle is too far back, that could be a back issue too.

djb

Azza--dont take this as a reason to reef your saddle all the way forward--having your seat too far forward puts your knees in a bad position and can cause knee issue--sure, it gets you closer to the bars but it can frack up your knees if its over done. This topic is a "been there, done that" thing for me, so do some quick reading on seat postion and knee over pedal position kop, just so you are aware of the fore/aft issues of seat position and the consequences.

CliffordK

That is one of my thoughts... if the slightly more upright position of riding on the tops of the bars is more comfortable, then perhaps try a shorter stem.

If it is a 2015 bike, then how long have you had it? How many miles?

After 30-something years of riding my Colnago, I tried a little different style on a Litespeed that I built up. It took me a few weeks and a few hundred miles to get used to the new configuration.

Anyway, if this is your first road bike, you might just want to give it a go for a while.

azza_333

These are some photos of me on the bike on at different stages of the pedal stroke

azza_333

I have had the bike since Jan, I've ridden it about 3000 miles. It is my first road bike.

djb

well, your seat isnt too high, you have a reasonable bend in your leg at bottom full extension.

and I take my comments back on perhaps too much reach after seeing the photos. On the hoods, you have a slight bend in the arm which is a good sign and important for relaxed hands, shoulders. I would also say that to me you really dont seem "stretched out" at all, in fact your back angle with your hands on hoods looks very reasonable to me.

I lightened up one of the photos to see your leg angle better, I'll add it on.

azza_333

Thanks for the comments, but I was kind of hoping you would say something like "bloody hell your _____ is way off", since you say my position looks fined I hope that means its a flexibility or weak back muscles.

djb

your welcome. While I'm reasonably sure your position is ok, if playing with a stem that raises your bars a bit makes it more comfortable, then I go back to what I said before, to go with what feels better for you, no matter what anyone else says.

Bike stores usually will have diff stems on hand, and changing a stem takes just a few mins. I know you mentioned before about being far away from places with fit service, but if there is a bike store around, they usually will have diff stems (and for me, a $25 stem is the same as a $90 stem)

*I should add too that the comments of regular riding and increased muscle tone over time is very much a real factor--here in Canada I was able to start riding after the snow and ice was gone in mid to late March sometime. I always start the season on my more upright bike with fatter tires and have put about 1000km of commuting by now--the other day for the first time I rode my drop bar bike with 28 slicks , and sure enough, like every year, I had a stiff neck and sore this and sore that. Sure, I'm over twice your age, but I do know that after a month or so of regular riding, this bike ends up being pretty darn comfortable for me, so more riding does always get you more fit and more comfortable---but hey, if you can try out some diff stems, try them out. They are a cheap easy way to try diff positions.

qclabrat

not a touring bike, but on my backup mtb, I had a very short stem for tricky riding. After an hour, my lower back was very sore. The following week I switched out a longer stem and it was night and day. Your stem is already fairly long, try sliding your saddle forwards or backwards to see if it helps. Even after a proper bike fitting you may need small incremental adjustments. I prefer playing with the seat before buying a new stem.