[bluebug32]

Hi!

I'm new to the forum, but have been biking for several years and have really gotten serious about mountain biking since. My question is, my neck and shoulders have a tendancy to kink up and become sore very easily and I often get headaches because of this. When I bike for very long, especially with the way my neck and shoulders are positioned, I tend to really hurt afterwards. Any ideas for adjusting seat or handlebars or riding positions? How do I change the handlebar position? Any suggestions are much appreciated!

Beth

 

[Wumpus]

How do I change the handlebar position?

Shorter/longer stem

Raise/lower stem(or stem rise/drop)

Flat bar/riser bars

 

[Wumpus]

Thread on seat height: http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=628&highlight=handlebars

 

[Wumpus]

saddle vs. bar position: http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=83574&highlight=handlebars

 

[bluebug32]

Thanks!

What are stems vs. risers? Does this have to do with if my handlebars are raised, like in a U shape? They are. I feel like such a retard for my extreme stupidity about the ins and outs of the bicycle. But, hey...I want to learn and, in the meantime, I thank you for your patience

Beth

 

[Wumpus]

Riser bars:

Mountain bike stems also have rise usually between 0* to 15*. The rise is measured on a flat surface(ie a table). When placed on the bike, a zero rise stem will have an upward angle of 20* for a bike with a 70* headtube angle.




Note: There is a difference between road (26.0mm) and mountain bike(25.4mm) stems in the size of the handlebar clamp.

 

[Skookum]

Hi!

I'm new to the forum, but have been biking for several years and have really gotten serious about mountain biking since. My question is, my neck and shoulders have a tendancy to kink up and become sore very easily and I often get headaches because of this. When I bike for very long, especially with the way my neck and shoulders are positioned, I tend to really hurt afterwards. Any ideas for adjusting seat or handlebars or riding positions? How do I change the handlebar position? Any suggestions are much appreciated!

Beth

There may be many reasons for this though and having someone who know's what's up, a trustworthy person at a LBS (local bike shop) or a freind who rides and knows their stuff could help out.
Worst Case Scenario:
One reason "could" be that your bike may not fit you correctly. When your saddle height is perfect for pedalling (as illustrated in the thread Wumpus linked) can you still stand on the pedals and get behind your seat? If you can't because you are too stretched out you might have too long/too big of a frame. There are a few things to help, move the saddle forward on the seat post, get a shorter stem, possibly switching handlebars?
Also on the opposite side of the spectrum you may have too short of a bike. Are your knee's ackwardly close to your hands/handlebars? Same fixes would be in order but in reverse, buy a longers stem, move the saddle backward...

But really this is only if your bike is a bad fit, and chances are you're alright. Just thought i'd put that out there just in case...
More Likely:
Some common ergonomic things that can lead to this discomfort... Are your brakes aligned where you do not have to bend your wrists to use them? Brakes should be positioned where your wrists are even/slightly turned down.
Also i have broad shoulders myself and need wide handlebars. When you have your hands gripped on, do they reach more together (inward)? That can lead to pain, you want your arms extended as even as possible. Do you have smaller hands perhaps having smaller grips for your handlebars would help? And finally perhaps you should look into having bar ends. Bar ends are great for those longer rides to change the position of your arms and hands, after a few hours on the saddle it really helps, as well as having a better stronger position for sprinting....

Finally learning your body is a small trick when riding long extended rides. You want to make sure you are hydrated, gatorade before a ride and plenty of water. Also eating the right foods and having some good snacks along the way helps out alot. And pay attention to if you are tensing up on sections, teach your body to relax and be smooth. Maybe there is some tricky technical sections where you tense up and you never let up even when the going get's easier?

Anyways to think of it in a simpler light, if your gonna be on a couch for a few hours you don't want a lumpy mess, same thing for a mt. bike. Finding and getting in the "natural" and loose positions is the trick. Good luck and good to see another mud hunnie diggin the trails.

 

[bluebug32]

Thanks! You obviously know your stuff. I'll definitely pay more attention to what position I'm riding in. I do have raised handlebars and the brakes seem to be more out from the handlebar than down.

Any tips on raising the handlebars themselves? How do I do it and how do I know how high to make them?

Thanks again

Beth

 

[Wumpus]

Any tips on raising the handlebars themselves? How do I do it and how do I know how high to make them?

You can raise the bars two ways:

1) Put spacers under the stem. This means that you have some spacers above the stem to move around.

2) Get a stem with more rise. They make them up to around 30* to 45*.


I prefer that my bars(grips) be level or slightly above my saddle. XC racers seem to like their bars a little lower than saddle height.



Note: The fit guides use height to adjust bar placement with shorter folks(<5'8" ish)having little drop(0-1") and taller folks(>6'0"ish) can go up to 4" of drop.

 

[Westy]

I used to have the same problem, using a shorter stem and putting spacers under the stem helped but the only way I got rid of it completely was to hit the weights. A few shoulder and back routines helped a bunch.

 

[Wumpus]

And pay attention to if you are tensing up on sections, teach your body to relax and be smooth. Maybe there is some tricky technical sections where you tense up and you never let up even when the going get's easier?

This is a biggie. Heard it referred to as the turtle where you hunch up your shoulder and try to pull your head into yor neck. Really concentrate on loosing and relaxing(dropping) your shoulder.