[danjthomas]

Has anyone resolved this common cycling ailment that is starting to spoil my rides?

Feel great, fast, fresh then within the hour and after the first hill or two i can feel tension in the lower back and down the side of my glutes.  

Had a bike fit with no change so i think it must be me!  Ive just started some core strengthening routines and have managed to find that the BOAT POSE (balancing on my ass with legs straight @ 90 deg to torso)  gives the exact same feeling.  

Im hoping its not SI Joint issues.  Im also a super flexible guy (hypermobile like a small girl!) but have tight hips and a snake spine if the Fizik saddle guide is anything to go by!.

I know my core and glutes are weak and my hips a stiff as hell so im hoping i can correct my issue, however, i have worked on these by stretching daily and doing core work in the gym for the last few months and nothing changes!!.

I do hope my bike fit was worth while but then again, if it was i at least half way there in terms of solving the issue.  My cleats are all the way back and the saddle mostly all the way forward (but not off the indicator lines).   Definatly gained some power and comfort for my riding from my fit and solved neck issues, but damn my back hurts. 

Ideas and direction is needed.  Any bike fitters around who can give some opinions?

Topic

[danjthomas]

Very interesting article… 

Very interesting article… 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1756210/pdf/v033p00398.pdf

[danjthomas]

Oh dear.. That didn’t work!

Oh dear.. That didn’t work! Nevermind 

[danjthomas]

Here I am post bike fit.  

Here I am post bike fit.  
[page6image15040]    
 

[Jimmy Ray Will]

Interesting.

Interesting.

Generally lower back pain is caused by cramping of the muscles in that area.

These muscles stabilise / anchor the power being generated by the glutes and hamstrings… hell everything really.

As with any cramp, the reason it comes on is either overload, or a lack of required fitness/strength in the related muscle.

With lower back pain, this generally is caused because you are either isolating back muscles through having an overly acute hip angle, or because you are asking them to work very hard to stabilise your position… which can be caused by being either too stretched, having a saddle too high, or because your pedalling stroke is asking a lot of questions of your lumbar area (big gear, excessive push/pulling, etc.).

From what you explained… saddle far forward, I would not anticipate that your hip angle is too acute, which suggests that you are either too stretched generally, or your saddle is too high.

One additional thought is that with your cleats being set as far back as you can, you are shortening an important ‘lever’ which in turn will emphasise the effect of your crank length by reducing your ability to ‘ankle’. Ankling utilises more calf muscle, which in turn is less efficient, hence the move for many towards mid-foot cleat positioning. However, by pushing the cleats back, you will in turn be further loading, quads, hamstrings etc.

What length cranks are you using, and what is your saddle height / lay back.

I share your hyper-mobility and challenges, but just because you can hold a position, doesn’t mean you should. I am more upright than many I compete against, as I take the comfort / power generation over aerodynamics. 

[danjthomas]

May well do.  Any idea what

May well do.  Any idea what angle the pelvis is supposed to sit at.  I can modify position making it easy to stay in the correct position. 

[tritecommentbot]

If nothing works, try going

If nothing works, try going the opposite direction – fully stretched out. Might surprise yourself 

[danjthomas]

Hi.  I know what you mean

Hi.  I know what you mean about holding up body weight.  As fitted I can ride no hands without the feel that I’m going to fall forwards.  I assumed this is best but maybe it’s counter intuitive? 

I ride a trek emonda with setback post.  It’s definatly my size based in the trek charts and also the smaller frame was tiny on me. 

Perhaps the seat forward compensates for the setback.

i get no hand or arm pain since the fit.  I moved the saddle back and dropped it a cm or two yesterday and I immediately felt too stretched out.  My stem is reduced to 80mm and lever rotation on the bars is set for shortest reach.   Perhaps this is the position I may need to consider moving my cleats forward.  I can try follow the British cycling web guide for seat position.

[Acm]

Also, what bike are you

Also, what bike are you riding and do you have a set back or inline seatpost?

[Acm]

The fact that you’ve got your

The fact that you’ve got your saddle almost all the way forwards would send alarm behind ringing if this is on a road bike. Having the cleats and saddle as you’ve described would rotate your legs forwards, and create extra work to support your upper body. Especially as you are flexible I’d put the seat back in the rails. This effectively gives your legs more leverage to keep your body upright (pushing down at the front of the pedal strike pushes your body up)

For back and glute strength, exercises like deadlifts and squats are ideal, and I’d also look for IT band tension, either with a physio or by gentle foam rolling, as this can have impacts all over the body

At any rate, I’d go back to your bike fitter and ask for a bit more help, if their fit has led to other problems

[Author]

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