Head and Neck Ache

Not Responding said:

I'm relatively new to long distance riding and find that 90% of my body can cope with it. After
about 60 miles there's still enough left in my legs and lungs but my shoulders/neck/head are in
real pain.

Sounds like a stem reach / bar height problem. Have you checked the fit of your bike? There's a
really useful widget at www.wrenchscience.com

Quoted message said:

I've got a suspension seat post but is there more I can do?

The suspension seat post won't make any odds, as it's coming up through the forks.

Quoted message said:

It's an aluminium hybrid/mountain bike with bar ends and straight-as-a-die front forks (which I'm
not going to change).

I find (although I'm told it's illusion) that a set of decent raked 531 forks is more comfortable
than the solid lead forks fitted to MTBs. I also find that the more hand positions I can get the
better. And most of all I find that the upright position on an MTB is simply not comfortable for
long distances. The elbows tend to be too straight, which causes the shocks of the road to be
transmitted straight to the shoulders. Sus forks are one way out, but make the bike even heavier.

The best solution is probably to hybridise the hybrid a bit more, to give a position closer to the
classic tourer, with weight balanced between hands and bum, elbows bent to absorb shocks, drop bars
for varied hand positions, raked forks for stability and (some) shock absoprtion.

Wait a minute - what am I saying? The BEST solution is to convert to the Dark Side :-D

Guy
===
** WARNING ** This posting may contain traces of irony. chapmancentral.comchapmancentral.comOpen ↗ (BT ADSL and
dynamic DNS permitting)
NOTE: BT Openworld have now blocked port 25 (without notice), so old mail addresses may no longer
work. Apologies.

In message <[email hidden]>, "[Not Responding]"
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

I'm relatively new to long distance riding and find that 90% of my body can cope with it. After
about 60 miles there's still enough left in my legs and lungs but my shoulders/neck/head are in
real pain.

I suppose that every imperfection in the thin potholed strips of tarmac round here (jokingly
known as 'roads'😉 is passed through the bike, through my body and handed to the neck muscles to
deal with.

I'd guess that you have muscle and joint aches from holding your neck in an unnatural position for
hours, and that the bumps are not the main problem.

Quoted message said:

I've got a suspension seat post but is there more I can do? Should I try for a more 'bum up'
position?

If my guess is right, this would make things a lot worse.

Quoted message said:

I suppose I could run on lower pressure tyres but that would make me slower and probably result in
the same pain for a longer time.

Quite.

Quoted message said:

It's an aluminium hybrid/mountain bike with bar ends and straight-as-a-die front forks (which I'm
not going to change).

Try raising the handlebars? Slightly worse aerodynamics, but it often makes neck aches much better.
Or you could succumb to Guy Chapman's blandishments from the Dark Side. I warn you, he's a lot older
than he claims. Do NOT agree to meet him in Shepton Mallet! But he's very sound on all things bent.

--
Richard Keatinge

keatinge.demon.co.ukpedal.htmOpen ↗

"Just zis Guy, you know?" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Not Responding said:

I'm relatively new to long distance riding and find that 90% of my body can cope with it. After
about 60 miles there's still enough left in my legs and lungs but my shoulders/neck/head are in
real pain.

Sounds like a stem reach / bar height problem. Have you checked the fit of your bike? There's a
really useful widget at www.wrenchscience.com

Quoted message said:

I've got a suspension seat post but is there more I can do?

The suspension seat post won't make any odds, as it's coming up through the forks.

Quoted message said:

It's an aluminium hybrid/mountain bike with bar ends and straight-as-a-die front forks (which I'm
not going to change).

I find (although I'm told it's illusion) that a set of decent raked 531 forks is more comfortable
than the solid lead forks fitted to MTBs. I also find that the more hand positions I can get the
better. And most of all I find that the upright position on an MTB is simply not comfortable for
long distances. The elbows tend to be too straight, which causes the shocks of the road to be
transmitted straight to the shoulders. Sus forks are one way out, but make the bike even heavier.

The best solution is probably to hybridise the hybrid a bit more, to give a position closer to the
classic tourer, with weight balanced between hands and bum, elbows bent to absorb shocks, drop
bars for varied hand positions, raked forks for stability and (some) shock absoprtion.

<snip...sorry Guy!!> ...and, combined with all the aforementioned, utilise the Shock Absorption Pipe
Insulating Foam (tm), on your handlebars, until a total lack of any feedback from the ground means
no further problems ;-) HTH Dave.

Dave said:

...and, combined with all the aforementioned, utilise the Shock Absorption Pipe Insulating Foam
(tm), on your handlebars

Or Grab-Ons which are less slippery when wet.

Guy
===
** WARNING ** This posting may contain traces of irony. chapmancentral.comchapmancentral.comOpen ↗ (BT ADSL and
dynamic DNS permitting)
NOTE: BT Openworld have now blocked port 25 (without notice), so old mail addresses may no longer
work. Apologies.

The forks are not the problem.

The problem is almost certainly that you are overstretched. This causes what you have. MTBs are
designed for climbing, where having you forward keeps the front wheel down. This is wrong for
longdistance road riding. I used to have your problem but now don't for years, as I ride with a
position which has my fingertips almost reacing the bars with elbow against nose of saddle.

Quoted message said:

...and, combined with all the aforementioned, utilise the Shock Absorption Pipe Insulating Foam
(tm), on your handlebars, until a total lack of any feedback from the ground means no further
problems ;-)

I experimented with something similar this weekend - copper pipe insulating foam used by plumbers,
attached with some plastic cable ties. I only did a round trip of about 25 miles, but the normal
numbness was very definitely less than normal. I used the 15m gauge, but I think 22m is going to
be better.

Nice and cheap anyway.

bob <why am i such a bodger!!

"Bob Flemming" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

...and, combined with all the aforementioned, utilise the Shock

Absorption

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Pipe Insulating Foam (tm), on your handlebars, until a total lack of any feedback from the ground
means no further problems ;-)

I experimented with something similar this weekend - copper pipe insulating foam used by plumbers,
attached with some plastic cable ties. I only did a round trip of about 25 miles, but the normal
numbness was very definitely less than normal. I used the 15m gauge, but I think 22m is going to
be better.

Nice and cheap anyway.

bob <why am i such a bodger!!>

Been using it since about October last year and found it a vast improvement, from 'orrible, 'orrible
numbness in both hands, to no prob in one fell swoop....most impressed. Dave.

Not Responding said:

I'm relatively new to long distance riding and find that 90% of my body can cope with it. After
about 60 miles there's still enough left in my legs and lungs but my shoulders/neck/head are in
real pain.

Most of it is probably due to the riding position (shorter reach stem or/and different bars may
help), but one extra thing that can make it worse is wearing glasses/visor. The top of vision can be
obscured just enough to make you tilt your head up more than is natural without realising it. Try
going without sun glasses, etc. for some of the time if poss.

~PB

Quoted message said:

Not Responding said:

I'm relatively new to long distance riding and find that 90% of my body can cope with it. After
about 60 miles there's still enough left in my legs and lungs but my shoulders/neck/head are in
real pain.

Although the problem may be one of bars that are too low/too far forward, a common cause is
riding technique. If you are riding with straight arms, any bump the wheel travels over will
transfer the motion directly up your arms to your shoulders. The movement of your shoulders will
then try to accelerate your head and neck back and forth (or up and down) making it hard work for
your neck muscles, resulting is muscle and joint soreness. You may also suffer from numb
hands/fingers as a result.

Try riding with a slight bend in your elbows at all times. This makes your arms act as an
articulated suspension which absorbs shocks before they get to your neck muscles. Because your
arms are no longer straight you will have a much lighter load on your handlebars, reducing pain
and numbness.

Bending your arms does force your back muscles to do more work, however these will adapt after a few
rides. An added benefit of riding with a bend in the arms is that the bike will handle better over
bumps as the front end is less rigidly loaded.

Pete Biggs said:

Not Responding said:

I'm relatively new to long distance riding and find that 90% of my body can cope with it. After
about 60 miles there's still enough left in my legs and lungs but my shoulders/neck/head are in
real pain.

Most of it is probably due to the riding position (shorter reach stem or/and different bars may
help), but one extra thing that can make it worse is wearing glasses/visor. The top of vision can
be obscured just enough to make you tilt your head up more than is natural without realising it.
Try going without sun glasses, etc. for some of the time if poss.

~PB

Glasses may well be the answer (or at least part of it). The one I've got on now are very thin - I'd
have to lift my eyes fully to the horizontal or I'd just be peering over the top.

Following Audax routes would be a bit tricky without the specs though; no chance of reading
roadsigns in advance of passing them.

"[Not Responding]" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Pete Biggs said:

Try going without sun glasses, etc. for some of the time if poss.

Glasses may well be the answer (or at least part of it). The one I've got on now are very thin -
I'd have to lift my eyes fully to the horizontal or I'd just be peering over the top.

Following Audax routes would be a bit tricky without the specs though; no chance of reading
roadsigns in advance of passing them.

Then I think the first thing to try is more suitable glasses rather than no glasses. I would also
try to change one thing at a time rather than lots of things. If you change your glasses, forks,
handlebar covering and position all at once and the pain goes away you won't know which change
actually did the trick.

--
Dave...