riding position

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

Quoted message said:

Hello,

I am wondering if the crouching ridingh position on a pro-like road
bike is necessary for an amateur. I am new to riding road bikes,
and my neck was in pain while test riding. I was told I would
eventually strength my neck and get used to it.

Lazy bike shop.

Part of the expected service of selling you the bike is making you
comfortable on it. It's common for road bikes to be sold with the handlebars
set too low, in an attempt to make it look more racer-like. This is stupid
and unnecessary.

Go back to the shop. Insist on the installation of a new stem that raises
the bars to a comfortable position which, for most people, is somewhere
within an inch or so of the same height as the saddle. This should be done
without charge. If they won't do it, come back here and post the name and
address of the bike shop.

If there is no stem available that will get the bars to that height, then
the shop sold you a frame that's too small for you, and/or a bike with a
fork steerer tube that had been cut too short. They should rectify the
problem at no cost to you.

Quoted message said:

I am just interested in getting some exercise, and am not after speed
itself that much. Do I have to force my head that low? Or will a
different frame geometry that allows a more upright position be better?

You should not be uncomfortable on a properly fitted bike, unless perhaps
there's something unusually stiff about your neck.

RichC (for whom shops that don't know how/aren't willing to properly fit a
bike are a hot-button issue)

If you are new to (road) cycling, it will take a couple rides to get used to the position and your neck will probably be sore for a bit. However, as the previous poster said, there is absolutely no need for an amateur to be in a position like a pro-racer.

28 Aug 2004 12:44:09 -0700,
<[email hidden]>, [email hidden]

(Libuser) said:

I am just interested in getting some exercise, and am not after speed
itself that much. Do I have to force my head that low? Or will a
different frame geometry that allows a more upright position be better?

Simply raising the handlebars would be a start toward alleviating your
problem. The shop should be willing to swap stems until you're
comfortable.

If you roll your eyes up you don't have to bend your neck so far.

The more upright position on bicycles called "performance hybrids"
might be better suited to your needs and riding style. Though, there
is no reason you shouldn't be able to get comfortable with drop bars.
--
zk

Rich Clark said:

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

Quoted message said:

Hello,

I am wondering if the crouching ridingh position on a pro-like road
bike is necessary for an amateur. I am new to riding road bikes,
and my neck was in pain while test riding. I was told I would
eventually strength my neck and get used to it.

Lazy bike shop.

Part of the expected service of selling you the bike is making you
comfortable on it. It's common for road bikes to be sold with the handlebars
set too low, in an attempt to make it look more racer-like. This is stupid
and unnecessary.

Go back to the shop.

As I read the OP, he was test riding and hadn't bought yet. So I would
say that he should NOT go back to that shop. Find another one.

"Dan Daniel" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

As I read the OP, he was test riding and hadn't bought yet. So I would
say that he should NOT go back to that shop. Find another one.

Oops, yes, I missed the word "test." So you're right, the OP can evaluate
the shop based on their understanding of his needs and willingness to fit
the bike to his requirements.

RichC

Rich Clark said:

"Dan Daniel" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

As I read the OP, he was test riding and hadn't bought yet. So I would
say that he should NOT go back to that shop. Find another one.

Oops, yes, I missed the word "test." So you're right, the OP can evaluate
the shop based on their understanding of his needs and willingness to fit
the bike to his requirements.

RichC

Comfort will get you started and hooked. Buy anything that gets you
started,
even a *-mart bike or garage sale leftover. After a few weeks to maybe
6 months you will know where you want to spend money for the keeper.
Maybe you will even consider the cheap starter bike your keeper.
Any real test riding will take more than a ride around the block.
I am still riding my old beater Huffy, even though almost everything
important has been worn out and replaced. When my road bike breaks
anything it is more expensive to replace since the parts are not so
common.
Another consideration is "Are you sure you will never get the urge to
follow a dirt path?". If the answer is "Yes!", then get a road bike and go
for the speed, if not, a general purpose 26" wheeled bike should work.
2.5 cents worth, as usual.
Bill Baka

--
Using M2, Opera's revolutionary e-mail client: http://www.opera.com/m2/

Bill Baka wrote:
|| On Sat, 28 Aug 2004 19:39:44 -0400, Rich Clark
|| <[email hidden]> wrote:
||
|||
||| "Dan Daniel" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
||| news:[email hidden]...
|||| As I read the OP, he was test riding and hadn't bought yet. So I
|||| would say that he should NOT go back to that shop. Find another
|||| one.
|||
||| Oops, yes, I missed the word "test." So you're right, the OP can
||| evaluate the shop based on their understanding of his needs and
||| willingness to fit the bike to his requirements.
|||
||| RichC
|||
|||
|| Comfort will get you started and hooked. Buy anything that gets you
|| started,
|| even a *-mart bike or garage sale leftover. After a few weeks to
|| maybe 6 months you will know where you want to spend money for the
|| keeper.
|| Maybe you will even consider the cheap starter bike your keeper.
|| Any real test riding will take more than a ride around the block.

I road my bike for at least two hours (test rides in parking lot behind LBS)
across a couple of visits before I bought it.

|| I am still riding my old beater Huffy, even though almost everything
|| important has been worn out and replaced. When my road bike breaks
|| anything it is more expensive to replace since the parts are not so
|| common.
|| Another consideration is "Are you sure you will never get the urge to
|| follow a dirt path?". If the answer is "Yes!", then get a road bike
|| and go for the speed, if not, a general purpose 26" wheeled bike
|| should work.

Leave him be. Why confusing him with such issues?

|| 2.5 cents worth, as usual.
|| Bill Baka
||
||
|| --
|| Using M2, Opera's revolutionary e-mail client:
|| http://www.opera.com/m2/

"Zoot Katz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Though, there

Quoted message said:

is no reason you shouldn't be able to get comfortable with drop bars.

Exactly. When I bought my road bike last Feb. I hadn't ridden a drop bar
bike in maybe 15 years and I had no neck pain whatsoever. In fact, it's the
most comfortable bike I've ever ridden. Much more so than my front
suspension mountain bike - which hardly ever gets ridden anymore.

Dave

(Libuser) said:

Hello,

I am wondering if the crouching ridingh position on a pro-like road
bike is necessary for an amateur. I am new to riding road bikes,
and my neck was in pain while test riding. I was told I would
eventually strength my neck and get used to it.

I am just interested in getting some exercise, and am not after speed
itself that much. Do I have to force my head that low? Or will a
different frame geometry that allows a more upright position be better?

Thanks.

As an example, here is Specialized's road bike line-

http://www.specialized.com/sbcSSRoadBikes.jsp?my=2004&JServSessionIdroot=7ddl3ec32i.j27006

Lots of options there,I'd suggest you test ride something like a
Sequoia. Drop bars are great. If more bikes came with the drop bars
raised up to seat level or so, I think more people would buy them
after seeing how comfortable they are.

Try this- open up both of these pages in separate windows-

http://www.trekbikes.com/bikes/2004/road/1800c.jsp

http://www.trekbikes.com/bikes/2004/road/2300.jsp

Now click between them and watch what happens- to handlebar height,
reach, etc. Sounds like you were put on somethng like a 2300 when you
should be trying an 1800. After a year, you might wish that you'd
bought the 2300, but you would have ended up actually *riding* the
1800 during that time rather than dreading the pain.

You can change the stem to lower and stretch out the handlebars after
you've ridden for a while. But if you are in pain, good chance that
you won't ride much.

Find another bike shop.

Quoted message said:

[email hidden] (Libuser)

Quoted message said:

Hello,

I am wondering if the crouching ridingh position on a pro-like road
bike is necessary for an amateur.

I am new to riding road bikes,

Quoted message said:

and my neck was in pain while test riding. I was told I would
eventually strength my neck and get used to it.

---snip---

Do you mean muscle pain like you get from fatigue? If so then yes, riding will
build up your neck muscles and the pain will go away. While discomfort on a
bike is often due to poor fit you say you're new to road bikes so I wouldn't
dismiss out of hand what the LBS told you. There really isn't any other
activity most of us do routinely that works the neck muscles in quite the same
way that riding a road bike does. Do 50 or so situps as rapidly as you can and
I'll bet tomorrow you'll feel it. Same thing. <g>

Quoted message said:

I am just interested in getting some exercise, and am not after speed
itself that much. Do I have to force my head that low? Or will a
different frame geometry that allows a more upright position be better?

Thanks.

It sounds like a comfort or hybrid might be a better choice for you but only
you can really decide. Shop around before you buy and get a bike you like. If
you buy a hybrid and later decide you want a road bike you can always have two
bikes. A bike's not a spouse after all. You can have as many at one time as you
can afford.

Regards,
Bob Hunt

They did raise the handlebars, trying to make it work for me. If I
insisted, I think they would make more changes. I was not sure if
neck pain was part of the deal :-)

Dan Daniel <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Rich Clark said:

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

Quoted message said:

Hello,

I am wondering if the crouching ridingh position on a pro-like road
bike is necessary for an amateur. I am new to riding road bikes,
and my neck was in pain while test riding. I was told I would
eventually strength my neck and get used to it.

Lazy bike shop.

Part of the expected service of selling you the bike is making you
comfortable on it. It's common for road bikes to be sold with the handlebars
set too low, in an attempt to make it look more racer-like. This is stupid
and unnecessary.

Go back to the shop.

As I read the OP, he was test riding and hadn't bought yet. So I would
say that he should NOT go back to that shop. Find another one.

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

Quoted message said:

They did raise the handlebars, trying to make it work for me. If I
insisted, I think they would make more changes. I was not sure if
neck pain was part of the deal :-)

I recently got a Trek 7700 hybrid and I had the LBS add a stem riser to
give me a more upright riding position. I do not want a road bike
with drop bars because I never intend to ride in a position that low.

I also have a Trek 1200 road bike and it is equipped with a
horizontal bar for the same reason.

Hunrobe wrote:
||| [email hidden] (Libuser)
||
|| wrote:
|||
||| Hello,
|||
||| I am wondering if the crouching ridingh position on a pro-like road
||| bike is necessary for an amateur.
|| I am new to riding road bikes,
||| and my neck was in pain while test riding. I was told I would
||| eventually strength my neck and get used to it.
||
|| ---snip---
||
|| Do you mean muscle pain like you get from fatigue? If so then yes,
|| riding will build up your neck muscles and the pain will go away.
|| While discomfort on a bike is often due to poor fit you say you're
|| new to road bikes so I wouldn't dismiss out of hand what the LBS
|| told you. There really isn't any other activity most of us do
|| routinely that works the neck muscles in quite the same way that
|| riding a road bike does. Do 50 or so situps as rapidly as you can
|| and I'll bet tomorrow you'll feel it. Same thing. <g>
||
||| I am just interested in getting some exercise, and am not after
||| speed
||| itself that much. Do I have to force my head that low? Or will a
||| different frame geometry that allows a more upright position be
||| better?
|||
||| Thanks.
||
|| It sounds like a comfort or hybrid might be a better choice for you
|| but only you can really decide. Shop around before you buy and get a
|| bike you like. If you buy a hybrid and later decide you want a road
|| bike you can always have two bikes. A bike's not a spouse after all.
|| You can have as many at one time as you can afford.
||

Or you can sell one.

Libuser said:

Hello,

I am wondering if the crouching ridingh position on a pro-like road
bike is necessary for an amateur. I am new to riding road bikes,
and my neck was in pain while test riding. I was told I would
eventually strength my neck and get used to it.

I am just interested in getting some exercise, and am not after speed
itself that much. Do I have to force my head that low? Or will a
different frame geometry that allows a more upright position be better?

Thanks.

I ride a road bike (touring) and it was set up with the bars too low,
resulting in neck pain. The solution was to raise the bars to be level
with the seat, when the seat was set to my proper position. The shop
did this for me and it took care of pain in my neck and simply gave
better comfort all round. I'm not interested in racing style either!
Check out the comments here:
http://www.rivendellbicycles.com/html/101_pureopinions.html
Scroll down to "fit and sizing". What they say makes sense. These guys
are excellent, imho.
Also keep in mind you will likely ride with your hands on the brake
hoods more than anywhere else, so you won't be stooped over so much.
It's worth a look, anyway.
Happy riding!
Bernie

On Sun, 29 Aug 2004 00:18:43 -0700, Bernie <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Libuser said:

Hello,

I am wondering if the crouching ridingh position on a pro-like road
bike is necessary for an amateur. I am new to riding road bikes,
and my neck was in pain while test riding. I was told I would
eventually strength my neck and get used to it.

I am just interested in getting some exercise, and am not after speed
itself that much. Do I have to force my head that low? Or will a
different frame geometry that allows a more upright position be better?

Thanks.

I ride a road bike (touring) and it was set up with the bars too low,
resulting in neck pain. The solution was to raise the bars to be level
with the seat, when the seat was set to my proper position. The shop
did this for me and it took care of pain in my neck and simply gave
better comfort all round. I'm not interested in racing style either!
Check out the comments here:
http://www.rivendellbicycles.com/html/101_pureopinions.html
Scroll down to "fit and sizing". What they say makes sense. These guys
are excellent, imho.
Also keep in mind you will likely ride with your hands on the brake
hoods more than anywhere else, so you won't be stooped over so much.
It's worth a look, anyway.
Happy riding!
Bernie

Call Rivendell and talk to them about them Rambouillet, the most
comfortable bike I've ridden. Rivendell is the best company I've
worked with--ever, no contest.
Dave

In article <[email hidden]>,

keydates said:

If you are new to (road) cycling, it will take a couple rides to get
used to

Quoted message said:

the position and your neck will probably be sore for a bit.

However, as the

Quoted message said:

previous poster said, there is absolutely no need for

an amateur to be in a

Quoted message said:

position like a pro-racer.

--
keydates

Quoted message said:

Maybe all you need to do is have the shop rotate the brakes - hoods - up a
little.
Worked for a fiend with neck pain on long rides.

HTH

HAND

--
"Freedom Is a Light for Which Many Have Died in Darkness"

- Tomb of the unknown - American Revolution

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

Quoted message said:

Hello,

I am wondering if the crouching ridingh position on a pro-like road
bike is necessary for an amateur. I am new to riding road bikes,
and my neck was in pain while test riding. I was told I would
eventually strength my neck and get used to it.

Remember, with normal dropped handlbars you don't have just one hand
position, you have several. For me, the postion I use most
frequently is on the brake hoods, next comes on top of the bar,
behind the brakes, third near the middle of the bar, and I use the
drops probably least freqently of all.

Sometimes I have one hand in one position and the other hand in
another.

I really only use the drops when punching into a headwind, or am in a
hurry - late for an appointment, or something, but when I need them,
I'm glad they are there.

Jeremy Parker

Bill Baka said:

Another consideration is "Are you sure you will never get the urge to
follow a dirt path?". If the answer is "Yes!", then get a road bike and go
for the speed, if not, a general purpose 26" wheeled bike should work.

Just a detail, but I've done quite a bit of dirt path riding on a road
bike with 32 mm tires. Sufficient care on a halfway smooth path can
make this workable.

I wouldn't try it on 2" rocks, but most people don't really want to ride
that sort of stuff.

--
--------------------+
Frank Krygowski [To reply, remove rodent and vegetable dot com,
replace with cc.ysu dot edu]

Could always get a cyclo-cross bike for that.