Options for rider with dodgy neck
Discussion
Took up road cycling early last year - in my mid 40's, unfit and overweight, quickly caught the bug and moved from cheap hybrid to a Cube carbon road bike.
Was doing about 80 miles per week, sportives, duathlons, got up to about 17-18mph average, well chuffed with myself. Tried a time trial later in the year and loved it, planned to do many more this year. Lost a couple of stone.
Around August last year noticed an annoying pain in my left shoulder/back - not bad enough to worry about too much.
November time BANG - neck disc bulge C6/C7. Kept me out of any exercise for 3 months and only recently have picked up running and cycling again. Put on a stone.
Also discovered the shoulder/back pain last year was my Levator Scapulae - still hasn' settled, caused by bad posture at work and rumoured to contribute to disc bulges. Currently having physio/sports massages but it wont shift.
Got back on my road bike this week and my neck really doesn't like it - very stiff and sore. Might get better with use but worried about another disc episode.
So.............I have no issues riding my mountain bike, so am considering a high end hybrid - something quick with proper road tyres, I know I will be slower but I cant risk another 3 months neck recovery at the moment!
A bit gutted TBH, I finally found something I enjoyed that was really good for me, but neck says no..................
Does anything suitable exist? Budget flexible but happy to spend £1.5k to £2.0k if necessary.
Was doing about 80 miles per week, sportives, duathlons, got up to about 17-18mph average, well chuffed with myself. Tried a time trial later in the year and loved it, planned to do many more this year. Lost a couple of stone.
Around August last year noticed an annoying pain in my left shoulder/back - not bad enough to worry about too much.
November time BANG - neck disc bulge C6/C7. Kept me out of any exercise for 3 months and only recently have picked up running and cycling again. Put on a stone.
Also discovered the shoulder/back pain last year was my Levator Scapulae - still hasn' settled, caused by bad posture at work and rumoured to contribute to disc bulges. Currently having physio/sports massages but it wont shift.
Got back on my road bike this week and my neck really doesn't like it - very stiff and sore. Might get better with use but worried about another disc episode.
So.............I have no issues riding my mountain bike, so am considering a high end hybrid - something quick with proper road tyres, I know I will be slower but I cant risk another 3 months neck recovery at the moment!
A bit gutted TBH, I finally found something I enjoyed that was really good for me, but neck says no..................
Does anything suitable exist? Budget flexible but happy to spend £1.5k to £2.0k if necessary.
Edited by MOBB on Wednesday 5th June 12:54
MOBB said:
Took up road cycling early last year - in my mid 40's, unfit and overweight, quickly caught the bug and moved from cheap hybrid to a Cube carbon road bike.
Was doing about 80 miles per week, sportives, duathlons, got up to about 17-18mph average, well chuffed with myself. Tried a time trial later in the year and loved it, planned to do many more this year. Lost a couple of stone.
Around August last year noticed an annoying pain in my left shoulder/back - not bad enough to worry about too much.
November time BANG - neck disc bulge C6/C7. Kept me out of any exercise for 3 months and only recently have picked up running and cycling again. Put on a stone.
Also discovered the shoulder/back pain last year was my Levator Scapulae - still hasn' settled, caused by bad posture at work and rumoured to contribute to disc bulges. Currently having physio/sports massages but it wont shift.
Got back on my road bike this week and my neck really doesn't like it - very stiff and sore. Might get better with use but worried about another disc episode.
So.............I have no issues riding my mountain bike, so am considering a high end hybrid - something quick with proper road tyres, I know I will be slower but I cant risk another 3 months neck recovery at the moment!
A bit gutted TBH, I finally found something I enjoyed that was really good for me, but neck says no..................
Does anything suitable exist? Budget flexible but happy to spend £1.5k to £2.0k if necessary.
First thing I did with bad neck and shoulders was to flip the stem to give more of an upright position. Cheaper than anew bike.Was doing about 80 miles per week, sportives, duathlons, got up to about 17-18mph average, well chuffed with myself. Tried a time trial later in the year and loved it, planned to do many more this year. Lost a couple of stone.
Around August last year noticed an annoying pain in my left shoulder/back - not bad enough to worry about too much.
November time BANG - neck disc bulge C6/C7. Kept me out of any exercise for 3 months and only recently have picked up running and cycling again. Put on a stone.
Also discovered the shoulder/back pain last year was my Levator Scapulae - still hasn' settled, caused by bad posture at work and rumoured to contribute to disc bulges. Currently having physio/sports massages but it wont shift.
Got back on my road bike this week and my neck really doesn't like it - very stiff and sore. Might get better with use but worried about another disc episode.
So.............I have no issues riding my mountain bike, so am considering a high end hybrid - something quick with proper road tyres, I know I will be slower but I cant risk another 3 months neck recovery at the moment!
A bit gutted TBH, I finally found something I enjoyed that was really good for me, but neck says no..................
Does anything suitable exist? Budget flexible but happy to spend £1.5k to £2.0k if necessary.
Edited by MOBB on Wednesday 5th June 12:54
The best bit of advice I have is to get a decent bike fit.
I had a crash a few years ago (hit a pot hole) and landed on my head and ever since I have always suffered with a stiff neck and shoulders after a few hours in the saddle.
When I got my last bike I went for a less aggressive riding position and made sure I got a proper bike fitting at the same time. getting a proper fit was well worth it.
After 4 or 5 hrs it still hurts but its manageable (I take Paracetamol and Ibuprofen on longer rides).
I had a crash a few years ago (hit a pot hole) and landed on my head and ever since I have always suffered with a stiff neck and shoulders after a few hours in the saddle.
When I got my last bike I went for a less aggressive riding position and made sure I got a proper bike fitting at the same time. getting a proper fit was well worth it.
After 4 or 5 hrs it still hurts but its manageable (I take Paracetamol and Ibuprofen on longer rides).
Definitely, definitely a quality bike fit. You will also need to address the issues that caused the problem in the first place.
I had a bad crash in the velodrome and then a 'good' helicopter crash (didn't die) which left me with pretty bad whiplash problems. It's exacerbated by desk posture. I'm a consultant so rarely get to have any control over my working environment and at 6'4" the standard offering is usually poor for me. I worked with Nicola at Velophysio and Scherrit (The Bike Whisperer) to address the physical issues and then establish a fit that would still allow me to do the riding I want to do.
There's not really any magic bike kit that will help your neck, but a distant second to a bike fit would be larger tyres. It's the tyres that give all of the suspension on a road bike and reducing that buzz will help with your longer rides. Tubeless helps even more as you get to run lower pressures. I use 28mm tyres at 70psi and the difference between that and my crit bike (25s @ 100psi) is night and day.
TL:DR
1. A good bike fit
2. Correct the causes with physio
3. Larger tubeless tyres
I had a bad crash in the velodrome and then a 'good' helicopter crash (didn't die) which left me with pretty bad whiplash problems. It's exacerbated by desk posture. I'm a consultant so rarely get to have any control over my working environment and at 6'4" the standard offering is usually poor for me. I worked with Nicola at Velophysio and Scherrit (The Bike Whisperer) to address the physical issues and then establish a fit that would still allow me to do the riding I want to do.
There's not really any magic bike kit that will help your neck, but a distant second to a bike fit would be larger tyres. It's the tyres that give all of the suspension on a road bike and reducing that buzz will help with your longer rides. Tubeless helps even more as you get to run lower pressures. I use 28mm tyres at 70psi and the difference between that and my crit bike (25s @ 100psi) is night and day.
TL:DR
1. A good bike fit
2. Correct the causes with physio
3. Larger tubeless tyres
I had some upper back issues from cycling a few years ago and saw a chiropractor (I found an honest one) who is also a pilates instructor. He explained that cycling can put a big strain on the upper back (especially if using aero-bars for time trialing).
He suggested making a few off the bike lifestyle changes and gave me some pointers with correct posture whilst driving and working at a desk to help relieve back problems. He also gave me a number of off the bike exercises to keep my upper back and neck mobile. He explained that if I did the exercises regularly I would not need to cme back and see him. The exercises and changes to my posture have certainly helped and I no longer get any back issues from cycling.
A few months after I started with the pilates back exercises one of the cycling websites had a number of videos from Matt Rabin the Cannondale Team Physio recommending the same exercises which may help you:
https://www.cyclingweekly.com/fitness/cycling-neck...
https://www.heraldscotland.com/opinion/13414514.cy...
Google Matt Rabin 5 exercises to beat back pain
(note: all video content is blocked at work so I cant post direct video the links)
He suggested making a few off the bike lifestyle changes and gave me some pointers with correct posture whilst driving and working at a desk to help relieve back problems. He also gave me a number of off the bike exercises to keep my upper back and neck mobile. He explained that if I did the exercises regularly I would not need to cme back and see him. The exercises and changes to my posture have certainly helped and I no longer get any back issues from cycling.
A few months after I started with the pilates back exercises one of the cycling websites had a number of videos from Matt Rabin the Cannondale Team Physio recommending the same exercises which may help you:
https://www.cyclingweekly.com/fitness/cycling-neck...
https://www.heraldscotland.com/opinion/13414514.cy...
Google Matt Rabin 5 exercises to beat back pain
(note: all video content is blocked at work so I cant post direct video the links)
Recumbent trikes are fantastic fun, and great for people with physical problems.
https://www.icetrikes.co/
https://www.icetrikes.co/
Edited by GOATever on Friday 14th June 07:45
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