pain in the ...back

[chr4]

Hi
A year ago I bought a Scott Tour 20 crossbar ebike which I enjoyed using but was not able to do it often because of back problems. I stopped cycling to work because walking seemed to be better for my back - work in IT so too much sitting. It took me a long time to get back to shape. Once the problems were gone I decided to cycle again but this time only at weekends for pleasure when I knew I would also walk a lot. Started to feel the same symptoms anyway which led me to believe that cycling was the direct rather then indirect cause. I am pretty sure it's caused by poor quality of paved roads in some places which my fragile spine can't handle any more. I bought a thudbuster seatpost only to discover that the suspension part is much bigger than expected and my seat would be too high. Suntour looks similar. I don' t know what else I can try. Any suggestions?

 

[Emo Rider]

Hi
A year ago I bought a Scott Tour 20 crossbar ebike which I enjoyed using but was not able to do it often because of back problems. I stopped cycling to work because walking seemed to be better for my back - work in IT so too much sitting. It took me a long time to get back to shape. Once the problems were gone I decided to cycle again but this time only at weekends for pleasure when I knew I would also walk a lot. Started to feel the same symptoms anyway which led me to believe that cycling was the direct rather then indirect cause. I am pretty sure it's caused by poor quality of paved roads in some places which my fragile spine can't handle any more. I bought a thudbuster seatpost only to discover that the suspension part is much bigger than expected and my seat would be too high. Suntour looks similar. I don' t know what else I can try. Any suggestions?

Your bike may not be set up correctly for you. You can go to a good bike shop or one of your local cycling clubs for advice on what is right for you. Raising or having a riser fitted to your handlebar stem may help. As well, a suspension seat post fitted take a lot of the rough of the road. I have suffered cronic back pain over the years. Cycling has more than not helped me get over it as it is so low impact on the body when done correctly. Hope this helps

 

[anotherkiwi]

SUntour NCX I wish I had from day one! It is about 10-12 cm high but when you sit on it it will compress slightly so you seat needs to be a little higher than normal.

 

[chr4]

Thanks. From what I read Suntour requires at least just as much clearance as Thudbuster if not more.

 

[chr4]

Your bike may not be set up correctly for you. You can go to a good bike shop or one of your local cycling clubs for advice on what is right for you. Raising or having a riser fitted to your handlebar stem may help. As well, a suspension seat post fitted take a lot of the rough of the road. I have suffered cronic back pain over the years. Cycling has more than not helped me get over it as it is so low impact on the body when done correctly. Hope this helps

I think the cycling position feels rather comfy for me but can try different settings. Still think is is all about suspension but can't afford another bike.

 

[chr4]

Having read a bit more looks like thudbuster lt which I bought requires 14 cm of clearance whereas st about 10. Suntour about 11.

 

[LeighPing]

I use these adjustable handlebar angle stem risers to improve my sitting position.

 

[D C]

Hi
A year ago I bought a Scott Tour 20 crossbar ebike which I enjoyed using but was not able to do it often because of back problems. I stopped cycling to work because walking seemed to be better for my back - work in IT so too much sitting. It took me a long time to get back to shape. Once the problems were gone I decided to cycle again but this time only at weekends for pleasure when I knew I would also walk a lot. Started to feel the same symptoms anyway which led me to believe that cycling was the direct rather then indirect cause. I am pretty sure it's caused by poor quality of paved roads in some places which my fragile spine can't handle any more. I bought a thudbuster seatpost only to discover that the suspension part is much bigger than expected and my seat would be too high. Suntour looks similar. I don' t know what else I can try. Any suggestions?

Can you lower your tyre pressures a little. Is there room to fit a wider/larger cross section rear tyre.
May help a bit if you can. I had to fit a handlebar riser to deal with back and neck pain which thankfully has helped along with Suntour NSX which is great but doesn't sound like you have room. Could you fit shorter crank arms to give room for your Thudbuster? Seats can sometimes be adjusted forwards and backwards to find a better position and maybe a gel cover or seat could help slightly.
If you are leaning well forward I would try handlebar riser first to straighten your spine.
Dave.

 

[LeighPing]

I don' t know what else I can try. Any suggestions?

A ten pound gel saddle from Tesco and a cheap suspension seatpost from ebay. It doesn't need much clearance.

 

[anotherkiwi]

Having read a bit more looks like thudbuster lt which I bought requires 14 cm of clearance whereas st about 10. Suntour about 11.

Can we have a photo of the seat as it is now?

 

[D C]

A ten pound gel saddle from Tesco and a cheap suspension seatpost from ebay. It doesn't need much clearance.

View attachment 16462

View attachment 16463

I tried one of these seat posts which came with a bike I bought and it actually gave me a bad back when I didn't have one previously! I gave it to a friend and he had the same experience and binned it. Probably they are OK for some and may be worth a try but the up and down slightly forward movement didn't suit me at all and did more harm than good.
Dave.

 

[LeighPing]

I tried one of these seat posts which came with a bike I bought and it actually gave me a bad back when I didn't have one previously! I gave it to a friend and he had the same experience and binned it. Probably they are OK for some and may be worth a try but the up and down slightly forward movement didn't suit me at all and did more harm than good.
Dave.

I'm going to swap it onto my other bike and try and make a video of it. Back soon..

 

[LeighPing]

I've put it here, so it doesn't get lost. Click to view.

 

[flecc]

Schwalbe Big Apple tyres will add a very effective suspension element to the bike:

Link
.

 

[Ruadh495]

My bike was giving me back pain a couple of months ago, which was strange as I don't generally have any back problems. Turned out that the saddle was a little too high, when I dropped it a bit the pain went away. Apparently having the saddle a touch high sets up a slight rocking motion of the pelvis, which affects the lower back. It's a tiny adjustment, about half an inch

 

[LeighPing]

£6 vs £50. Suspension seat-posts compared.

 

[chr4]

I thought I would provide an update on the thread I started here a few years ago. A lot of you kindly came up with lots of tips and I tried a few but was still struggling with pain and as a result did not do much cycling. I was in fact going to sell my ebike as it did not make much sense to keep it for these rare occasions. A few weeks ago I went on what was going to be one of my last rides just to visit a few places locally I never got round to see. It was also my final attempt to see if I there was a way to avoid triggering the back pain. In the end I tried to do a combination of things - in the order of importance I think:
1) lower tyre pressure (which some of you suggested and which my brain never fully registered) to 30 psi which was less then the rating for my current tyres. I also have Schwalbe Big Apples sitting in my garage now which I hope will fit but did not have time to swap them yet. Otherwise I think Marathon Plus can take lower pressure as well - so this might be an option.
2) I decided to go quite a bit slower than usual. This meant I had more time to react if I saw a pothole, possibly lower speed further reduced vibrations as well. It also meant I was able to pay more attention to being in the right gear and saved my knees as well.
Also, at lower speeds joggers and walkers were much more likely to acknowledge me and say hello which was nice and I had more time to enjoy a beautiful countryside around.
3) I tried to change the position and stand up on a bike to give my back a bit of variety of postures. Also, when going down hill or on the flat if I had enough momentum I would rest part of my weight on one of the legs rather than the saddle.

Usually I would be heading back after 1-1.5 hr but this time I spent almost 3 hrs cycling. No pain (!) - just a little bit of tension in the back but that's to be expected as the back muscles were engaged as well. Distance was only slightly bigger as I was going slower. I did not feel any jarring except when the road was in a really bad shape. I am still tempted by recumbent trikes as I think "napping" position would better suit my current riding style. But even if it turns out to be too expensive at least it looks like my current bike is going to be a keeper. I have also found this article on tyre pressure which I found quite interesting.
Thanks again everyone.