I got out for the first proper run on my bike yesterday around the blue run at Glentress.

On returning to the car park and dismounting I realised that my back was absolutely killing me again.

In the past I have herniated the disks in my back a handful of times. Which sometimes causes back ache and pains in my legs.

If I get a FS frame is this going to help out much or is it something I'm just going to have to live with.

Any advice on budget FS frames is appreciated as well. Not looking to spend fortunes having just built up my hardtail and most likely just transfer the parts to a FS if needed.

Could just be your position on the bike rather than the fact it doesnt have suspension

Could just be your position on the bike rather than the fact it doesnt have suspension

I did wonder about that.

Wasn't sure if I was holding my back to rigid in the ride, resulting in all the vibrations etc getting transmitted through to me or not.

I have to admit there were a few moments where nature was in control and I was just thankful that I had managed to avoid falling into the trees

Get yourself down to The Bike Chain in Edinburgh, they've got bike fitting properly machine type thingabob whatcamacallit. That might help with making sure your current bike is set up right for you.

The Blue trail is not that bumpy, is it? did you feel a pounding at your rear?

I don't see how normal bike-fit stuff is relevant to a case/condition like yours.

Bike fit is v important when it comes to pain – if you are reaching twisting wrong or performing repetitive actions (oo-er) in the wrong position it will strain your back.

I would also add that increasing core strength does wonders too. At least that combination worked for me when I first started biking and rapidly knacked my back !

As above, it can just be your position or the way you ride (pushing big gears rather than spinning can be a cause) but in my experience, even if those are the causes, FS will help to some extent – at the very least it makes it less painful once the back pain does start.

Worth checking the cheap fixes first (eg fit and riding style) though I reckon.

I'd say check your position first. I have full suss and I imagine if your lazy it might be worse for your back as your more tempted to sit down to ride thing out rather than stand up.

However if have the right position, do ride rough stuff by standing up etc I imagine it would help to a small extent.

I guess there are all sorts of backpain and all sorts of causes, but earlier this year I started really suffering on steep climbs with my lower back getting progressively more and more tense.

I seem to have sorted it with a regular regime of stretching (hamstrings and lower back) and core strengthening (plank, crunches and something called a "captain's chair")

Cheers for the info

I've been thinking about shortening my stem a bit to push me up a bit more. Current stem is 110 so I recon 80 would pull me in and up at 6% with my riser bars.

It helped a lot for an friend of mine. Similar injuries and RSI to boot. But don't get a cheap one. Hire/test first and see if it helps then buy a descent one. Boardman/Specialised/Giant best value for money IMHO.
Will a suspension seat post help issues for the least money.

I had a lot of back problems on a hardtail, osteopath said it was compressing my spine. Went full sus and it's been much better, still have to make sure it fits though and I still do lots of stretching also.

"Current stem is 110"

Yikes!

Larger volume tyres at lower pressure and a plush saddle can make quite a difference to a HT at relatively low cost.

I have a damaged disc/joint in my back which is really painfull if it gets aggravated, but I ride a FS and don't get problems even on 6+ hour rides. Last year did one 45 min ride on my old hardtail and it took 2 days for my back to recover. On a HT bumps get transmitted straight up the spine which is exactly what you don't want

In this order

Check position including saddle height and reach. i tried a return to cycling a few years back and stopped due to back pain. A £14 stem changed my world. But do stretch as well

Try a road ride. If it still hurts FS won't help

Lower tyre pressure. Keep going lower until you pinch flat

Try FS. Maybe look at a used frame. Some older designs will be cheap as they are maybe less travel, steeper head angle but they'll still protect your back

Def check riding position at your LBS maybe? Before shelling out on a FS if you don't really want or need one?

I know exactly how you feel – If you go back about three months or so I was asking a similar question on this forum – lots of back pain, particularly lower but sometimes upper. What I hadn't noted was that I also occasionally had wrist pain. I was also looking at suspensions seat posts and maybe a budget FS.

(Touch wood) I seem to have just about eliminated the problem – including 5 laps at Mayhem without a single tweek from the back (wasn't that a fun weekend!?)

My cure seems to have been a combination of learning to relax my shoulders (relax hand grip and focus on relaxing shoulders), working on my core (using the power muscles less, so putting less strain on the lower back) and adjusting my riding style – my centre of balance was often way too far fwd!

Some massive benefits I have noticed (thanks to the advice on this forum) are that the back pain has just about gone (and when I start getting it I know why and focus on relaxing), I have saved a load of cash I couldn't really afford anyway , my riding has improved (!) and I am actually looking forward to more racing rather than worrying how long my back will last…

I have no doubt a FS will help but there is a lot you can do without splashing out cash… Good luck!

Could just be your position on the bike rather than the fact it doesnt have suspension

Yep.

FS is unlikely to help, except that many FS bikes with more travel are set up with a more upright riding position. So this might help with the back – it's not about the suspension specifically. You can get a more upright riding position on a hardtail by just adjusting your stuff.

I remain sceptical that a change of position on a HT would really sort out a disc problem like the OP or me because of the shock transmitted to the spine by a HT – being more upright might even make it worse.

Probably the quickest and easiest solution is to borrow/test ride/rent a FS for a day. Even if it costs £50 you will definitely find out one way or the other before buying new kit for the current bike or changing it

The OP's back pain is not necessarily caused by disc problems perhaps? I mean I used to get a sore back from riding in a certain way, and that was just the muscles in my lower back.

I was suffering from a lot of neck pain which also caused headaches the day or evening after rides.

A combination of switching from a carbon hardtail to short travel full suspension and an improvement in my overall fitness has pretty much completely stopped it.

It wasn't a bike set up issue in my case as I went from a Giant XTC Composite to an Anthem X which have identical geometry and I transferred over the bars and stem from the XTC to the new bike.

I think the first thing to do is to look at stem length. A friend mentioned that he thought my stem, although lovely and carbon/alloy was going to be too long.

I've been pointed in the direction of an eXXotic 12 quid stem that is a cheap alternative.

Seat post is a Titec something or other attached to a really comfy WTB seat. I have been feeling like it's tipped too far forward the last few rides, and had a fiddle last night with it, so will try it out tomorrow on a new run – at Craik Forestnear my folks, never been before.

I regularly ride a 22 mile route along the Tyne from Wylam to Newcastle and back, I don't get back ache from that, so I presume it's to do with setup on the new bike and/or the slightly rougher going.

I don't want to buy a FS unless I really have to. I deliberately bought a steel HT frame when building my bike up and avoided getting sucked into the FS world and spending a significant amount of cash more.

Probably the quickest and easiest solution is to borrow/test ride/rent a FS for a day.

Good excuse to try one out anyway.

110mm stem makes me think you'll have 1.9 tyres at about 50psi 😆

Maybe grabbing at straws here, but did you ride with a rucksack on?

Maybe grabbing at straws here, but did you ride with a rucksack on?

I did.

Had some spares in there and it was fairly heavy, 1.5l hydration pack, pump, innertube, other bits and pieces.