ok so I have been riding full suss since 2005 and switched back to hardtail last year, which on the whole I have been really enjoying for a variety of reasons. until recently. initially it wasn’t like this, but now, with no major changes to style, terrain, setup etc, I am crippled with lower back pain after every ride. Anyone else with similar?

You’re doing it wrong 😉

no major changes to style

So you ride it like a fs bike?Stand up more,it needs more core strength….no slouching!!
Do some sit ups.

Rorschach +1

Had the same problem when I switched back to hardtail after 5ish years on a bouncer.
Hamstrings were too short so I touched my toes a few times each morning and within a couple of weeks I was cured.
Praise be and hallelujah.

Just go back to the f/s, you know you want to. 😀

Saddle set up right? Having it too ‘nose-up’, even by a few degrees, can stretch lower back muscles and cause back pain. Try tilting the nose down a few mm?

touch toes, after each climb until core strength improves, your back muscles are doing the work of your abs. also try a suspension seat post, I have a USE SX £40 ish, plus really helps on techy climbs, stops you getting kicked out of the saddle

start doing Yoga.

I had the same problem and noting really solved it , I think it was the constant hits from the rear end so I gave up and bought a 4 inch full suss bike just to take the sting out . I do have a weak back 🙁

Well, I do spend an appropriate amount of time stood up now, obviously. I have tried strengthening my core and it hasn’t helped. I will try the seat angle thing though.

I get lower back pain from standing-pedalling, which is unavoidable on a HT

I’d say it’d be a fit/geometry issue.

sounds similar to the lower back pain i have been suffering. As said above often due to short / tight hamstrings which then pull on the back.

or… it’s nothing to do with the bike and more to do with the (early?- don’t know how old you are) onset of back issues due to wear and tear and you will have it on any bike you ride requiring similar reach etc and you only get it on your bike (at the moment) as it’s the toughest thing you do in your normal life.

You had the hard tail for over a year riding it perfectly happily – I’d say it’s a change in you not an issue with the bike. That’s not to say a change to bike setup might not help.

Is the hardtail a longer toptube than the fs?

Does sense title not make.

>Does sense title not make

Try harder?

Want me to chase you down and make you move about more?

Dunno man. Right now I can’t run at all. Rubbish eh?

try higher bars

Away from the bike – do some stretching –

Sitting down – touch and hold your toes for 10

Standing feet shoulder width – bend at hips to flat back and hold for 10

Lay with back flat to the floor – leave one leg flat and hug the other to your chest alternate and repeat

Google some yoga vids and try doing the sun salutation every morning

On the bike

When standing don’t stand as if seated i.e. don’t just hover above your seat still crouched over – get stood up tall so that you can use your hips and glutes to push the pedals over and down – you’ll use your muscles in a much closer posture to what we’ve been designed for over past few million years and hopefully avoid the strains your finding now.

PS don’t skip on the stretching it’s easy really

Try harder?

No, just speak English.

Yeah…sort out the title. As you can see from the replies, no one knows what you are on about…! Hmmm.

Anyway, I get a bit of lower back pain from riding the HT. I am convinced it’s down to lack of strength in my lower back muscles, combined with lack of flexibility.

Anyway, I get a bit of lower back pain from riding the HT. I am convinced it’s down to lack of strength in my lower back muscles, combined with lack of flexibility.

check first, but remember being told the opposite, it’s lack of strength in abs making your back take the strain. an imbalance between your abs and back muscles, your back being stronger than your front, if you like

Bet its a combination of bike fitting and personal fitness…

Put the bikes side by side and see whats what in relation to bb position, stem, seat bars etc etc… then see if anything needs to be changed..

Andy Pruits Medical Guide For Cyclists is a good source of info about bike fitting and how to cure back, knee, neck problems when biking.

HTH

what are you trying to prove ?

if the ht hurts go back to a fs.

RicB – Member
Saddle set up right? Having it too ‘nose-up’, even by a few degrees, can stretch lower back muscles and cause back pain. Try tilting the nose down a few mm?

This is definitely the case for me. Shunting the saddle forwards & back, plus playing with the tilt eliminated the worst for me. As others have said, work on your core strength…abs need to work with the back muscles to support the spine.

Rorschach – Member
Do some sit ups.

No. Do some crunches. Sit-ups aren’t particularly good for core strength and there’s a greater chance of injury (vs crunches)…usually through poor form due to a lack of core strength!

what are you trying to prove ?

if the ht hurts go back to a fs.

I can’t really afford to get a FS I would be proud of now, and I really like other aspects of riding a HT. Not trying to prove anything at all.

I think the frustrating thing is I have been focusing in stretching and core strength, particularly abs, in the last few months. If anything it’s got worse during that period.

I should probably point out that I have a 60-70 hour a week desk job to deal with, which is going to be part of the problem let’s face it.

This isn’t meant to sound like a whine, sorry 🙄

When standing don’t stand as if seated i.e. don’t just hover above your seat still crouched over – get stood up tall so that you can use your hips and glutes to push the pedals over and down – you’ll use your muscles in a much closer posture to what we’ve been designed for over past few million years and hopefully avoid the strains your finding now.

useful, thanks 🙂