[Closed] Road Bike - Pain in the neck

Are your arms and shoulders relaxed when you're riding? If not, it may be a fit issues, if they are then the neck pain is probably something that will go as you get used to the position.

Try keeping your head down a bit more, and tilt your eyes 'up' more to look ahead.

both the above but also likely to be that the bars are either too low for you period or you need to stretch / adapt to that position. high bars look cack but are more comfortable.

You're a funny shape anyway, so that goes against you.
Given the bike is probably as old as you, play about with the bar height and width if you can. If I can get (fairly) comfortable on a road bike then you can too.
(saying that - it takes some getting used to. I also double wrapped the top of my road bars to soak up some road chatter, also riding on 28c tyres helps me)

bars appear already double wrapped, but tyres are 23s iirc
'looking' might be part of the issue. i have to tilt my head back to see through my specs, with hindsight the visor on my lid wont have helped either - both fairly simple fixes.

bit of that, bit of mtfu and ride it more often.

then maybe examine fit a bit more closely.

I've bee commuting by bike again for the last few weeks and I've really noticed the extra strain on my neck riding twice a day five days a week over going out at the weekend and on the turbo a few times. I think riding it more will get you used to it. I remember having the same issue when I started commuting by bike last time, it went away after a couple of weeks.

Peak on your helmet? If so you have too much neck tilt. If not, bars are too far away and your elbows are locked. Raise your bars and bring them a little closer. Your body is cashing flexibility cheques your back and hips can't (yet) handle.

I'm not flexible either, and found this out the hard way after a whiplash injury (a real one!)

Bar reach and drop consomethinge with your age, body shape and core strength? If not fix whichever is easiest for your budget and lifestyle.

Try a shorter stem - worked for me

Specs are a real bind on a road bike.

@ TiRed

Whilst your attention may be here - have you seen your email / has it changed? YGM!

Shorter stem

I have exactly the same problem. I used to ride road/touring bikes all the time. They had the bars much lower than the seat. I found them comfy and my neck never hurt.

Now I mainly ride MTBs and fat bikes and my surly troll all of which have higher bars. When I jump on my genesis for any long journey my neck hurts the day after. I think it's an age thing. Although I think I'm still the same as I was 25 years ago... My neck disagrees.

That's why I get cross and sad when I see a lovely road/audax/touring bike on a shop a short steerer. Bars level with seat is what I need.

Another factor that might be affecting you is cold temps. I sometimes get some neck pain after riding in the cold despite a correctly fitted bike. Tensing my shoulders against the cold causes all kind of niggles later on. Have learned to dress better as a result 🙂

try nodding as you ride along

😛 @DT, MrS

I wouldn't say it's entirely unusual if you're not used to it. I used to suffer the same while riding when I first started, particularly in the drops. Yet now, on the same bike, I find it very comfortable. Can ride in the drops all day. It's my long distance and winter bike these days. Have ridden up to 400k on it.

As mentioned, peak won't help if you have one. Though I think aches and pains to some degree are pretty normal when doing something new, as long as it's not really bad. If it persists, then start worrying about it.

Don't change the stem

Ditch the helmet peak

Move the saddle back on the rails

Relax your shoulders, bend at the elbow loosen grip

If you're using a helmet peak or wearing a cap under your helmet you'll be forced to keep your head up unnaturally high to see past them.

If it's not that, buy an endurance bike like a Roubaix.

Post a picture of you on the bike. It's impossible to suggest improvements without seeing you
However the last post with a guy on a bike with fit issues resulted in every conceivable option of saddle up, down forward,backwards. Bars higher,lower. Stem longer and stem shorter.

^ just post a picture of you doing something random. Will get about the same result

aw, you guys just want to see my picture.

good news is the neck pain is all but gone this morning, so i can have another ride today/tomorrow.

lid peak i can fix.
actually consider some sort of loosener/warm up
review my clothes - its warm out but should i really be riding in a t-shirt in december.
relax - easier said than done, but might have been the issue, riding a bike that feels like it can be blown off the road by a medium fart

buy an endurance bike - :o)

think i understand the logic behind raise the bars, although i dont think the steerer will tolerate it, i also see the "shorten stem" logic, i might investigate the spares and see if i have anything...

i dont get the comment about moving the saddle back. if anything i expected it to be the other way round and that i might consider moving it forward? anyone explain edhornby's comment.

will try to ride the same route with those tweaks and see how my neck feels.

if it still bad i will have to ask someone to take a piccy and submit myself for full abuse.

If the bike feels unstable then your weight distribution is all wrong, I reckon.

How tall are you and what size is it? Are you riding on the hoods?

It sounds as if you are craning your head upwards. This could happen if you are too bunched up. If your cockpit is too short then you'll be curled up and have to tilt your head too far back to see. So saddle further back and lower might help, as would a longer and higher stem. Also don't forget you can rotate the drops to get a more comfortable position

It could be caused by many things. If you're you're hunched over like a dog having a poo, you may need to stretch out a bit. Longer stem or sliding the seat back will depend on your body measurements.

[quote="molgrips"]Specs are a real bind on a road bike.Why i use either contacts or prescription glasses designed for cycling, they seem to have more coverage and sit far closer to the eye......

i dont get the comment about moving the saddle back. if anything i expected it to be the other way round and that i might consider moving it forward? anyone explain edhornby's comment.

I think my suggestion would be that there's a big difference between mtb and road position and that you tend to hold the road position all the time, so you spent 90 mins in a foreign position. Now you're sore.

Unless you plan on riding lots of road, make yourself comfy for these occasional trips. Lose the peak for definite, then raise your hands (if the stem can't go up, maybe it could flip over and/or rotate the bars back a bit if that seems like a goer - haven't seen the bike so we don't know)

I bought some half jackets for riding (non prescription) and I found them unsuitable for the position I like to ride in because to look through them I had to tilt my head too far back, even though they are cycling glasses. I bought eye jackets for road use. I ride with my head tilted down

Strangely enough i find half jackets (prescription) fine. Even on a low profile. Are you Chris Froome?

I'm sure many people find them fine, not least their designers! I am talking about riding on the drops, BTW .

My bike is quite short for me anyway and I am a bit hunched on the drops but I seem to be flexible enough in the body to cope. It's just the half jackets that were an issue

Maybe try the Asian fit nose pieces, they may lift the glasses higher on your face. (I had some Brikos about 15 years ago that were fantastic for keeping the sun off my cheeks, naff all use for keeping the sun out of my eyes)

Apologies, on a smartphone so can't do picture links to explain but molgrips has it, moving back on the saddle puts the weight back to your legs and core and lets you relax the arms

If its really windy then it may shift about under you but otherwise don't worry, you won't come off; also building core strength for the road helps which will come with time spent on the bike

asian fit nose piece

do i really want to google that?

Maybe try the Asian fit nose pieces

I did, but the problem was solved many years ago with the purchase of eye jackets. Should've bought Radars but the eye jackets work 🙂

If you have pains and want to enjoy road riding get a bike fit by a trained professional.

Best £80(ish) you can spend.

Just get a picture up. You're an odd-looking ****er at the best of times and being on a road bike will add comedy value.
*jiggles*
*hugs*

When riding along try removing your hands from bars but keep body in same position (you should be able to hold same position easily)

If you fall forwards and have to use your arms to keep you up then your position is wrong. Moving the saddle back helps this.

ok, rode yesterday with a different lid, no peak.
no noticeable neck pain today, however having read ^ i was much more aware of my positioning.

hoods seem about an inch too far away....

will try to find time (limited daylight) to get a pic