# Tall rider with lower back up and upper neck pain



## cityjackit (May 13, 2015)

Afternoon guys,

I am 6'3" and 200lbs. I have my seat height so that I have a slight bend in my knee when at the bottom of the crank stroke. I have a riser Renthal fatbar, A slight rise to my stem as well, and still, I get lower back pain. Not to mention my neck begins to kill me at about 6 or seven miles.
I ride an Intense Tracer XL. I am 59 years old and what I think is decent shape. My legs still have plenty in them after 7 miles, but the neck and lower back are holding me back.
I want to try a 50K endurance ride come this October in NC foothills, but dang, my frickin neck and back kill me.

Any ideas PLEASE?

Thanks

Sid


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

It's impossible to judge your bike fit from here but regardless I highly recommend adopting a yoga workout that works your core and lower back and do it regularly. At our age riding alone will only degrade certain parts of your body and it's important to strengthen yourself so you can better enjoy the ride.


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## stripes (Sep 6, 2016)

cityjackit said:


> Afternoon guys,
> 
> I am 6'3" and 200lbs. I have my seat height so that I have a slight bend in my knee when at the bottom of the crank stroke. I have a riser Renthal fatbar, A slight rise to my stem as well, and still, I get lower back pain. Not to mention my neck begins to kill me at about 6 or seven miles.
> I ride an Intense Tracer XL. I am 59 years old and what I think is decent shape. My legs still have plenty in them after 7 miles, but the neck and lower back are holding me back.
> ...


Go get professionally fitted. And see a physical therapist. They'll help you better than internet advice.


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## BicyclesOnMain (Feb 27, 2021)

I'm 6'4" and last year I was alternating between a large and XL Turbo Levo throughout the summer (they were our demo bikes so I rode whichever one wasn't being loaned out) I found that besides the obvious handling differences, I did fine with the more upright position the large frame gave me. Bringing the bars closer to your body does far more to change your position than bringing the bars up. Try a short stem and see what that does for you.


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## Rumble71 (Nov 21, 2019)

Had similar issues. Went to a shorter stem which helped. My wife is a PT and she sees people our age all the time for sports related aches. Common theme is neglecting to stretch and neglecting to functionally strengthen (Core). Gotta take care of yourself, can’t outride age. J.B. Weld nailed it.


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## cityjackit (May 13, 2015)

Thanks guys. My wife says the same thing. You gotta stretch more.

I really want to do this ride coming in October, so its stretching as a routine and looking at a shorter stem.

Have a good rest of the day guys.

Sid


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

cityjackit said:


> Thanks guys. My wife says the same thing. You gotta stretch more.
> 
> I really want to do this ride coming in October, so its stretching as a routine and looking at a shorter stem.
> 
> ...


Most people think of yoga as just meditative stretching but it's a lot more than that. Here's a 12 minute routine directed specifically at cyclists and I guarantee if you do it properly it will kick your ass. 





Great for improving lower back strength.


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## toadmeister (Sep 24, 2017)

I'm 6'4" 270#. Been through many such issues over the years.

What is your bike model and frame size? Is it sized to fit you?

Aluminum frame? What wheels and tires? Psi in tires?

What kind of terrain are you riding on? Flats, downhill? Other?

Lower back hurts how's your core muscle strength? Are you doing core workouts?

What do you do for a day job? Retired?



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## MSU Alum (Aug 8, 2009)

In your set up, is your seat higher than your bars?


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## barelfly (Jun 27, 2008)

yoga x whatever number of mentions. It’s a game changer. Do some rolling as well, it just helps overall. 

but, when you ride, are you tense and shrugging your shoulders? do you have the grip of death on your handle bars? Try relaxing while riding as well, dropping your shoulders down and letting your hands rest on the bars. I catch myself doing this, more so when climbing. Could help your neck pain quite a bit. 

I’d also say you are hunching a bit, everyone does it. But getting fitted and then learning how to push your hips back so your a tad more upright but in a good pedaling position takes some pressure off your lower back as well.


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## cityjackit (May 13, 2015)

Dang, you guys are all over it.

The Bike & ride conditions;
2018 Intense Tracer, carbon, XL, 27.5 wheels, 28 psi rear, 26 psi front, single track, some flat, some switchbacks, a lot of up and down, central to western NC foothill trails if you have ever been.
Day job;
Reliability engineer, always on my feet very rarely in the office other than for lunch and a quick bowl of oatmeal. Work out at the YMCA - M, W, and F. Normal muscle groups, but start every workout with 20 min. on the spin bike. Core at least once a week. Don't smoke, don't drink.
My stem is as short as it gets. Cannot make it any shorter. There are as many spacer on top of the fork as can fit on my Lyrik. The seat however, its located in the middle of the rails. It could probably be slid forward maybe an inch and a qtr, maybe inch and a half. Tilted down in the front as well. Its level to a bit canted back. The seat height now that I look at it could be a source of the problem. A ruler set at the center of the bars while in the clamp, it looks like the tip of the seat is about 4" higher. The bar ends are about 2" higher than the tip of the seat.
See attached pics if they help. I'm afraid if I drop it 2" it'll goof up my pedal stroke distance.

Thanks a ton for that video stretching link. I subscribed. It looks like that guy offers a ton of stuff and it looks somewhat mtb kinematic oriented.

Thanks guys. I am sure my posture isn't the best or even correct. Death grip not hardly. I come from years of moto, just these past 3 years mtb.

Thanks and any help extremely welcomed and thanked.

Have a good week.

Sid


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## MSU Alum (Aug 8, 2009)

I know several tall guys, long legs, that ride with the seat a few inches higher than the bars and they tend to have some back pain issues when the climbing gets steep and techy. I'm more average size and at 5'9" tall and 30" inseam, my bars are 2" higher than my seat with 20mm of spacers and a low rise bar. Much easier on my back. I thought that, with the advent of steeper seat tubes, it would make it easier on tall guys, but maybe not.


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## toadmeister (Sep 24, 2017)

Aha, you mentioned your en Engineer (Me too)! Even though you said your on your feet a lot, I'm guessing you are also a slave to a computer. This has been a career problem for me.

If your tall, you're staring down at a screen and utilizing a keyboard made for midgets. This is a #1 ticket to neck and shoulder issues. Not to mention use of Mobile devices.

Had a C6-7 vertebrae fusion myself a couple years back. I only use a stand up/ergo workstation for work now, a little sitting but not more than 1-hour at the computer at a time. 

Hard to reverse the affects 25 years of slaving at a computer has done to me. Yoga and proper PT have been huge helps.

Obviously your bike ergonomics are key too, and we can't diagnose them via this forum. Make it a priority and get a professional fit.

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## barelfly (Jun 27, 2008)

Do you have knee pain when riding? that’s an indicator of seat height being off as well.

So, best advice, see if you can get a fitting done Before you start making adjustments. They’ll check for seat height, seat position etc. I had one done years back, the small tweaks that can be made can really make a difference.


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## cityjackit (May 13, 2015)

Thanks guys. I really appreciate it.

For the record, for the last 20 years BOTH my monitors sit atop a case of paper.  Pro/E and whatever else I need from time to time, I need those monitors jacked way up. Its helped my neck considerably.

I'm going to run by the LBS tomorrow and see what they can suggest.

Have a good night all.

Sid


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## socalrider77 (Sep 1, 2012)

I’m 6’7 and young and still struggle with this. With a 36” inseam and the short stack that all the long and slack bikes nowadays get, my seat is always way higher than my bars, which leads to lower back pain from bending over to reach the bars and neck pain from having to look up 

You could try some higher rise bars to get your bars even with your seat, spank makes a 50mm rise and a 60mm rise 

Another factor could be your stem is too short. I know there were mentions of shortening it, but if it’s too short you have to hunch more to place your hands right. If it’s the right length it should be a natural position with a slight bend in your back. Worth a consideration. 


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## targnik (Jan 11, 2014)

Mullet FTW!!

29er up front is just better... Higher stack and all.

The 27.5 out back, drops everything down, so you're not perched over the front.

I like the flick-a-bility of full 650b, but can't get around the lower front end.

Enter the moo-lay 

Sent from my Asus Rog 3


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## cityjackit (May 13, 2015)

socalrider77 said:


> I'm 6'7 and young and still struggle with this. With a 36" inseam and the short stack that all the long and slack bikes nowadays get, my seat is always way higher than my bars, which leads to lower back pain from bending over to reach the bars and neck pain from having to look up
> 
> You could try some higher rise bars to get your bars even with your seat, spank makes a 50mm rise and a 60mm rise
> 
> ...


That's good point on the stem. I am currently running the Renthal fatbar with a 30mm rise I think it is. Spank? I'll check it out.

Thanks


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## socalrider77 (Sep 1, 2012)

cityjackit said:


> That's good point on the stem. I am currently running the Renthal fatbar with a 30mm rise I think it is. Spank? I'll check it out.
> 
> Thanks


I usually can't run any bar that's under 40mm rise. 50mm rise is my preferred height. I run 30mm of spacers under my stem (max recommended by fork manufacturer), a 5mm rise stem, and 40mm rise bars now. It's manageable but 50mm would be better, I just don't want to spend the cash at the moment.

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## Fuse6F (Jul 5, 2017)

6'6" 250lbs ride an xxl stumpjumper 6 fattie. 
check 99 spokes to compare


i run an uncut steerer and 38mm riser bars w 70mm stem

standing the bars drop into my hands nicely

my seat is pretty much level with he bars

i couldnt imagine the pain id be in if my bars were 80mm approx lower like on your bike. 
some guys have laonger arms (ape index) and it helps alot. 

but a better fitting bike will remove your problems

look at something in the 656 stack range. Try a slacker sta as well as you sit lower overall on the bike that way. 

get the right top tube to reach combination for your body size. 

suspension makes a big diff stay away from low end dampers

then life will be good again

also a high stack shorter reach bike could effectively be the same as a lower stack longer reach. so think stack first. 
test standing, then size sitting. Imo


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