# Is full suspension easier on the lower back?



## BHD108 (Mar 14, 2018)

I'm looking to buy a bike, and have not ridden one in years. Mostly planning on doing fairly mild off-road and trail riding. I have a bit of a chronic back problem, that does not usually bother me. Every couple years (it seems) I'll do something and be down for a few days with disabling back pain. 

I was planning on a hard tail, but wondering if I've going to find that this will aggravate my lower back. Does a full suspension really take the stress off the back?


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## jeremy3220 (Jul 5, 2017)

I have low back pain but it's mild enough that biking doesn't bother it thankfully. I will say that full suspension definitely doesn't beat you up as much as a hardtail. They save you from both the bumpy trail while seated and you don't have to get up and down from the saddle as much. It sounds like a Scott Spark or something similar would suit you. It's a mid/short travel bike with plus tires. It's a very plush/comfortable ride without having more travel than you need for mild trail riding. The extra grip of the plus tires will also allow you to stay seated more on climbs.


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## Cotharyus (Jun 21, 2012)

In short, the answer is yes. If you want me to qualify that and back it up.....

2 herniated discs, etc etc - I have a hardtail (single speed) that I ride a LOT but because it's single speed, I stand on many climbs, and of course going down hills, so really only seated maybe a 1/3 of the time of less on it. Still, on longer rides (I won't get into milage because "longer" means many things to many people) I will notice my lower back becoming sensitive to trail chatter - just the little rocks and inconsistencies that come with dirt trails - when I'm seated. I also have a FS bike that's geared, so I stay seated on it a lot more since I really only stand on descents with that. I notice it takes much longer on the bike before my back becomes sensitive to trail chatter.


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## upstateSC-rider (Dec 25, 2003)

Thankfully I've never had back problems but when I ride my HT my back is sore the next day. It happened even after I went from 2.25's to huge 2.4's. Never a problem on my FS unless I had an epic ride with more than usual climbing.


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## Lone Rager (Dec 13, 2013)

Concur with posts above. FS is much easier on the back over rough terrain. 

Lower pressure tires do help...generally running tubeless and perhaps wider to allow lower pressure. I run 2.4s and am not much of fan of + tires, though many people do like them.


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

I've had chronic back problems for years (herniated disc) and cycling is my savior, the more ride the better it feels and the less likely I am to injure it. My back was really bothering me yesterday and a long road ride totally cured it. 

I've never had a full suspension but for me riding any bike is good therapy for my weak back.


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## watermonkey (Jun 21, 2011)

I spent several years on a hardtail fatbike as my only mtb. Even with the squish of riding full fat on trails, it finally took its toll. It was taking a day or two to recover between rides due to my sore lower back. I still get out on it once in a while in the dry months, but my primary bike is now a full suspension 27.5+. It makes a big difference. I can definitely ride more, longer, and more often on the full suspension.


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## hesitationpoint (Aug 11, 2017)

I have both and I notice no difference. But they do require different riding styles. You can't sit over chatter or roots on a hardtail. But to be honest, you probably shouldn't sit over chatter even on a full suspension bike if you have back problems. At least a hardtail forces you to build better riding technique and core strength. 

Also, doing some core strengthening exercises as part of your routine is a good idea for any mountain biker.


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## jestep (Jul 23, 2004)

If the back pain is due to injury such as compressed discs then FS is going to be a huge improvement.

If it's due to a general lack of fitness and/or flexibility or poor riding posture or a poorly fitting bike, then FS isn't fixing anything. For newer riders and people who have tight hamstrings and back muscles, I'd work on core strength as already suggested and start routinely stretching or yoga. Make sure your bike is properly fitted and use the proper technique for the type of riding you are doing.


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

jestep said:


> If the back pain is due to injury such as compressed discs then FS is going to be a huge improvement.


That may be true but it isn't universal. My back pain is from an injury and as mentioned riding a bike is therapy for me, even a rigid one. I think it's because it improves core strength and stretches the back in a good way, for me anyway. Also I agree with a previous post saying that a hardtail encourages pedaling out of the saddle more often which is also helpful for me.

I'm looking forward to getting a good full suspension bike sometime soon but not because of back issues, I can understand how it might be helpful for others though.


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## BHD108 (Mar 14, 2018)

Great information, and more to consider.

I had to think about whether my back stuff is from compression on the disk or more lateral disc going out of alignment and pinching nerves. I'd say it is the latter for me. I'm sure the easing of jarring compression that an FS gives is helpful in any case.

I have a pretty tight budget and can't put a bunch of money into something I'm just getting into at this time, so a good FS is probably out of my range, which is about $500. I could get an older FS but not sure that is the best option.

I was wondering if those seat post with shocks can help to give a similar result reletive to back stress, like this:

Thudbuster LT - Cane Creek Cycling Components

Also, does going with a 29er (or 27.5) over 26 give a softer ride?

BTW - I hear you about strengthening the core, and that is definitely going to be part of my exercise routine.


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## d365 (Jun 13, 2006)

Go see a doc/physical therapist that specializes in lower back treatment.

I feel like I could write a novel about my back pain. I struggled with the yearly pinched nerve like you, but then I decided to go full-on herniated, ruptured, compressed disc. That is when I finally went to a doc and a physical therapist. They helped me figure out the root cause of my issues. I wish I had gone sooner, when I was just pinching a nerve. Now I can do a few target stretches when I feel things getting out of sorts, and prevent it from getting to the point of pinching, or worse.... at least so far.

Cycling always made my back feel better too, loosen things up, but it is also how I caused my herniated, ruptured disc by ignoring the warning signs, because I thought it would eventually loosen up like always. Then I went off a little 2 ft drop, and landed smooth but... squish. Took 2 years to get back to "normal".


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## Schulze (Feb 21, 2007)

I don't think so. My lower back isn't even tired after 4+ hours on a hardtail. What a FS saves is your ass bones.


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## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

Schulze said:


> I don't think so. My lower back isn't even tired after 4+ hours on a hardtail. What a FS saves is your ass bones.


I disagree. I'm with the others who say that yes, a full-sus is easier on you. I've ridden the same trails on both, there is no contest. Think about it, would diving a gavel road in a car with no suspension be as easy on your body as a car with suspension? Same thing.


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## Guest (Mar 18, 2018)

I use a thudbuster on both rigids, full sus is definitely easier on your back (on the same road/trail) than hardtail, but there are ways around it if you can change your riding style and make other adjustments.


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

Mr Pig said:


> I disagree. I'm with the others who say that yes, a full-sus is easier on you. I've ridden the same trails on both, there is no contest. Think about it, would diving a gavel road in a car with no suspension be as easy on your body as a car with suspension? Same thing.


You're ignoring personal experience, lots of activities (and inactivity) hurt my back but riding bikes fixes it. Maybe a full suspension would fix it even more? Not sure but I'll find out, for now though long rides on a hardtail don't bother my $hitty back at all.

One thing for sure is that what's good for one may not be for another.


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## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

J.B. Weld said:


> You're ignoring personal experience, lots of activities hurt my back but riding bikes fixes it. Maybe a full suspension would fix it even more?


You've never used a full-sus.


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## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

It’s only common sense that a rear suspension would help with shocking jolts going through the body. So the answer is yes, a full suspension would be a better choice than a HT If you have back problems.


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

Mr Pig said:


> You've never used a full-sus.


A hardtail never hurts my back at all so how could a ful-sus hurt it less?

I don't disagree that fs is best for many but I think you're missing my point. The gist of this thread seems to be that if you have a bad back riding in general will aggravate it, and so riding a full suspension will aggravate it less. While I'm sure that's true for some my experience is that riding *any* bike regularly will strengthen the back and make it less susceptible to injury.

For me, and I'm sure many others a sedentary lifestyle is the back's worst enemy, not the bike.

Again, just my experience.


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## BHD108 (Mar 14, 2018)

J.B. Weld said:


> The gist of this thread seems to be that if you have a bad back riding in general will aggravate it...


I was not coming in with that assumption at all. I was just concerned that going over serious bumps while sitting on a HT could aggravate my already troubled back.



J.B. Weld said:


> For me, and I'm sure many others a sedentary lifestyle is the back's worst enemy, not the bike.
> Again, just my experience.


Actually I believe this has been medically proven. The times my back hurts most is when I'm sitting or standing, but when moving, like walking, it feels great. So, it makes sense to me how riding, in general, would not aggravate my back and actually be good for it.

However, going over jarring bumps while seated on an HT can't be _good_ for the back. If you are not experiencing any back issues while riding a HT over bumps it is probably because your back is strong enough, maybe from riding, to handle it . And it sounds like in your case you don't actually _need_ a FS. But that does not mean that the overall health of your back over time would not benefit from riding an FS.


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## hesitationpoint (Aug 11, 2017)

Sitting over jarring bumps is a bad idea whether you are riding a hardtail or FS. It's like asking, which is better for your back - hitting with a hammer or a mallet. Well the answer is probably the mallet. Better yet, don't hit your back at all, stand-up. I am amazed at the number of people I see riding mountain bikes sitting pretty much 90% of the time. 

And yes, I have a history of back problems which is why I peeked into this thread. 5 years ago, I could not carry a backpack for more than an hour without getting back soreness. Core exercises and riding a hardtail standing up cured it. If I would have bought a FS first and learned to ride sitting down, who knows.


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## Schulze (Feb 21, 2007)

Mr Pig said:


> I disagree. I'm with the others who say that yes, a full-sus is easier on you. I've ridden the same trails on both, there is no contest. Think about it, would diving a gavel road in a car with no suspension be as easy on your body as a car with suspension? Same thing.


I think if I had an upright position on my saddle like in a car (and many bike riders) it would be compressing the discs and be hard on the back. I guess I'm more of a stretched out position guy.


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## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

BHD108 said:


> The times my back hurts most is when I'm sitting or standing, but when moving, like walking, it feels great. So, it makes sense to me how riding, in general, would not aggravate my back and actually be good for it.


It depends on what's wrong with your back and exactly what and how you ride. Walking, generally speaking, is very good for your back. Cycling may or may not be. If you have a poor riding position even cycling on the road can kill your back. Ask me how I know!

This is a completely different discussion to full-sus vs hardtail. Whether cycling in general is good or bad for your back depends on many things but, all else being equal, a full-sus is going to be gentler on you. It was one of the reasons I bought one.


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

BHD108 said:


> I was not coming in with that assumption at all. I was just concerned that going over serious bumps while sitting on a HT could aggravate my already troubled back.
> 
> Actually I believe this has been medically proven. The times my back hurts most is when I'm sitting or standing, but when moving, like walking, it feels great. So, it makes sense to me how riding, in general, would not aggravate my back and actually be good for it.
> 
> However, going over jarring bumps while seated on an HT can't be _good_ for the back. If you are not experiencing any back issues while riding a HT over bumps it is probably because your back is strong enough, maybe from riding, to handle it . *And it sounds like in your case you don't actually need a FS. But that does not mean that the overall health of your back over time would not benefit from riding an FS.*


I don't disagree with any of that but depending on circumstances I think the part I put in bold text might be debatable. Because I ride a hardtail I spend a lot more time standing over bumps which in turn helps strengthen my back. I suspect so anyway. My back is super sensitive btw, if I dig a small hole I might be laid up for a week.

In the end I think it's always best to do things that make it feel better and to stop doing things that hurt it, everyones different but for me regular vigorous exercise has worked the best.



Schulze said:


> I think if I had an upright position on my saddle like in a car (and many bike riders) it would be compressing the discs and be hard on the back. I guess I'm more of a stretched out position guy.


Same here, feels much better on my back. My road bike is pretty aggressive and even that doesn't bother me, actually feels kind of nice when it's hurting a little.


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## BHD108 (Mar 14, 2018)

This discussion has been very informative and helpful for me. I'm pretty clear about what I'm going to get now.

What I've come away with from all this is:

Although a FS will help make for a smoother ride and therefore in general put less stress on the lower back (I guess this is obvious), how you ride is the most important thing relative to back health.

If I had unlimited funds I would get a nice FS, cuz, why not. But here is what I think I'm gonna do. Buy a good used low end HT (around $400) and add a suspension seat post like the studthumper for another $150.

And learn to ride off the seat over bumps and as much as possible. Given that I don't think my body is developed enough to stay off the seat most of the time at first the seatpost suspension will help take some of the vibration off the back when I am sitting.


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## hesitationpoint (Aug 11, 2017)

Whatever you do, good luck. I know the initial mountain bike purchase can be as confusing as hell. 

As for learning to ride standing up, you won't regret it. Watch some videos of expert mountain bikers and they are all riding standing, unless they are coasting on a fire road. It's just part of developing good bike handling skills. It allows you to shift your weight much more so you can weight the front for cornering and hang back when descending. 
You will progress much faster standing than sitting. Plus, you can pedal with more power. Good luck.


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## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

I’ve got a weak back. I hurt it about a week back.


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## stripes (Sep 6, 2016)

I really enjoy full suspensions as I’ve gotten older and things hurt more. I do much better on a full suspension than a hardtail in most cases. I’m trying a steel hardtail running plus wheels. I won’t use it for chunk but figured it’ll be fun for the smoother stuff and even the snow. 

These are my experiences. Obviously get help from a doc or PT, but hopefully this will help. 

However, 8 years I was at my heaviest. 215 lbs. Had such bad back pain from a compressed disc I was off the bike 6 months. Lots of PT. A ton of tears. Not only was that some of the worst pain I’ve ever experienced, but also I wasn’t able to ride so I was getting depressed. 

After losing 30 lbs I’ve been a lot stronger. But there are some things I have discovered that are big for keeping the back pain in check:

- squats. Body weight is fine but at least every other day. Squeeze your glutes on the way up. A lot of this pain can be from lack of glute strength. 
- stretch hip flexors and hamstrings. Either one being tight can cause low back pain. Stretch every day. 
- planks. Planks not only strengthen your core, but also loosen hip flexors. This was a big one for me. You can’t get out of this one unless your doc says no. 
- bridges. Strengthens your low back. Go slow with this and don’t force it. 

Things that can be up with your bike:
- a bad fit. Oh this one can take a toll on your body. 
- cranks being too long. Not only troublesome for the knees but also the low back. On long cranks I get low back pain. 
- too hard of a gear. This can put undue pressure on your back pedaling too hard of a gear for long periods. 
- pedaling over chunk seated or taking a big hit seated. Don’t do this if you can. Better waking for a section than riding a section that hurts you. Love to ride another day.


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## edubfromktown (Sep 7, 2010)

J.B. Weld said:


> I've had chronic back problems for years (herniated disc) and cycling is my savior, the more ride the better it feels and the less likely I am to injure it. My back was really bothering me yesterday and a long road ride totally cured it.
> 
> I've never had a full suspension but for me riding any bike is good therapy for my weak back.


+1 riding in general is good for keeping my back loosened up. 30 years of playing soccer among other things has left me with back pain flare-ups a few times each year.

I have two rigid single speeds, a hard tail and full suspension bike and pedaling any of them lessens the chance of a flare up. On rough terrain, the full suspension bike has some advantages in the cush/couch riding department.

Since I am over 50 and have a lot of riding experience, knowing how to pick a good line is even more of an advantage IMO and running tubeless tires (at lower pressures) is also a big plus.


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## mack_turtle (Jan 6, 2009)

If your back is hurting and you deal with it only by riding a FS bike, that's only a partial solution. If you keep changing your bike to accommodate injuries, you'll be riding a recumbant in a few short years.

Straighten out your misaglined back and strengthen your core. I recommend employing a chiropractor, sports doctor, or physiotherapist to help you in this endeavor.

Suffered from debilitating lower back pain a year ago. Working with a chiro/ sports doctor to strengthen my core and back, and getting a frame that fit me made a HUGE difference.


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## Crankout (Jun 16, 2010)

In my experience and having a history of back problems, switching from a HT to FS was beneficial. 

Treating my back with proper exercise is the other part of the resolution to my back issues.


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