All Things Bikes and Tacos! (...and every vehicle imaginable)

First thing I would say is work on core strength and work that area out. More riding always helps as well. try adjusting the seat angle a bit. But don't go too drastic, don't want to cut off blood or pinch a nerve. Also, try relaxing your shoulders as you ride. could be contributing.

 

Also. How do your palms feel? If they're sore or numb after a ride, you've got too much pressure on your hands so your seat angle and seat position need to be adjusted. if they're not numb, you should be fine on seat angle/position

 

I just ordered a new blue bike today too

 

The views aren’t too bad

 

I was going to suggest this too. A lot of times back pain is other super tight areas pulling and causing the pain. From what I’ve seen, most back pain (from poor fitment, not fatigue) is usually in the mid/upper back.

 

Palms are always fine. Honestly feel like sliding the seat back is the next step as far as bike adjustments. Sometimes I feel too far over the front so I arch my back to lean down. Slide the seat back and my torso angle sharpens but I'd be able to keep back straight and not feel like I'm sticking over the front? I think I just need to play around with every combination of seat angle and forward vs back that I can. Might roll my bars slightly forward even. The multitool will be used lots on the next few rides.

 

Nose down on the saddle at least 1-2 degrees. Push the saddle forward. Short stems also are great because it allows you sit up a bit. But more than that...

Lower back pain riding is most often tight hammy's. Do toe touches to limber up the backs of those legs and your back will almost immediately feel better.

 

Whyyyy?! At minimum, it should be hanging on a wall as a piece of art until you're ready to build it.

 

Anyone in or near CO selling their or their s/o's small full suspension? Looking to upgrade the wife to a mid/ short travel bike from her original hardtail. would consider almost anything given the current covid bike shortage that is still hitting us hard in Western CO!

 

Still can't figure out why peeps want to put knobby tires on a road bike and ride gravel roads.
That's what mtn bikes are for.

 

And I can't figure out why people ride mountain bikes on the road.

 

My old computer SS hard tail is my commuter- but I do live in CO so I can ride to work even on snow/ice days. Granted I live 8 blocks from work and I have a road bike for long rides. I can also attach the Mac ride and ride the kiddo to the park. Much preferable to the bike trailer in my opinion but the mtb could Mac ride one and pull the other in the trailer. To each their own but I love mine on or off-road ha!

 

Anyway, I can't tell if you're serious.... But I'll give an answer anyway while I drink my coffee since maybe you only have one bike and you're just not familiar with other types of riding.

I guess I'll start by noting that I'm still a Cat1 xc race guy. So I'm pretty good at riding mountain bikes, but I've also ridden or raced in almost each discipline of bikes in 40 out of the 50 states, so I also have a good idea of what each region has in terms of terrain.

Yes, mountain bikes go off road to include gravel roads. Everything else being equal....No, a mountain bike is not faster on a paved or gravel road than a road bike with gravel tires. Some people like to go faster on gravel roads, that are connected to paved roads, to cover more ground. Think of it more of endurance riding or racing than it is time trialing. Looks like you're in S. Carolina. If you don't believe me, head over to Francis Marion next weekend and check out the Swamp Fox gravel race. Then use the RwGPS file on another day other than when they're racing and see where you would place in that field having used your mountain bike.

I don't think you'll find many people who are buying gravel bikes to supplement their XC mountain bike, throwing that Gravel bike onto a car and driving to ride a gravel canal path for 40 minutes. Those people are likely doing it with whatever bike they own.

I've also ridden my gravel bike at "Gravel Races" that had significantly harder terrain than 90% of XC races I've done.(In hindsight, I also wish I had used my mountain bike for those races but thats not how they were advertised). Putting larger volume tires on their road bikes also makes it more comfortable. So if they prefer a plush ride with a more aggressive position, that's cool too.

Lastly, 99.5% of people who "mountain bike" are not replicating what you see at DarkFest, Rampage or any slopestyle event. In fact, 99% can relate more to Pinkbike's Friday Fails than anything else. So for the large majority of bikers beyond the age of 40, having one bike that can get them out of the city streets and off the beaten path is ideal. It gives them a sense of adventure and thats fine.

 

Yea, I was just giving a stupid/smart reply to the other post. No need to justify to me, I totally understand lol

 

@Chris(NJ)

I was being a little bit funny about gravel bikes. I've raced pretty much everything on two wheels.
Factory BMX, Downhill & Dual Slalom Pro, and Expert Cross Country Racer too. I've had mtn bike
gearing on my road bike chasing down Cat 1 Road racers on training rides so I could haul ass on my
mtn bikes. That got old real quick so I went back to the correct gearing for my road bike. Just
like when cyclocross racing started happening I was like no way are you gonna get me on a road bike
running and riding thru the mud. Anyone who races cyclocross is crazy to me cause it looks too painful.
All kidding aside anything on two wheels is fun as long as you can pop one handed wheelies.

 

The internet has ruined me. I never know when people are being serious or not

One winter season of CX up here and I gave that up real quick! It would be fun if it wasnt so cold at the same time!

So many broken derailleurs that day

 

The above contains golden nuggets. Any sort of pain during/after a climb almost always caused by bike fit (which is very tricky, takes time, or a pro to help you dial in), position while climbing (different than bike fit, but affected by it), or muscle tightness/weakness.
It takes time to get the fit right, lots of trial and error. Or pay someone reputable to get it done, which is worth 10x what you'll pay.
Personally, it took me a full year to fix my lower/mid back pain issues. For me it took a combo of hardware (higher rise bar, shorter stem, lowered saddle nose), software (sit up straighter during the non-technical parts, look up), and fitness (Yoga, 100 pushups a day for a year).
I can't say enough about Yoga. I was super reluctant to do it, but wifey bought me a year of Yoga15 and it's been a game changer for all of my achy body parts. I've been through the wringer, broken bones, joints, spinal compressions, etc. I'm 45 and shit hurt, all the goddam time. Yoga's really changed my pain levels, flexibility, and best of all will keep me from future injuries. Yoga15 is free for a month, short and manageable, has MTB/sport specific programs, and Abbi's not bat to look at
**Not in any way affiliated with the program, it's just really helped me

 

Oh man, I helped staff a gravel race in Utah called the Stupid Pony. The speeds the leaders were cranking out consistently made my brain hurt. Averaging like 20+ mph for hours on end.

https://bikepacking.com/news/stupid-pony-2019-event-recap/

There's a certain madness to it for sure, but that madness is what makes it fun. For a real sufferfest, rock a 29+ hardtail instead of a CX bike

 

What do you guys think of the 2018 Rockshox reba? My first bike I purchased was a pretty slick deal on a demo Hawk Hill 3 120/120mm. didn't realize it back when I got it that the shop swapped the stock revelation for the reba... Bummed because IIRC researching I could have upgraded the revelations to something similar to the ultimates... Wifes turn to upgrade bikes before I get something with more travel. Debating in the mean time of either a good service or upgrading the fork to a higher quality, possibly slightly longer travel

 

Damn. I can't pop one handed wheelies...Looks like I'm no fun.