• I was having similar issues over the last few years. When I went to my most recent bike fits the fitter prescribed 20mm shorter stems and moving the levers up the curve of the handlebars (and therefore closer to me) on both bikes.

    I'd been trying to get my position low on the bike, but as a result my reach was too long. This meant that my center of gravity was shifted forward, putting more weight on my hands, and therefore increasing the tension in my shoulders. I had a similar "shrug" that you described, and often had neck and shoulder pain on very long rides.

    Moving my bars and levers back made me "sit up" more. This shifted my center of gravity back, took the weight off my hands, and meant I could relax my shoulders and neck properly.

    Presumably your bars and stem are a one-piece, then? Your manufacturer may offer an "exchange" policy - Canyon definitely do. Otherwise you can probably sell it for not much more than a new one.

    Definitely worth just waiting for your next bike fit in spring if you're already planning one, though.

  • Yeah, they offer a cockpit exchange. Give them a ring or an email to arrange it. They send a new one out to you and then set up an account for you which is in debit until you send the old one back. You have to pay for postage back to Germany, but that's around 30 quid.

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