Bike fit / correct riding position

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/bike-blog/video/2013/jul/10/how-to-set-up-bicycle-pro-video

thought I'd leave this here, obviously obligatory arguments in the comments

^ Came here to post this myself. Yes, the woman who advocates riding 'sensible bikes' only, and who says riding a bike with drop bars is 'dangerous folly', made me laugh and cry.

MM, I must've missed that bit...? Unless she had said it elsewhere?

Edit, sorry didn't realise it was a comment. What a moron!

oh internet bike fit gods.
This is me (cinelli) ... after about 15/20 miles I get a very sore neck, and sometimes lower back. Will this problem be solved (or at least lessened) by a longer stem?

but a longer stem will stretch you more over the bike, making your neck even more bent..

re: lower back pain - do you mean tail bone?

Lower back pain: lumbar region?

i.e.

In which case I put £20 on your saddle being too high.

Sound like changing your saddle position would be more idea.

When it come to fit - make sure the saddle to BB distance fit you well, then worry about the stem.

Looks like you are holding you upper body upright with your arms and hunching your shoulders.

If you are flexible and have core strength you could have your torso at more of a 45 degree angle from the hips and ride no handed or have elbows bent whilst on the tops like that.

A longer stem can force you to "reach" and support more body weight on the saddle as a counterbalance.

back pain is more in this area

my saddle height is as it should be according to the "heel method" i.e if i put my heel on the pedal my leg is straight at the bottom of the pedal cycle.

I'm talking about the fore and alf rather, try and set the saddle back a bit and see how it feel, it sound like you're being forced far too forward rather than set back on the saddle.

Looks like you are holding you upper body upright with your arms and hunching your shoulders.

If you are flexible and have core strength you could have your torso at more of a 45 degree angle from the hips and ride no handed or have elbows bent whilst on the tops like that.

A longer stem can force you to "reach" and support more body weight on the saddle as a counterbalance.

I do find myself riding no handed quite often as its more comfortable once my neck has started to become sore.

I'm talking about the fore and alf rather, try and set the saddle back a bit and see how it feel, it sound like you're being forced far too forward rather than set back on the saddle.

so maybe a setback seatpost is in order rather than a longer stem?

Could you not set your saddle back to the safety limit of the rail?

Do you always ride with a bag on your back?

Could you not set your saddle back to the safety limit of the rail?

just tried, could only move it back about a cm, in the process I discovered I was also about a cm off on my saddle height calculations so I moved that down a tiny bit too. I'll do 20 miles tomorrow and see if it feels any different and report back.

thanks guys!

oh internet bike fit gods.
This is me (cinelli) ... after about 15/20 miles I get a very sore neck, and sometimes lower back. Will this problem be solved (or at least lessened) by a longer stem?
Your neck is sore because your head is twisted all the way to the side, making it seem as though you are looking over your shoulder.

Glad to help.

Do you always ride with a bag on your back?

most of the time yeah, theres not much in it though, just some water, a hoody and a couple of spanners, tyre levers etc..

I get some pain in my back whenever I have a bag on my back. Totally fine without it there. Try using a saddle bag for your spanners and inner tubes. Any weight you can remove from your back is a bonus

Some basic but effective tips here.

http://cyclingtips.com.au/2010/04/science-of-bike-fitting/

@thedopestghost

Might not be your fit - could be your SI joint is frozen.

I had the same pain in the same problem area as you but at around 120km - went to the chiropractor, had it identified and fixed in 3 to 4 weeks.

Some basic but effective tips here.

http://cyclingtips.com.au/2010/04/science-of-bike-fitting/

according to that my saddle needs to go back about an inch, my saddle needs to be higher by an inch, I need to chop my steerer down about the size of one spacer, and I need a longer stem.

I'm not convinced

I also thought about the bag as it hangs exactly where you said it hurts you

according to that my saddle needs to go back about an inch, my saddle needs to be higher by an inch, I need to chop my steerer down about the size of one spacer, and I need a longer stem.

I'm not convinced

oh wait, its an April fools?

Go for a ride for a few hours without the bag and see how that feels.