Retro bike neck / back

Splatter Paint

Retrobike Rider
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I spent two hours on my ‘93 Explosif yesterday - my neck feels awful! Why were pre-suspension (and post ATB) front ends so bloody low?! :evil:

I’ve never had the neck issue on that bike before - I’m wondering if was due to riding at a sedate pace for so long? I was with the kids, so only about 6-8mph average rather than previously where I’ve raced it. I guess the Explosif was’t really designed for pottering about.

I really like the Explosif, an amazing bike to ride (fast) but now I’m the wrong side of 40 I’m getting too old for it :LOL:

SP
 
The slower you go the less pleasant head down arse up has the potential to be.
Also, the older you get, the less pleasant it is.

I feel your pain!
 
Re:

For this reason I'm using a frame (Ibis SS) with a short toptube and long headtube, combined with a Brooks saddle.
Rocky Mountain had a couple of models with this geometry; they called it enduro. For example the Fusion.
Best bike for low speeds must be the "widdow" bike. At least that's what we called them.
 
I've suffered with this before and every single time it's due to my bars being too low or too stretched out but mainly bars too low. A change of stem or spacers/raising may help?
 
I used to get this, until I realised the combination of the peak of my helmet (restricting my view of the trail ahead) and the low-ish bars forced me into an exaggerated head-up position, with an awkwardly bent neck. Removing the peak solved it.
 
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Yeah retro helmets rarely had peaks on them, my modern mtb one does, causing me to lift my head higher to see and can cause a stiff neck when riding retro.
I was on my retro lava dome the other week, holy sh*t!! I might as well have been on a TT bike with aero bars compared to my modern mtb :LOL:
Nowadays I usually ditch the narrow flat bars and long stem for wider risers and a shorter stem. Or ride a frame a size down from what was my norm back in retro times.
 
in the last few months I've done a lot of core and upper body training at the gym and that seems to have helped with the neck and back pain I was sometimes getting by the end of my rigid day-rides.
 
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If you dont ride it regularly, its gonna hurt in middle age. Best to get a higher rise stem and riser bars and adjust as necessary.
 
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Hmm, I hadn't considered the peak.... thanks!

I'll be sticking with the existing set-up on the Explosif as I ride it so infrequently. I ride road / cx every week, so I'm used to crouched position, I think if I was going a bit quicker / shorter duration that'd help too.

After 4 days I now have a dull ache and have stopped taking the pills!

SP
 
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