On Tue, May 12, 2009 at 11:13 PM, John Ferguson <[email protected]> wrote:
> > As some of you may remember, I recently built up a Saluki with your > generous help in selecting components. > > I have an on-and-off bad back, and thought it would be a great idea to > raise the handlebars substantially above the level of the seat. Didn't > solve the problem, so I ended up lowering the bars to seat level. > Magically, my back pain disappeared. > > The lesson for me is that high bars aren't a magic solution to back > problems. I think in my case, the bars when raised were just at the > right height to put a lot of stress on my back. > > In any case, if you're suffering like I was, give it a shot. You never > know. FWIW, my lowish (by Riv standards, anyway: 2" below saddle) bar position actually seems to help my back. I know that I get sore back only when I don't ride, or when (recently) I spend too much time hunched over my workbench. But the odd thing is that, on the few occasions I've had significant back pain, the roughly 45 degree hoods position was one of the few positions and situations where my back didn't hurt. This was true some 15 years ago when I had a weird flu that left my muscles stiff and sore for a year afterward; and much more recently when I hurt my back by unpreparedly stepping into a depression when walking in the wood: in both cases, it hurt to stand up and walk, but as long as I was on the hoods or in the drops, I was comfortable. (Getting off the bike was painful.) Now, caveat: When I ride more than, say, 35 miles, of which, say, 15 or more are in the drops, then my neck gets sore; so my low bar position is good only for my short distance riding. But for up to my usual 35 miles or less riding, it is supremely comfortable. -- Patrick Moore Albuquerque, NM Professional Resumes. Contact [email protected] --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
