Cycling UK Forum

I'm looking for any tips on dealing with shoulder pain and tension when riding with drop bars.

Context: I have a newish Spa Cycles Elan which is the first bike I've ever had with drop bars. I've set the bars very high up. My hand position is mainly on the ramps, sometimes up top, very rarely on the drops.

My old bike is a hybrid with a very upright set-up and curvy ergotec bars with a slight backsweep. I ride the old bike for all my utility/short trips (because I'm less worried about it being stolen) and the fancy new bike for longer rides, plus planning a multi-day tour on it at end of May. I get no shoulder issues on the old bike. BUT to my dismay I am finding that during and after rides on the Elan I am getting tension and pain in my shoulders and around the base of my neck, I think because I"m not used to the reach. Any suggestions? I read colin531 saying in another thread on here that setting the saddle a little further back might help (with removing some weight from the handlebars) and I might try this, but am doubtful it'll help as I think it's the reaching forward that's causing the issue.

If you drop a hand off and lower your arm to your side does your hand come up short when you raise it again?

Can you add a side-on photo or video of you on the bike, feet on the pedals, hands in your usual position.

Jonathan

How often do you ride the Elan? I find that if I have a long time between riding a drop barred bike, it does take a few rides for the back of my neck to get used to the leant forward position. My experience has been that I did not have any problems when I was riding a drop barred bike a few times a week, even if the distances were only a few miles, and the adaptation of my neck muscles as a result was also good enough that I would have no problem riding much longer distances at the weekend.

Thanks, Jonathan. I think the answer to your question is probably yes, but not sure. And yes, realise a pic will be useful. It’ll have to wait until I fix today’s puncture (over the weekend)!

slowster wrote: ↑4 Apr 2024, 8:55pm How often do you ride the Elan? I find that if I have a long time between riding a drop barred bike, it does take a few rides for the back of my neck to get used to the leant forward position. My experience has been that I did not have any problems when I was riding a drop barred bike a few times a week, even if the distances were only a few miles, and the adaptation of my neck muscles as a result was also good enough that I would have no problem riding much longer distances at the weekend.

Thanks. That’s helpful. I have been wondering if it’s simply a case of not being used to it / getti g used to it. Over the last few months I’ve only had the Elan out once every few weeks. From now on it’s likely to be much more regular, not least for training for end of May touring.

I've set the bars very high up.

Any possibility that you’ve created a situation where the height of the bars is forcing your shoulders too high, or that you simply need to relax them?

I sometimes find in mid-ride that I’ve somehow got my shoulders too high and stiff, people have even said to me that I’ve got my shoulders up round my ears, and that I need to drop and relax them to restore comfort. That isn’t a bike-fit thing, it’s just a strange habit that seems to strike me on road sections; off road I think the constant moving about to shift balance prevents me falling into it.

You can't set the reach until you have positioned your saddle correctly. Read Colin531's pdf on bike fitting. The link is in the footer of any of his posts.

Nearholmer wrote: ↑4 Apr 2024, 10:57pm

I've set the bars very high up.

Any possibility that you’ve created a situation where the height of the bars is forcing your shoulders too high, or that you simply need to relax them?

I sometimes find in mid-ride that I’ve somehow got my shoulders too high and stiff, people have even said to me that I’ve got my shoulders up round my ears, and that I need to drop and relax them to restore comfort. That isn’t a bike-fit thing, it’s just a strange habit that seems to strike me on road sections; off road I think the constant moving about to shift balance prevents me falling into it.

There might be some truth in that. I’ve had a similar sensation and wondered if it was due to being too tense when riding. It’s a bit like when you realise you are gripping the bars tightly on a climb when you just need to take a breath and change hand position. Also things like clothing and helmet design can have an impact.

LucyEliz wrote: ↑4 Apr 2024, 8:19pm I'm looking for any tips on dealing with shoulder pain and tension when riding with drop bars.
<snip>
I read colin531 saying in another thread on here that setting the saddle a little further back might help (with removing some weight from the handlebars) and I might try this, but am doubtful it'll help as I think it's the reaching forward that's causing the issue.

Have a look at Colin's DIY bike fit guide http://wheel-easy.org.uk/wp-content/upl ... -2017a.pdf

The moving seat back is counter intuitive, but if you stand up with weight on your feet and you reach further forwards your bum goes back to keep you in balance with weight on your feet, and it's the same principle.

Having said that, a sporting crouch on to drops is an adaptation and if you don't take the weight of your forward-leaning trunk on your arms you have to take it somewhere else to keep your back up, typically core trunk muscles, which need a bit of practice to get used to it.

The neck thing is a lot of why I no longer use drop bars. There's no magic position where a crouch removes the need to look up to see ahead, and while some people get used to that with no great problem (again, just by using those muscles) I was always pretty much done after ~ 50 miles whatever my legs were saying. I ride a recumbent for long trips now, much more comfortable in an aero position without any need to get muscles used to it.

Pete.

LucyEliz wrote: ↑4 Apr 2024, 8:19pm BUT to my dismay I am finding that during and after rides on the Elan I am getting tension and pain in my shoulders and around the base of my neck, I think because I"m not used to the reach.

I wonder if you need a shorter stem (but first check/adjust the saddle posiiton as already advised). When I built a drop bar bike last autumn (my first drop bar bike for some years) I worked out out the stem length based on the relative dimensions of the drop bars and the flat bars I had been using. I quickly discovered I was too stretched out and am now comfortable with a stem about 25mm shorter than originally expected. I have also discovered that my comfortable setup for the drop bars is rotated so that the drops slope upwards which makes the hoods nearer (see photo).

IMG_5662 by 531colin, on Flickr

here you go, a tale of two bicycles.
John's Spa Aubisque, and my Spa Elan. The frames have exactly the same seat tube angle, 72.5 degrees.

John has his saddle shoved forwards on an in-line seatpost, this throws your weight forward onto your hands.
I have my saddle shoved backwards on a seatpost with the most setback I could get at the time (without taking out a second mortgage) this takes the weight off my hands.
In order to cope with his weight thrown forwards, John has his bars as close and as high as possible. (and toe overlap, I expect, with a tiny frame)
Arthritis in my thumbs has stopped me riding drops, but you can (hopefully) see where my hands usually are, above the brake levers on my bullbars.

I haven't got a photo of me on my bike with bullbars, but its about the same riding position I used when I could ride drops...a couple of me on an Elan "tester".... Photos taken in 2017, so I was 70 years old then. As you can see, that riding position is suitable for me to do a bit of off-road, because I'm in balance and relaxed on the bike. The bike probably had tyres like Marathon Supreme.

_DSC0829 by 531colin, on Flickr

_DSC0652 by 531colin, on Flickr

531colin wrote: ↑6 Apr 2024, 8:03am here you go, a tale of two bicycles.
John's Spa Aubisque, and my Spa Elan. The frames have exactly the same seat tube angle, 72.5 degrees.

John has his saddle shoved forwards on an in-line seatpost, this throws your weight forward onto your hands.

In order to cope with his weight thrown forwards, John has his bars as close and as high as possible. (and toe overlap, I expect, with a tiny frame)

The saddle position is actually an illusion as that photo is of a synthetic saddle (Selle SLR) which has the rails further forward than a leather saddle and needed a seatpost to match. While I liked the weight of that saddle my backside didn't like the comfort it provided and it's been replaced by a B17 with a setback seat post.

The bar height is set according to what my back and neck can tolerate. I started higher and reduced in 5mm increments until I felt uncomfortable. If I put the bars much lower I would need another set of eyes on the top of my head! The current stem is quite short (55mm) and more setback on the saddle would make it even shorter. There's no toe overlap problem even with 700c wheels although the photo shows my preferred 650b wheels.

I would also note that my objective in fitting drop bars was not to get my head lower than with flat bars but to get my hands closer together to reduce wind drag. I feel I've succeeded as I'm willing to go cycling on windier days than previously.

Balanced position by 531colin, on Flickr

I set saddle setback so that I'm not propping up my torso on my hands; in other words if I let go of the bars when pedalling normally I don't fall forwards.

How does everybody else do it?

JohnR wrote: ↑6 Apr 2024, 8:48am I would also note that my objective in fitting drop bars was not to get my head lower than with flat bars but to get my hands closer together to reduce wind drag. I feel I've succeeded as I'm willing to go cycling on windier days than previously.

Wouldn’t a hacksaw or pipe cutter be simpler? There must have been other reasons.

Paulatic wrote: ↑6 Apr 2024, 11:35am

JohnR wrote: ↑6 Apr 2024, 8:48am I would also note that my objective in fitting drop bars was not to get my head lower than with flat bars but to get my hands closer together to reduce wind drag. I feel I've succeeded as I'm willing to go cycling on windier days than previously.

Wouldn’t a hacksaw or pipe cutter be simpler? There must have been other reasons.

The drop bars I'm comfortable with are 38cm FSA Adventure (flared) and the hoods are 36cm between centres. It would be a struggle to cut flat bars down to anywhere near that length. They need the better part of 60cm width to have room for grips, shifters, brakes, bell and lights. In addition, if I put my head down on flat bars then my elbows stick out (= more wind drag) while on drop bars they tuck in better.

And I've checked my current seatpost which is the FSA Gossamer (20mm setback) on which the B17 is as far back as it will go. I'll have to check my other seatposts with more setback to see if there's one that isn't in use on another bike.