A few years ago, as I gimped through lower back pain, I went
to a spine doctor who prescribed physical therapy. He said my back needed
stabilization and a stronger core would bring that. Doing the several weeks of
PT I learned a routine of daily hamstring stretches and core work that
strengthens the transverse abdominal muscle, the muscle band under the abs
that, when strong, really keeps the vertebrae and discs from banging into the
sciatic nerve. Those shifts bring a parade of crippling pain for months on end.
I’ve had that happen, and I’m here to testify, it’s none fun at the beach. One
wrong move and the pain sears down the unlucky leg affected, all the way down
to the toes. When I did get over it, there was nerve damage in the bottom of my
left big toe, leaving a permanent numb patch. Nice!
Anyway, as part of the back exam at the sports medicine
department of UC Davis, you can opt for a road bike fitting by a specialist.
You bring in your bike, the clinician places it on a machine that holds the
bike via the back axle, and the clinician, also a road biker, takes
measurements. He then recommends adjustments to the seat, handlebar position
and cleats, so your back doesn’t get out of whack and bring on pain while
riding the bike.
The clinician, I think his name was Chad, saw that my right
foot extension went a little shorter than my left, and that it caused me to sit
unbalanced on the saddle, right cheek hanging off a bit, so to speak. To square
things up on the saddle, he added plastic spacers to my right cleat. He also
pushed my seat back farther and recommended that my handlebars get raised up to
measurements he provided on a computerized graphic. The changes were meant to
make me sit more upright on the bike, in a more back friendly position.
But when I took my bike to the bike shop and showed the
prescribed raising of the handlebars to Jesse, the bikestore owner, he shook
his head.
“If I put your handlebars that high, you’ll be way too light
at the front of the bike,” he said. "I’ve seen this guy’s recommendations from
other cyclists that have come in, and all they do is put your center of gravity
too far back.”
He really didn’t want to make the adjustment. So I figured
I’d split the difference and have him raise the handlebars to half the
recommended height. And even at that change, they seemed a bit high.
But I wanted to give it a shot to see if it helped my back,
and if it threw too much weight off the front, as Jesse predicted.
I rode the bike in all conditions for a few years with those
adjustments. I had some back issues here and there, but I attributed them to
stress, mainly. And I also realized,
especially on steep climbs, that Jesse was right. The front end was too light
and while climbing, it required a lot more leaning forward to keep balance,
than it would with lower handlebars.
I got used to it and forgot about it, until after getting
some recent work done on the bike by Adaman, a top notch mechanic. He saw the
high setting on the handlebars and suggested I bring it down, essentially level
it off, with a different post for more balance and control on the bike. He also
saw my seat set all the way back, and recommended it be adjusted forward, as
another change to help center balance on the bike.
I thought back about the somewhat “off” feeling of the more
upright position with the high handlebars and pushed back seat, and decided to
change them as Adaman suggested. On rides since the changes, I definitely feel
a more efficient center of gravity on the bike. And so far it hasn’t bothered
my back at all.
Looking back, I think the most helpful part of the adjustments
made a few years ago, were the added spacers to my right cleat. Before, I rode
kind of shifted off the right side of the saddle, and on long rides, that had
to be messing with my back. But with the spacers, I’m squared up on the saddle,
and not pulling down on the right side of my back.
Meanwhile, my climbing position is more balanced with the
handlebars lowered. And the small move forward of the seat has been barely
noticeable, but feels right.
And...
Just got new brake and shifter cables on my bike, along with
new brake pads. Wow, what a difference. Tight braking, precision shifting that
I’d missed with the old stretched cables. Should have had them replaced a long
time ago, but never really thought about it until above-mentioned Adaman told
me they were shot. He clued me in when I took the bike in to get the spokes
trued on my new wheel set. The bike now has very tight shifting and responsive
braking. Great call by Adaman.
Curving descents?
Learn the best line to ride
In dry conditions, taking a turn on a fast descent requires you
to take the right line into the turn. That prevents riding off the road and
crashing from a too wide or too tight line. Wide swings into a turn line work
really well to exit out of the turn where you want, and that typically helps maintain
speed. I’ve found I have to use the brake too much if my line into a turn is
too tight. The key, though, is riding through a descent turn slowly a few times
so you learn the best line to take at a higher speed. Learning the right line
on the fly while doing a turn on a fast descent can force a quick course
correction to avoid crashing, and sometimes the jerky correction itself can
cause loss of control of the bike. So it pays to learn a ride’s fast descents
with caution the first time. Once you know them, you can confidently take just
the right arc through it to keep most of your speed.
Heal that road rash
A wet front tire, on dry pavement curve still caused my
front tire slip out: Slap-down crash. Ouch. Road rash on my right arm is slowly
healing after a week of regular bandage changes. After the old bandage is
pulled off OUCH!, I’ve washed it with
soap and water, dried it with a paper towel, and sprayed it with Bactine before
putting on clean bandages. Thanks to blog reader Bob Burpee@icemanbb who
suggested using Nexcare bandages on road rash. I’ve found the worst pain from
pulling off old bandages that stick to the wound. These scrapes can easily get
infected, and tend to take a little time to heal on the most shredded or gouged
areas. I put some aloe vera gel on the road rash after it has dried out a bit,
and that stuff gets the healing on, too.
But here’s some professional advice on the subject. Check it
out, good stuff to know…
Until next time, remember to strap on your helmet every time
you get on the bike. Then keep the rubber side down, ride safe and have a
blast.
-- Mark Eric Larson
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