Shermers neck

Hello-

I recently purchased a road bike (Klien Quantum) and the riding
position is much different from my upright commuter position on my
previous bike (Mongoose Crossway 625). As a result, I can tell that I
will have some issue with neck/head position. I read on another thread
about "Shermer's neck" and wondered if anybody had a link to a resource
that gave more information about it. If not, does anyone have a link to
help with head/neck positioning on a road bike.

Thanks,


Andrew Maddox,
Tulsa, OK

Eyes forward.

Neck pain never been an issue. But I need to gradually get my back used to
the drops if I use that position. The best thing about a road bike is the
many positions for your hands.

wrote:
Hello-

I recently purchased a road bike (Klien Quantum) and the riding
position is much different from my upright commuter position on my
previous bike (Mongoose Crossway 625). As a result, I can tell that I
will have some issue with neck/head position. I read on another thread
about "Shermer's neck" and wondered if anybody had a link to a
resource that gave more information about it. If not, does anyone
have a link to help with head/neck positioning on a road bike.

2-second Google: http://www.ultracycling.com/training/neck_pain.html

Are you planning any ultra-tours or the like?

Hello-

No ultra-tours here. I went for a 40+ ride recently on the Mongoose, it
was my first time using aero-bars and I experienced a soarness in my
neck. My riding partner said to look down instead of ahead. This may be
what the issue boils down to, but I like to look into the distance to
get an idea of what is coming up. I felt something similar after a
short ride on the Klein and just wanted some advice on how to deal with
this issue.

Thanks for the link,

Andrew

wrote:
Hello-

I recently purchased a road bike (Klien Quantum) and the riding
position is much different from my upright commuter position on my
previous bike (Mongoose Crossway 625). As a result, I can tell that I
will have some issue with neck/head position. I read on another thread
about "Shermer's neck" and wondered if anybody had a link to a resource
that gave more information about it. If not, does anyone have a link to
help with head/neck positioning on a road bike.

Thanks,

Are you sure you have the right size and that it's all properly adjusted
to your body geometry? If so, then take your time getting used to the
new position and your muscles will surely catch up before too long.
Where are you putting your hands most of the time you're riding: tops,
drops, or hoods? If you're trying to spend most of your time on the
drops, try switching to a different position.

Hello-

I am a husband/father on a budget so when this bike presented itself at
a very reasonable price I had to make the purchase. I am not very
familiar with how to correctly size for a bike, but I think that I can
work with what I have, make some adjustments and have a nice road bike
at a good price. I will be riding it in to work tomorrow and I will be
talking with a guy here who is more familiar with sizing, I will also
be going to the LBS and do the same. Just thought someone here might
have encountered the neck thing before and had some advice on how to
deal with it.

Thanks,

Andrew

wrote in message
oups.com...
Hello-

I am a husband/father on a budget so when this bike presented itself at
a very reasonable price I had to make the purchase. I am not very
familiar with how to correctly size for a bike, but I think that I can
work with what I have, make some adjustments and have a nice road bike
at a good price. I will be riding it in to work tomorrow and I will be
talking with a guy here who is more familiar with sizing, I will also
be going to the LBS and do the same. Just thought someone here might
have encountered the neck thing before and had some advice on how to
deal with it.

The best way to deal with a pain in the neck is to remove the cause. This is
true both on bikes and in other aspects of life.

It mostly comes down to "if it hurts to do that, then don't do that."

Being comfortable on the bike is more important than anything else. You may
need to get a stem with more rise, in order to raise the handlebars, so that
you don't have to bend your neck so much to see ahead. There's no law that
says the bars on a road bike can't be level with the saddle. In fact, many
experts recommend it, as do I.

RichC

Hello-

Well I saw the LBS owner and he said that I could come up a little more
(1 inch) on my seat stem, but most everything else was fine. I think it
is just a position to get used to.

Thanks for all y'alls help.

-Andrew

wrote:

Do you Google? Mike Shermer was a participant in the Race Acrcoss
America (RAAM) about 20 years ago, and had to abandon due to severe
neck pain. Try the link below.

http://www.ultracycling.com/training/neck_pain.html

Art Harris

Rich Clark wrote:


There's no law that
says the bars on a road bike can't be level with the saddle. In fact, many
experts recommend it, as do I.


Do you mean that you recommend it generally or in specific cases in
which lower bars create a problem?

My own experience is that lower bars are far more comfortable ( at
least for me). While I can imagine that individuals might have issues
that mitigate how low bars can be I see very few riders who do distance
rides at any real speed who ride with bars even with the seat (on a
road bike). Aside from the obvious aero advantage I find it plain more
comfortable. I am usually on the hoods or drops while on the flats or
descending. I stay in the hoods on short or easy climbs and only ride
the tops on sustained climbs.