I like bikes. I like road bikes, and I like mountain bikes. The problem is, for a while now, mountain bikes don't like me back. When I ride the mountain, I usually have trouble with my lower back hurting me, to the point where it adversely affects my ride. I can still ride, but I've got no power, and the enjoyment goes down. In the Utah trip, I was almost always at the back of the line, with the exception of a handful of times when my back didn't bother me and I was able to ride well for a little while. I can still enjoy a ride, but it gets frustrating.
What makes it even more frustrating is just how different life is on the road. Tonight I got home and hopped on my road bike for a quick ride. It's staying lighter later and the weather was just perfect, and without having to pack the bike in the car and drive somewhere, a road ride is a perfect way to get in a ride in a short time frame. Today, just like back on March 26th, I had a great ride... I felt strong, I was able to ride fast and for a while, with no problems. Towards the end of the ride, my back did start to get a little sore, but unlike the mountain bike, I was able to keep riding without the pain slowing me down any. The fatigue set in after an hour and ten minutes of riding, versus within the first five or so minutes as I get on the mountain bike.
I even decided to ride Tohickon Hill Road, (a long hill with three sections of up to 15% grade) which, the last time I rode it, nearly killed me. Now, I might not have been fast, but I felt good the whole way up and at the top was up-shifting as it leveled off -- I didn't need any easy recovery. For the rest of the ride, I kept pushing the pace and really, really enjoying myself.
As a quick aside -- I've got to give a quick nod to the drivers who were so considerate, but for several of them, the mountain bikes on their roof racks kinda gave me a clue as to why they were so nice -- they were bikers too! (High Rocks/Ralph Stover state park is about a mile from Tohickon Hill Rd)
So I ride the road bike, and feel like a rock star... then I'm on the mountain bike and I ride weak like a kitten. I've checked my position between the two bikes, and it's very similar, especially when looking at saddle-to-bottom-bracket positioning and saddle height, which I would think should be the biggest controls of why my back hurts. It's not even specific to one bike, either. I had problems like this (although not quite as bad) with my Santa Cruz in the '05 racing season. This year I'm getting it on the Scott Scale hardtail... but when I demo'ed the Gary Fisher HiFi at Fair Hills, I got it on that bike as well, although a little later.
My theory is my back just isn't as strong as it needs to be, especially compared to my legs. Thankfully, Grace is a personal trainer and knows her stuff, so we've been working on this problem together, although so far without much luck. I'm certain that with her help, we'll get this figured out, but for the foreseeable future, I'm going to be enjoying road rides a whole bunch more.
1 comment:
As I was reading, the same thought a your conclusion occured to me. Road == relatively relaxed back. MTB == having to work with upper boddy a whole lot more, forcing your back to fatuge, then hurt? But I don't know about that stuff, just guessing here...
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