Back pain - Ergonomic issue with my F3L

[jbim]

Hello,

I need help to figure out what I need to change ergonomically in my F3L setup to eliminate my back pain. I am not a health professional so I'm not sure of the name of the body part but it's the muscle(s) between the shoulder blades, maybe called the rhomboids. It starts after about one hour and it intensifies after that. I rode 300 miles today and I feel it. The last two hours were not as fun as they should be. I am 5'10'' and the bike is stock. I would like to determine whether the reach is too far, too close, too high, certainly not too low. I think as a minimum I could rotate down the handlebar. This would give me a shorter and lower reach.

Anyone out there experienced something similar and found a fix?

I should mention that anyone tempted to say I should get in shape, please restrain yourself. I do weights, row, cycle, paddle a kayak, hike, etc. that is not the issue. The issue is how I hold the handlebar!

Thanks for any help.

J

[Bruce B]

Why don't you get someone to take a side photo off you sitting on it with your hands on the bars.

[jbim]

Why don't you get someone to take a side photo off you sitting on it with your hands on the bars.

Good idea, will do! Thanks

[JayBros]

OK, getting photos of you on the bike is a good idea. Since you're in shape why not then take the pictures to your physician or a physical therapist and see if he/they can suggest stretching or remedial exercises that may help alleviate the pain. Just because one is in "good" shape does not necessarily mean all one's muscles are properly conditioned.

[RICZ]

I am also 5-10 and find the seat tortuous when I'm in it for more than a half hour. I have osteoarthritis and will be getting a hip replacement soon. Shortly after that, I will do what I've done to bikes for years; go to a saddle customizer and have that seat tailored to fit my butt. My customizer takes posture into consideration when doing the job and makes certain my legs and arms are in proper riding position too. You might consider doing that too.

[Curlytops]

As above...get a good seat tailor made and maybe so bar risers may help as well... Nothing worse than back pain I have osteoarthritis in my crumbling spine... so always take pain killers with you as well on a longer ride!

[SpyderAnn01]

Sit on your bike, in your usual riding position, close your eyes and put your arms out where you feel would be a comfortable riding position, open your eyes and see how this compares to your current setup. I feel that the stock bars require you to reach too far so I got the short reach bars which help but I would still like them to be closer and lower. I’m 5’10” and typically ride 500 miles or more a day.

[LifeLongRider]

You cannot rotate the OEM handlebars, they're pinned in place. You haven't said whether or not you're using a backrest. If not, that would help immensely.

[papanorm]

RoxRisers bring the handlebars closer and also provide quite a bit of adjustment up and down.

[Mikind7]

I am also 5-10 and find the seat tortuous when I'm in it for more than a half hour. I have osteoarthritis and will be getting a hip replacement soon. Shortly after that, I will do what I've done to bikes for years; go to a saddle customizer and have that seat tailored to fit my butt. My customizer takes posture into consideration when doing the job and makes certain my legs and arms are in proper riding position too. You might consider doing that too.

Due to arthritis and many years of abuse, I had almost given up on riding, tried every combination of seats and bars to no avail. In the past 12 months I have had both hips replaced and now find I can comfortably ride 200+ mi days on the stock seat. MAJOR LIFE CHANGER!!!!

[Michaelscs]

Do you have a rider backrest? I found that having a backrest will allow you to relax back and relieve back pain - shoulders to lower back.
Couldn't ride my F3 without it!

[Wildass]

Get floorboards.Being able to move around and foot placement goes a long way for comfort.

[AY4B]

Carbon 60 took my pain away and also many others.

[jbim]

Thank you all for your comments and advice. It seems I may need a shorter reach. I bought the backrest yesterday, I will install it and see how it goes. I figured it can't be a negative even if it does not fix the issue. Changing to the shorter reach Ufit bars seem to be quite expensive. Someone mentioned Rox Risers. Are there any other options to shorten the reach?

Thanks

J

[SpyderNeil]

I had the same issue and the backrest fixed it completely!

[Mikey]

I have heard that when you are sitting on your seat your arms should be almost flat with your shoulders, for a perfect ergonomic fit. But a good chiropractor would be a good start! good luck. Your neck and back may need a cracking so to can make some tracken

[Peteoz]

I have heard that when you are sitting on your seat your arms should be almost flat with your shoulders, for a perfect ergonomic fit.

My goodness......that would mean I would need to install a set of 18” apehangers, Mikey .

Pete

[RICZ]

When heading straight, there should be a slight elbow bend in your arms.

[JackSA]

Thank you all for your comments and advice. It seems I may need a shorter reach. I bought the backrest yesterday, I will install it and see how it goes. I figured it can't be a negative even if it does not fix the issue. Changing to the shorter reach Ufit bars seem to be quite expensive. Someone mentioned Rox Risers. Are there any other options to shorten the reach?

Thanks

J

I had the same problem. A backrest did the job, WITH Rox Risers. The rox risers are cheap and easy to install. Big difference nin comfort. I now do 600 kms a day and feel fresh.

All the best.

[jbim]

Hi all,

I bought and installed the BRP backrest. Not cheap. I went out for a ride and could feel an immediate difference. The backrest allows me to adopt a straighter, more upright, and closer position. The upper back muscles are not activated and I feel more relaxed. At least now I know that a shorter reach is the fix. Not sure the backrest is all I need to change. I may look at the Rox Riser and the short reach handlebar, not a cheap solution!

Thanks for all your help.

J

[cptjam]

Concur with SpyderAnn. Short reach bars, Rox risers, backrest, floorboards, custom saddle to fit you. It should not hurt! With the right set up, it should be the most comfortable seat you own. Ours are. Pain never enters in the conversation. Very hard to enjoy the ride in pain. A proper windshield is key, too. Another overlooked area is helmet weight. Lighter is better. All the pieces have to work together. Believe me, figuring out your combinations takes time. Only you can decide, but feet, seat, hands, windshield, posture are key elements. Once you got it, riding is a joy!!

[jbim]

I checked BRP's install instructions for the short reach handlebar. They recommend having the dealer do it. Is this something people do themselves, DIY. I suppose the main issue is torquing, provided of course everything is in the right place and alignment is good.

[lloydw1]

I gave up on two wheels due to pain in my left knee and groin pain. Have since found out all of the pain is associated with arthritis in both hips. Purchased my F3T so that I wouldn't have to rely on my left leg to ride. Madstad shield ,Ultimate tallboy seat and floor boards at position 5 and I can now ride all day. I'm only 5'9" but being stretched out seems to help a lot.

Main advice is see a doctor. If I'd have seen him sooner I might have been able to save some money. Diclofenac Sodium is doing wonders for the pain. I want to get some trips in this summer before I'm forced to schedule my hip replacements.

Note: Ultimate seat is working out well for me. But you sit higher than stock or Mustang seats. Had a 20in shield and just had to order a 22in replacement shield to compensate for the height.

[jbim]

I bought and installed the backrest and the short reach bars. looks like the combo will help. I went out for one hour today with no issues. I'll know more when I go for a longer ride.

Thanks for all your comments.

J

[Trec1]

I have a backrest and the Rox risers on my 2018 F3. We just took our first "real" ride this weekend. 583 miles over 2 days. I found that even with both of those add ons, my back still hurt. What I realized for me is that I tended to try and actually lean against the backrest. That put my hands just a little too far from the bars. I noticed that if I adjusted my posture to a more straight up position, it lessened the pain dramatically. My back was still against the rest, I just stopped trying to lean against it. I'm thinking about modifying the backrest with a piece of 1 inch foam to help to straighten me up a bit.