If you don't have pain while riding or quickly thereafter, i have difficulty believing the bike is the problem. Get you back examined by a PT, you are describing referred pain from the lumbar spine.

You might not really have tight hamstrings, it could be weak hamstrings. You could also have really tight hip flexors which are rotating your pelvis, causing your hamstring to always be stretched and never getting a chance to relax.

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Thanks.
The physio I've been going to did seem to think the the piriformis syndrome like issues I've been having could very well be a sciatic pinch somewhere, but she was focused on trying to rehab whatever is going on with my bicep femoris, so I'm guessing she didn't think that was nerve related, but I'll ask her about it this week. She's strictly done work on and around the muscle with dry needling, ultrasound, and tens. She did also give me a dural flossing exercise to do while sitting down. So far nothing has really seemed to help either issue... :(

From the "PT" you've reported you aren't doing anything worthwhile. All you say is passive modalities. There isn't anything truly active going on. If you have a true hamstring strain, there is a mechanical disruption of muscle fibers where the typical healing process is now aborted. Strains that heal have collagen laid down in a heap which then requires mechanical stretching and loading in a progressive and sequential fashion to aid in the healing process. Long term strains are not helped by the therapy you report and is just costing you money. Find a new PT who will assess your back primarily and if that is ruled out will give you appropriately graded exercises that will increasingly load the HS over time. Injuries where the healing process has ceased will take longer to recover.

Thanks for the info.
The exercises you describe, would that be eccentric types of exercises, like nordic curls?

I'm not terribly familiar with that exercise but from a quick google search it would seem like way too much load given the pain you are describing. That type of exercise would be reserved for pain free or near pain free condition. Eccentric loading is the most significant load one can impart to a muscle. So it should be used only when progressed to that point. Starting with isometrics and progressing to concentrics will be tolerated much better. As well, depending on severity one might start with open kinetic chain and then progress to closed kinetic chain. And let pain be your guide. Pain that gets worse with exercise or lingers after completion is not beneficial and is likely impeding the healing process.

Often times, strain of a muscle isn't always because it's tight, but overworked from the antagonist actually being tight.
Doing a thorough examination of the problem area as well as adjacent areas to get a better understanding of the bio mechanical dysfunction.

Eccentric loading to a strain in the muscle belly or near muscle tendon Junction are some of the most effective exercises for recovery.
Nordic curls are eccentric loading, but very aggressive.
Something as simple as a single leg stance on the affected leg, keeping the leg straight, and reaching forward towards the floor is beneficial.
However, this is usually most effective in the acute stage and by this point, your chronic pathology warrants a different approach.

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Thanks. Will have a talk with my physio today about switching from the passive stuff to focusing more on exercises. Thank god for 80% health coverage... :)
I bet my hamstring would feel better if someone would give me an ultra wicked deal on some Enve 8.9's...... ;)

PM me about my 8.9s and we can see about working something out.

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Stop hamstring stretches and stretch the quads.

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Dr Jay
http://www.Tri-Pod.net

My 2 cents is to roll the hamstrings with a lacrosse ball. Only thing that worked for me. I thought it was piriformis or hip/back issues but was just tight/glued up (in trainer speak) hamstrings. Regular rolling and stretching didnt work for me.

Will tight quads cause continued pull on the hams? I will add in quad stretches!
Mind you, I don't so any hamstring stretches lately as that causes a good amount of pain. If I bend over to touch my toes, that causes pain in the belly of the hamstring.

Thanks, already been doing that for a long time. :(

Tight quads will affect the antagonistic hamstrings. I don't even foam roll the hamstrings much, but regularly roll and stretch the quads. This has helped my hamstring issues immensely.
It appears to me most people don't benefit from rolling the hamstrings, as backed up by the other replies.
And those eccentric hamstring exercises were ridiculous/imposssible for me.

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Dr Jay
http://www.Tri-Pod.net

Agree with aikimann44

Also, if you're at the gym, STOP doing any quad dominant exercises for a while. This includes things like squats and lunges.
And START doing more hammy dominant deadlifts and hamstring curls. I was in a similar place as you a while back, and I found that my quads were stronger than my hammys, which lead to muscle imbalance and gave me a sore lower back.

Started building strength on my exterior postural chain, and pain started to go away, fingers crossed remains gone away forever.