My year has been plagued with piriformis/siatic problems. Been in physical therapy for the past several months with mixed results (it keeps creeping back up). I’ve had slight problems in the past, but they were all running specific. This year, it caught up to me on the bike and have discomfort over 2 hours…albiet not a deal breaker, just need to get out of the saddle and stretch every 10-15 mins. I have plans to visit a Chropractor this week.
Of course, I’m a year older now (37), but I’ve been riding over 6,000 miles a year every since I can remember. The only change this year was a new bike (SystemSix) with actually a LESS aggressive drop. Power isn’t much a problem over year’s past, it’s simply pain/discomfort.
My buddy is selling his SystemSix saying it was “too stiff” and now I’m actually questioning whether my trusty steed could be a culprit.
Anybody aware of data concerning new sexy carbon framed bikes and the relative discomfort which may follow?
I have lower back issues, and ride a pretty comfy Kuota Kalibur, but that in itself doesn’t seem to alleviate pain in my back. I have to sit up and ride no-handed every now and then and straighten things out, or get out of saddle and stretch my back, and then I’m good for a bit. I also ride a stiffer and not quite so forgiving Soloist Carbon, and have the same issue.
If you really think its the bike stiffness, you could try running lower pressures in your tires and see if that makes any difference before doing anything radical. You could also look at buying more forgiving wheels.
For a short term test you could try using a suspension seat post. That would at least let you know if the problem is related to the frame stiffness, and shock transmission to the back. You could probably find a used seatpost on E-bay, to make the test cheaper than buying a new seatpost.
It is also possible that it was just “time”. Sometimes injuries just happen; just like in running, you can injure yourself cycling. So the timing may just be coincidental. Anything else change on the bike; in particular did you go from a tripple to double, as the Q factor change could cause this. Any other changes relative to Q factor (BB width, type of shoes/pedals)?