# New to road cycling



## Gatorbike (May 9, 2007)

I have been mt biking for about 7 years. I just bought a Trek 5200 last weekend. I rode 25 miles the day I got it and 37 miles the next day. I did have some pain in my shoulders and neck. Is that common? Any tips for a newbie? Had a little trouble with the road clipless pedals, seemed quite different from mt. pedals?


----------



## zeytin (May 15, 2004)

The neck and shoulder pain can be common as you adjust to holding your head in the required position; as I'm sure you've noticed it's different from the MTB.


----------



## il sogno (Jul 15, 2002)

zeytin said:


> The neck and shoulder pain can be common as you adjust to holding your head in the required position; as I'm sure you've noticed it's different from the MTB.


Ditto. Do a few more rides. If the pain persists you might want to make some adjustments. Maybe raise the bars, maybe shorten your reach. 

Have fun with your riding. Work on having a nice smooth spin. What kind of road pedals did you get and what MTB pedals did you have?


----------



## mandovoodoo (Aug 27, 2005)

Get position checked. Many women I see on the road are reaching too far. Different build from men, and most bikes seem designed for men. Smaller riders especially have problems. Saddle/pedal optimum relationship may be different for women. Seems that way watching women and men ride side by side. 

In general, position and use of the bars seem to play into upper body comfort. Some people with good position keep hands in one place on the bars. This doesn't help comfort. Better to keep the hands moving regularly over the bars to keep things less fatiqued.


----------



## Spinfinity (Feb 3, 2004)

*imho, long term answer*

Comfort on a road bike is a balancing act. You need to find an efficient posture that you can maintain comfortably for a long time. Much of what you hear about bike fit relates to finding this posture. You also need to balance your body on the bike with your hands, seat, and legs each supporting enough weight that your shoulders, butt and legs don't hurt. Much of what you read about butt, shoulder and neck pain and some of what you read about knee pain relates to not balancing your body well on the bike. You also need to be centered on your bike so your weight is distributed well for bike handling. 

Few riders, even with a competent bike fitting, find their balance point quickly. As parts of your body strengthen in response to riding, the issues of weight distribution change. If your body becomes more flexible or you add some core strength, your most efficient posture is likely to change for the better. As you get older some of this changes again.

For the time being, I don't think that a little soreness in the neck and shoulders is unreasonable. It may just be a matter of learning not to ride with your shoulders shrugged up towards your ears. If it doesn't get better, you may want to raise the nose of your saddle a very little bit or raise or rotate your bars to shorten your reach. Make one very small adjustments at a time and if it gets better move the same thing a little more.


----------



## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

*There is no law requiring you to use so-called "road" pedals.*



Gatorbike said:


> ..... Had a little trouble with the road clipless pedals, seemed quite different from mt. pedals?


If they are giving you problems get rid of them.


----------



## SadieKate (Feb 22, 2006)

MB1, not necessarily. Crank Bros road and mtb pedals should behave the same way. Or it may just be years of muscle memory with one set of pedals causing a learning curve with the new ones. Or it could just be brand new cleats. So many variables.


----------



## MrAnderson (Mar 12, 2007)

I'm new to road biking but have been an avid mountain biker for 7 years. I use eggbeaters They're flawless and light. In addition to being flawless they're easy to engage and disengage; therefore, I put a set on my new road bike. Take the time to get use to your bike. Personally I would put a pedal you're already familiar with on your bike and down the road maybe explore your options.


----------



## Gatorbike (May 9, 2007)

I use shimano spds on my mt. bike and I bought ultegra road pedals.


----------



## venus (Apr 27, 2006)

You will be using new muscles in your shoulders, back, abs & neck than you used on a mtn bike. Just takes a few more rides. A weight training program at the gym can give you a boost too. Being "stretched out" is all about muscles for aerodynamic positioning.


----------



## bill (Feb 5, 2004)

Spinfinity said:


> Comfort on a road bike is a balancing act. You need to find an efficient posture that you can maintain comfortably for a long time. Much of what you hear about bike fit relates to finding this posture. You also need to balance your body on the bike with your hands, seat, and legs each supporting enough weight that your shoulders, butt and legs don't hurt. Much of what you read about butt, shoulder and neck pain and some of what you read about knee pain relates to not balancing your body well on the bike. You also need to be centered on your bike so your weight is distributed well for bike handling.
> 
> Few riders, even with a competent bike fitting, find their balance point quickly. As parts of your body strengthen in response to riding, the issues of weight distribution change. If your body becomes more flexible or you add some core strength, your most efficient posture is likely to change for the better. As you get older some of this changes again.
> 
> For the time being, I don't think that a little soreness in the neck and shoulders is unreasonable. It may just be a matter of learning not to ride with your shoulders shrugged up towards your ears. If it doesn't get better, you may want to raise the nose of your saddle a very little bit or raise or rotate your bars to shorten your reach. Make one very small adjustments at a time and if it gets better move the same thing a little more.


In addition to what is said here, including the part about easing into it without jumping to conclusions about position, etc., giving your body a chance to adapt --
if your pain is in your traps, biceps, neck, and you need to rebalance, counterintuitively you maybe should lengthen your reach and/or maybe even lower the bars. These are signs that you are pushing back against the bars, and lengthening your reach will correct that. Conversely if the pain is in your lower arms and triceps, it's because you're holding yourself up with your arms, which can be because you're too stretched out or too low. 
It's all alchemy of course.
Saddle angle can matter here, too.
but don't do anything right away. the position takes some getting used to, regardless.


----------

