Newbie with Sore Shoulders

[bike4ever]

In addition to locking your bikes, are you hunching your shoulders? Look at your shadow as you ride. If you have a turtle back, flatten your back. This uses your stomach and lower back muscles more to hold proper form.

[sundial]

I'm also having a hard time getting my hands comfortable on the top bar. I feel like my hands are squished in just a bit too closely to get my wrists comfortable when I move from the brake hoods to the top bar.

Perhaps you need either a little wider handlebar or a different stem? I believe Specialized puts a 110 mm stems on most bikes and I've had to shorten mine to a 80 mm. Just brainstorming here.

[TahoeDirtGirl]

Hey there,

I'm the queen of poor posture. And if you got it, you'll find out pretty quick when you ride! That and tensing up- so the best thing is to have someone look at you or ride by storefronts where you can see yourself in a reflection.

Always try and keep everything in check too...sounds like you might have a forward chin (which I am constantly watching when I ride) so focus on tucking it back (think double chinning it) but not too far back.

I don't know if you weight train but lay off the chest exercises (bench press) and focus more on back (cable rows). I found this helped me alot- and another thing is to do some stretches for your shoulders- there is one where you do the door frame thing, but check online for some. I also found that the fit with my bike was off as well, when I went to a new bike shop after I came to the east coast, they actually did a couple of adjustments that helped out. Just my 4 cents!

[F8th637]

I could probably rival TahoeDirtGirl on the title of Queen of Poor Posture. I have this problem as well but have found that the more I ride the longer it takes for the pain to set in. So I know for a good portion of it is a conditioning issue. Make sure that you strengthen your core as well. I have a pathetically weak core and am working on that as well to help me become pain-free.

[Bootyscadoodle]

What a relief to know it's not a fit issue. Sounds like I have more conditioning to do, especially the core region. Thanks for all your comments and suggestions.

[MauiRockHopper]

I just got serious about biking but I only own a Specialized RockHopper mtb. Yesterday I rented a Dolce and it was the 1st time I used a road bike. The handlebars were not comfortable to me and I'm not sure if it's because of my inexperience. The upper "knobs" are shaped funny so that they dig into the webbing between your thumb and pointer finger. I could not find a comfortable place to put my hands except the down bars. Resting them on top on the flat part made my shoulders hurt, it felt too narrow (my shoulders are 16" wide).

I liked the bike except for the handlebars and shifting set up. However, I think the shifting will be similar on most road bikes. I am gonna ride a lot of bikes before I buy my 1st road bike (under $1000).

After reading many forum posts, it seems many brands have better components for less money than Specialized. Besides the handlebars, I liked the bike and fit (51"). I am 5'3 with short legs and long torso.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

My new bike is about 4 months old and after longer rides I am getting sore shoulders. But it's not a joint/bone issue- it's my shoulder muscles. There is no 'pain'- just working the muscles more than on my old bike.
I can see that my shoulder muscles on either side of my neck are getting bigger each month. For me, the shoulder soreness is just the same as when I do a lot of climbing on rides and my leg muscles are sore the next day or two....so it's actually a good thing!

[Flur]

I just got serious about biking but I only own a Specialized RockHopper mtb. Yesterday I rented a Dolce and it was the 1st time I used a road bike. The handlebars were not comfortable to me and I'm not sure if it's because of my inexperience. The upper "knobs" are shaped funny so that they dig into the webbing between your thumb and pointer finger. I could not find a comfortable place to put my hands except the down bars. Resting them on top on the flat part made my shoulders hurt, it felt too narrow (my shoulders are 16" wide).

I liked the bike except for the handlebars and shifting set up. However, I think the shifting will be similar on most road bikes. I am gonna ride a lot of bikes before I buy my 1st road bike (under $1000).

You are correct, the brake/shifters that are on the Dolce are Shimano and are on most road bikes sold today. However, you do have options. You should try a bike that has Campagnolo components, and one that has SRAM components, as the brifters are shaped differently and may be more comfortable for you. You could also try bikes with bar-end shifters. As components can be swapped out, once you find the right frame fit you could possibly change up the brake/shifter set up if it comes with Shimano brifters. NOTE: depending on what you like and what's on the bike this can be affordable (changing to bar-ends) or really expensive (building up a frame entirely with higher-end Campy). Talk to your LBS and ask about your options.