Quote Originally Posted by OakLeaf View Post
... may I ask which level(s) your back issue is at?

My PT has suggested that if I ever get back on a bike at all, I'll need to ditch the road bike. I've got issues at multiple levels, but the one that really gets nailed on the road bike is L3-4. I'm still skeptical that anything shy of a unicycle would let me ride in perfectly neutral spine regardless of terrain ... but I'd like to hear your experience.
I severely injured my back years ago (L5 and L4) badly enough that I ultimately had to have a spinal fusion. Although I still have numbness in my left side and occasional severe sciatica, I can ride road and MTB bikes without any problem. But this requires that I do two things - walk a few miles every day (apparently that builds a good balance of back and stomach muscles) and I have to adopt a different position on the saddle (my sit bones don't bear my weight, it mostly is supported by the pelvis, which is rotated). Hope you can find a way to ride again too.