Hello !
I am preparing my tour in europe from france to istanbul. I would like to get my bike lighter and more confortable.
I already rode 5’000 kms in Asia with it. Despite a few adjustments of fitting, i feel a lot of pain in my back and my shoulders after few hours.
I have a fork suspension and think about change it to a rigid one. I know that a XC has a different geometry than a gravel, but i like it and don’t want to change of bike.
What do you think ?
by Lolo_Traveller1
4 Comments
Changing a fork probably won’t fix back / neck / shoulder pain. You’re probably too stretched out and / or need more hand positions.
I’d suggest adding antlers to your bike, also called inner bar ends. More positions is always better
I just bought a whole new new to tour on so that I HAVE a front suspension. I did a 40 day tour on a mostly paved route and really wanted a smoother ride. Maybe a different handlebar height or system? Maybe you should have a pro look at your form while you ride?
Sounds like a fit problem to me. Impossible to tell with a picture of the bike but my guess is your reach is too long.
I do notice that your saddle is tilted down and it’s also slammed really far back. I would experiment with sliding it forward and leveling it.
It might not fix the problem but I bet the nose down orientation of your saddle is causing you to put a lot of weight on your hands, and the long reach is causing issues as well.
I’d maybe buy some grips that have a paddle like the Ergon GPs as well.
Edit: as far as the fork goes, I think the only real advantage is you’d cut several kg. I wouldn’t say that’s worthless, but it would be pretty expensive for what looks to be an inexpensive bike.
(Not knocking your bike, just saying it would be a lot compared to the cost and I don’t think you’d get the benefit you want.)
Changing to a rigid fork may lower the bike’s front geometry and make it less comfortable by putting more of your body weight on your hands/arms/shoulders. You may need a more upright riding position. A rigid fork is likely to make the bike lighter but may not solve the back and shoulder issues. The weight and the comfort are two separate issues.