I liked gravel the idea of it , i have a dirt nsbikes and a freeride one sooo comfy that i ride everyday ..i got this gravel but i can't ride it ..my lower back hurt , I don't feel safe riding it .. i don't even know what i am doing wrong
Im between selling it or installing a flat bar , i have one flat bar of my mtb not sure if it will fit but also the fork is rigid so.. advice please
I want it to be my light back that goes everywhere that's all
by FSpeshalXO
15 Comments
Hating a bike is weid
I always loved flying on the flats in the middle of a good MTB trial, so obviously gravel always piqued my interest. Now when my son was old enough for a full sized MTB, I retired my custom build to him and I’m all gravel now. Though I did also purchase a Trek Dual Sport this summer for cruising around town.
Drop bars are sick, first of all.
You should be able to spend a whole ride on the hoods without pain.
This is a fit/ skill issue, not a bar issue
Have you gotten a bike fit? You might need a different position for the bars.
You are also going to use some different core muscles on a gravel/road bike vs MTB, so if the fit is good, you might just need some conditioning.
Honestly the marketing for gravel bikes has everyone thinking there great. The truth is a lightweight XC bike is MUcH better for gravel riding. Only reason to get a gravel bike is if your riding 70% tarmac and the gravel is smooth or dirt roads are hard packed. Gravel bikes aren’t great for these big full day adventures in nature like all the marketing makes out. They leave their comfort zone very quick off road and it just becomes and uncomfortable sketchy ride in a bad riding position. On a XC bike you would be flying down that stuff without even thinking about it.
You might feel more comfortable with a shorter stem, higher bar can often help. Get a cheap adjustable stem (search for something like “70mm adjustable stem 31.8”) and play around with positioning. They are like $20 on [gigantic online retailer]. I try to start too short/high, then stretch out with a longer or lower stem if I have too much weight on the seat after a ride. I ended up with a 50mm stem on my gravel bike, and it feels great. Not super aero, but whatever.
Hands on the hoods should feel really natural and balanced – you shouldn’t feel like you are reaching or stretching at all, and weight should feel nicely distributed between your seat and hands (and feet when standing).
It took me thousands of miles of hating drop bars before I realized, it’s okay to not like them. I run flat or alt bars on all my bikes. I came from a BMX background, drop bars make me feel like I really don’t have control of the bike as well as flat bars.
If you have a 6 degree stem, try flipping it so that it gives +6 degrees in inclination on the handlebar. Making it more comfortable
You need a bike fit
I’d start with changing your saddle tilt, gravel is not like MTB and on gravel you don’t really want the tip of your saddle to be angled downwards. Try realigning the saddle angle to be as flat as possible so that your weight is distributed evenly and you’re not sliding from the saddle. You can change to flat bars without much issue, the only thing being you’d need to buy new mechanical brake levers and a 11 speed shifter, and the grips obviously lol
My back hurts when my reach is too long or my drop is too much or saddle too high. As I’ve aged even one spacer has improved my comfort. I vote bike fit.
Fellow MTB guy here. I have flimsy wrists so I got a redshift stem, after taking long ride on a Rocky trail and suffering from wrist pain Love it.
Run your tire pressure low as possible.
Meh. Ride it or not, your call. If you don’t like road or gravel, stick to the MTB.
As other people said, get your bike fit. However training your core and doing deadlifts to train your lower back help a lot
There is gravel with a flat bar, and it is also perfect, there are those who are better suited