Riding position pain

[Gary]

Ben. (because of his height and OG DH bikes not being very long) spent most of his teens and 20s being forced to adopt a riding off the back style. On those old bikes there was a far smaller margin for error in front to rear weight bias and it's only now he has super long bikes he can attack while being far less off the back.
The 29" wheel and faster straighter DH tracks has allowed riders to ride longer bikes much faster than the short bikes and arguably more technical tracks we had back in the 90s and '00s. But there are still pinners out there (faster than Ben) on shorter bikes making a more rearwards bais work for them.

 

[Gary]

I wish I could, for some reason the trades have exploded in my area and I have more work than I can cope with, ive been doing the kind of weeks what means even weekends im too tired to ride (yea even an ebike) and I simply spend the weekend recovering, im hoping im over the hump of that though..

Here's something that some folk on here might find controversial. after a year or so I found I'd lost a ton of fitness and leg strength from riding too much emtb. I've always ridden a lot and always ridden agressively and stood up a lot, even when not descending so unlike a lot of noobs to Emtb I didn't find any increase in upper body strength from the extra weight. and didn't actually get any more descending in than I did before I rode and Emtb (I stopped doing as much uplifted riding and my normal rides were actually longer and more elevation than an Emtb can reach). what I did find was my top end pedalling strength and sprint diminished. I've since sorted this out by going back to riding normal mtb more and commuting on my normal roadbike (about 100miles a week over 4 days). Which also increases my enjoyment jumping on a mtb after.
Since the first lockdown I've been busier than ever with work too.
You've just got yourself in a rut. Eat well, rest well and gradually increase your riding time and with gained fitness and weight loss you'll ditch the constant fatigue. you're not actually old.

 

[dobbyhasfriends]

Hey dobby, Have you ever had a lower back injury? The pain you describe in that particular riding position could be due to compression of the left lumbar L4 nerve root as it exits the spine from a bulging disc or enlarged bone spur nudging up against the nerve root. The fact that dropping the heel increases the pain suggests this especially if it is slowly increasing with time. Mild L4 nerve root compression would cause a burning type of pain starting in the left lateral hip and radiating diagonally across the anterior thigh to just above the knee on the medial side with a sensation that the muscle is getting tight or about to cramp. Might be something to check out with your doc.

yea, I was on a scaffolding that collapsed when I was 19, had trouble ever since, been many times to physios etc but ever got to the root of the problem or been told there isnt one.
have constant pain in the lower right part of my back, right near the tip of the rear of the pelvis is and often cant bend at the hips because of it - im constantly working on that just with stretches etc
the pain is in the exact way you describe.
oh, I also dislocated my hip when I was about 30, went straight back in but gave me big problems for about a year, have to do regular exercise for that strengthening the area.

 

[dobbyhasfriends]

Here's something that some folk on here might find controversial. after a year or so I found I'd lost a ton of fitness and leg strength from riding too much emtb. I've always ridden a lot and always ridden agressively and stood up a lot, even when not descending so unlike a lot of noobs to Emtb I didn't find any increase in upper body strength from the extra weight. and didn't actually get any more descending in than I did before I rode and Emtb (I stopped doing as much uplifted riding and my normal rides were actually longer and more elevation than an Emtb can reach). what I did find was my top end pedalling strength and sprint diminished. I've since sorted this out by going back to riding normal mtb more and commuting on my normal roadbike (about 100miles a week over 4 days). Which also increases my enjoyment jumping on a mtb after.
Since the first lockdown I've been busier than ever with work too.
You've just got yourself in a rut. Eat well, rest well and gradually increase your riding time and with gained fitness and weight loss you'll ditch the constant fatigue. you're not actually old.

based on this, would you choose a lower power ebike over a normal one?
ive been considering it for ages but my knees worry me as they ache like mad after a long eco ride

 

[RustyIron]

ive been considering it for ages but my knees worry me as they ache like mad after a long eco ride

Knees hurt? It's unlikely you're mashing too hard on an ebike. How about saddle height? I see a lot of riders with their saddles too low. I think it's because they want to look like Redbull Rampage riders. A low saddle will give you sore knees even if you're not mashing hard, and ebike riders have a greater tendency to do this because they don't rely on so much strength to move their bikes.

 

[dobbyhasfriends]

Knees hurt? It's unlikely you're mashing too hard on an ebike. How about saddle height? I see a lot of riders with their saddles too low. I think it's because they want to look like Redbull Rampage riders. A low saddle will give you sore knees even if you're not mashing hard, and ebike riders have a greater tendency to do this because they don't rely on so much strength to move their bikes.

im a plumber mate, my knees always hurt
nah seat is textbook height and if anything, i have less trouble if I have the seat dropped going through techy stuff where you are on and off the saddle and cant be arsed to keep dropping it..

 

[Gary]

based on this, would you choose a lower power ebike over a normal one?
ive been considering it for ages but my knees worry me as they ache like mad after a long eco ride

No. I'd simply ride a normal bike.

The only bike that gives me knee pain is my Emtb. I haven't actually figured out why. Possibly the disconnection from actual leg force to drive force. Possibly the fact that Emtb's don't accelerate the same way as a normal bike. And possibly the fact that on an EMTB theres a temptation to become a me lazy with seated saddle height.

 

[Gary]

Emtb isn't good for fitness or conditioning for me.

 

[Gary]

When my knees begin to ache from an EMTB ride what sorts it is doing a recovery ride on my road bike. No motor. Clipped in and correct saddle height.

 

[dobbyhasfriends]

The only bike that gives me knee pain is my Emtb. I haven't actually figured out why.

interesting.. I would love to have a decent normal bike but I simply cant afford one