neck strain on aero position?
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PJT posted 1 year ago.
Some of this might just be adaptation. You do have to adapt a bit when you first go aero. But here are 3 things I found that helped.
1. If you haven't been fitted yet, do so. Make sure to point out your neck issues. It's possible you need a less aggressive position for now while your body adapts.
2. If you have been fitted, make sure you are relaxing your shoulders while aero. If I don't concentrate on it, mine tend to tense up. Over time, the neck will start to ache.
3. It can be tough to look as far down the road in aerobars as when on a road bike. One thing that might help would be sunglasses with no frame on the top of the lenses, as this will give you a little extra vision and help save the neck.
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1191 days
thehitman posted 1 year ago.
I often ride in areas with little or no traffic. In those circumstances, and in races also, keeping your head basically down, and using your peripheral vision really helps. Like PJT mentioned, frameless sunglasses also helps. Slightly tilting your head up periodically not only gives you a better look ahead, it also helps to keep your neck muscles loose.
thehitman
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glbrum posted 1 year ago.
Are you shrugging your shoulders? I find it easy to do that while riding (regardless of being aero or not). Make sure your shoulders are relaxed at all times by taking a deep breath and totally relazxing your upper body.
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954 days
deepbluex posted 1 year ago.
I try to stay very relaxed in my torso and arms - I even let my shoulderblades ride up above my ears sometimes. I will try to make some fitment adjustments - I think the basic fitment is okay because it's not so much "pain" as it is "fatigue" that I feel (my head feels like it weighs a ton after an hour of doing this). I find it hard to keep holding my head up and I do try to look up (my eyeballs are positionted like they're looking upward) so I have to crane my neck even less. But it's basically fatigue-induced muscle pain I think.
I almost feel I'd be better off learning to ride aero with my head down looking at a wide angle mirror pointing at the road.
Maybe I'll try a less aggressive position but I would rather not because my legs and the rest of my body seem to like the position I have.
467
Member
1275 days
kona_expat posted 1 year ago.
AHA! But if in the end you aren't able to hold that aggressive position because your neck hurts, then your cycling suffers, no? Not sure how long you've had the current position, but it takes everyone awhile to strengthen the neck to hold up our big bobbleheads.
But if by aggressive you mean low, that shouldn't impact your neck. You CAN have neck problems if you are too stretched out, because then you are using your triceps to hold your position, and they fatigue, and up the food chain into your neck.
Take a picture of your position and post it and then we can tell you what the problem might be.
Otherwise, yeah, the sunglasses thing is really important.
461
Member
1114 days
rbreddin75 posted 1 year ago.
also look into lighter helmets....
The Giro Atmos is a popular helmet because of the venting and the "Lance effect"
but most people don't know that it isn't Giro's lightest helmet... (and at over 270g there are many out there lighter)
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I am generally comfortable in the aero position except for my neck. Keeping my neck tilted up so I can keep my eyes forward ends up straining my neck and shoulder muscles after a while (at around mile 20, the neck muscles are starting to complain before anything else). Does anyone else deal with this?