Choosing first bike - Bad back

[Headbanger]

You might gain some relief by using a kidney belt as well.

In my experience anything longer then an hour in a Kidney belt just transferred the pain up the spine, and long term wearing of one made the initial problem worse. I just use might for half an hour or so of relief then take it off.

[Headbanger]

Exactly. You need to have your feet under you to allow them to take some of the weight that would otherwise be on you lower back/tailbone. So, perhaps the 'right' sort of cruiser might be an option for the OP.

Exactly?

I hate to say it but you weren't being exact when you wrote off all cruisers, presumably because some of them have forward controls. I can sit on 50 bikes with a multitude of radically different seating positions and most of them will aggravate my back.

This blanket advice on offer is poor at best. Sorry if that offends but that's the truth. The thread starter needs to sit on a few to find one that suits his preferred position.

[MSTRS:Me]

This blanket advice on offer is poor at best.

The OP asked. Every reply, including yours, may help him. What's wrong with that? And blanket advice necessarily consists of generalities, within which there will be exceptions. A 6' biker with a bad back will suit a different bike to someone who has the exact same problem, but is 5'6".

[CookMySock]

Sport-Touring style.
Cruisers (upright) put a lot of strain on lower back, and a full Sports style possibly will be tiring with the gretaer lean to reach the bars.

I agree. I have a back injury, and my sports tourer has all but fixed my bad back. It has forced me to get more flexible (just ride and it comes right) so I suggest anything that gets your weight forward will be fine. It's going to be a few months of discomfort though, while you get tuned into it.

Also, find out how to click your own back. This has been a great help for me, instead of going to the chiropractor every two weeks.

Steve

[Headbanger]

The OP asked. Every reply, including yours, may help him. What's wrong with that?

Two things, when my back is playing up I can be a bit of a bastard, As it is most days especially right about now.

Secondly, Telling him to avoid any particular style of bike may steer him away from a bike that could potentially be perfect for his taste and comfort.

Thirdly, I'm on a mission from God. Thus I'm a righteous opinionated bastard.

Hallelujah

[vifferman]

The best position for reduced lower back pain is to have the lumbar area of the spine adopting its 'natural' position, with a slight inward curve to it. This requires a seating position in which the pelvis is tilted slightly forwards, not back, as it would be on a cruiser with feet-forward mounted controls and the rider slouching. As others have said, the best bike style for this is one in which the body is fairly upright, and the feet are located approximately under the line of the spine, so the legs can be used to raise your butt from the seat and absorb the shock of bumps and potholes.
I don't know of many if any cruisers that have this sort of posture (although you can, if disciplined, try to correct your posture despite having your legs stretched forward and up, although this will be tiring). Most seem to encourage the rider to slouch, especially when tired, so their spine curves outwards, their pelvis is tilted back (bending the lumbar area the wrong way), and their is little if any chance of absorbing bumps in the road, except maybe by hanging from the bars if they're apehangers.

As Headbanger said, apart from the bike itself, there are other variables that affect comfort, such as where you put your butt on the seat. The seat itself can make a difference (some seats, or the seat-bar-pegs relationship) can lock you into only one position on the seat. Some seats too (like mine) feel very hard yet provide good support, whereas others feel lovely and soft and comfy yet are doing your back no good).
Unfortunately, apart from test-riding bikes, there's little you can do to ascertain whether a given bike is good/bad for your back. You could take someone knowledgeable (a physio or osteopath?) along with you when you sit on bikes, and observe your seated posture. You can also check a given bike to see how many adjustments (if any) are available to the seat, handlebars and pegs to fit it to you.

Don't just take peoples' word for it that their particular bike is "as comfy as". Few people will let on if their bike is a Torture Rack, and unless they're identical to you in stature and have the same back problems, their experience is practically worthless anyway.

Another point is that even a bike with a reasonably good riding position requires that you make some effort to sit properly, and not hang on the 'bars or slouch. You should be sitting with no weight on the bars, and a light grip. The bars are controls, not a means of support. With a sports-tourer, as you have a pronounced forward lean, until you get to sub-light speeds where the air pressure over the windscreen pushing on your chest supports you, you need to take your weight off the handlebars using your thighs (gripping the tank), your abs, and your back muscles. This takes some discipline and practice.

[Headbanger]

The best position for reduced lower back pain is to have the lumbar area of the spine adopting its 'natural' position, with a slight inward curve to it. This requires a seating position in which the pelvis is tilted slightly forwards, not back, as it would be on a cruiser with feet-forward mounted controls and the rider slouching. As others have said, the best bike style for this is one in which the body is fairly upright, and the feet are located approximately under the line of the spine, so the legs can be used to raise your butt from the seat and absorb the shock of bumps and potholes.
I don't know of many if any cruisers that have this sort of posture. Most seem to encourage the rider to slouch, especially when tired, so their spine curves outwards, their pelvis is tilted back (bending the lumbar area the wrong way), and their is little if any chance of absorbing bumps in the road, except maybe by hanging from the bars if they're apehangers.

As Headbanger said, apart from the bike itself, there are other variables that affect comfort, such as where you put your butt on the seat. The seat itself can make a difference (some seats, or the seat-bar-pegs relationship) can lock you into only one position on the seat.
Unfortunately, apart from test-riding bikes, there's little you can do to ascertain whether a given bike is good/bad for your back. You could take someone knowledgeable (a physio or osteopath?) along with you when you sit on bikes, and observe your seated posture. You can also check a given bike to see how many adjustments (if any) are available to the seat, handlebars and pegs to fit it to you.

Don't just take peoples' word for it that their particular bike is "as comfy as". Few people will let on if their bike is a Torture Rack, and unless they're identical to you in stature and have the same back problems, their experience is practically worthless anyway.

Fuckin excellent. This should be pasted in every time a sore back thread gets posted.

[vifferman]

Fuckin excellent. This should be pasted in every time a sore back thread gets posted.

Dunno 'bout that, but I know about pain while riding (Aaaaaarrrrthritis!! in most places). Also, while being tortured for a few months by a physio (the rapist) who was also a biker, he filled me in on a few things about spines, bikes, etc. He'd actually recommended to several people with bad lower back pain that they ride a bike rather than drive, as it was better for their backs. In a car, you are invariably sitting with your pelvis tilted back (legs forward, knees up), so unless your car seat has good lumbar support, your back's being fucked while you're driving. Furthermore, riding a bike's actually a bit more physical, in that you move around a little, with subtle shifts of your body, albeit usually less movement of your arms.

FWIW, the physio (the rapist) rode a Honda 450 cruiser (can't remember the model), which had the pegs under the seat, and a very upright seating position, so he was practicing what he was preaching. (This replaced some other bikes, like a GSXR1100 and an FJ1200).

[svp]

Thank you all for your advice, I really appreciate your help.

I can see already that this forum is going to be an invaluable source of information.

[MSTRS:Me]

Thank you all for your advice, I really appreciate your help.

I can see already that this forum is going to be an invaluable source of information.

Invaluable? Wash your mouth out...

[vifferman]

Invaluable? Wash your mouth out...

Perhaps he was confused between "invaluable" and "valueless".

[MSTRS:Me]

Is that like 'priceless'?

[svp]

Whoops I’m terribly SORRY I am trying to do three things at once!!!!!

I meant to say VALUABLE - Please forgive me!

Thanks again for the great help guys

[vifferman]

I meant to say VALUABLE - Please forgive me!

LOL!
Chill out, Dude! Invaluable WAS the correct word (invaluable basically means "can't have a price put on it because it's of such great value"). We're just alerting you to the fact that there's a high probability that the answers to most queries on KB are usually bollocks.

By the way - welcome to KiwiBiker!

[MSTRS:Me]

LOL!
Chill out, Dude! Invaluable WAS the correct word (invaluable basically means "can't have a price put on it because it's of such great value"). We're just alerting you to the fact that there's a high probability that the answers to most queries on KB are usually bollocks.

By the way - welcome to KiwiBiker!

+1 (10fcma)