Well, the gravel ride the other day left me with a bad back and me unable to stand upright. After two days it has hardly changed. Now this is the same back I had back when I was 35 and riding cured it. So hopefully the ride today will help my back. It is cold and the group I will be riding with will be slow. for the most part.

I'll let you know after I get back if it helped which it always has in the past but sooner or later, I'm going to get so old that rather than pulled muscles I will have disk damage.

Tom Kunich <cyclintom@gmail.com> wrote:
> Well, the gravel ride the other day left me with a bad back and me unable
> to stand upright. After two days it has hardly changed. Now this is the
> same back I had back when I was 35 and riding cured it. So hopefully the
> ride today will help my back. It is cold and the group I will be riding
> with will be slow. for the most part.
>
> I'll let you know after I get back if it helped which it always has in
> the past but sooner or later, I'm going to get so old that rather than
> pulled muscles I will have disk damage.
>
I do find you use different muscles on a pure road bike vs MTB or even a
Gravel bike, ie use more upper body.

Roger Merriman.

On Saturday, January 8, 2022 at 8:10:28 AM UTC-8, Roger Merriman wrote:
> Tom Kunich <cycl...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > Well, the gravel ride the other day left me with a bad back and me unable
> > to stand upright. After two days it has hardly changed. Now this is the
> > same back I had back when I was 35 and riding cured it. So hopefully the
> > ride today will help my back. It is cold and the group I will be riding
> > with will be slow. for the most part.
> >
> > I'll let you know after I get back if it helped which it always has in
> > the past but sooner or later, I'm going to get so old that rather than
> > pulled muscles I will have disk damage.
> >
> I do find you use different muscles on a pure road bike vs MTB or even a
> Gravel bike, ie use more upper body.

Well, after 24 miles on the road bike and the back if much better though the muscles are still sore. I have to figure out how to change the position on the bike to stop this from happening. I suspect that I need a longer more stretched out position though I would think that rather counter intuitive.

On Saturday, January 8, 2022 at 9:15:51 PM UTC+1, Tom Kunich wrote:
> On Saturday, January 8, 2022 at 8:10:28 AM UTC-8, Roger Merriman wrote:
> > Tom Kunich <cycl...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > > Well, the gravel ride the other day left me with a bad back and me unable
> > > to stand upright. After two days it has hardly changed. Now this is the
> > > same back I had back when I was 35 and riding cured it. So hopefully the
> > > ride today will help my back. It is cold and the group I will be riding
> > > with will be slow. for the most part.
> > >
> > > I'll let you know after I get back if it helped which it always has in
> > > the past but sooner or later, I'm going to get so old that rather than
> > > pulled muscles I will have disk damage.
> > >
> > I do find you use different muscles on a pure road bike vs MTB or even a
> > Gravel bike, ie use more upper body.
> Well, after 24 miles on the road bike and the back if much better though the muscles are still sore. I have to figure out how to change the position on the bike to stop this from happening. I suspect that I need a longer more stretched out position though I would think that rather counter intuitive.

I really don’t understand how you setup your position. You buy a second hand bike. You ride it as it is. Of course you have problems after you first ride and them moving your saddle and handlebar all over the place.
Don’t you have a bike where you comfortable on? Copy that position to start with. Start with your saddle position relative to the BB; height and for/aft. That should be the same for every bike you have. A gravel bike is not different.

Lou

Tom Kunich <cyclintom@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Saturday, January 8, 2022 at 8:10:28 AM UTC-8, Roger Merriman wrote:
>> Tom Kunich <cycl...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> Well, the gravel ride the other day left me with a bad back and me unable
>>> to stand upright. After two days it has hardly changed. Now this is the
>>> same back I had back when I was 35 and riding cured it. So hopefully the
>>> ride today will help my back. It is cold and the group I will be riding
>>> with will be slow. for the most part.
>>>
>>> I'll let you know after I get back if it helped which it always has in
>>> the past but sooner or later, I'm going to get so old that rather than
>>> pulled muscles I will have disk damage.
>>>
>> I do find you use different muscles on a pure road bike vs MTB or even a
>> Gravel bike, ie use more upper body.
>
> Well, after 24 miles on the road bike and the back if much better though
> the muscles are still sore. I have to figure out how to change the
> position on the bike to stop this from happening. I suspect that I need a
> longer more stretched out position though I would think that rather counter intuitive.
>
How different is the set up?

This said depends on your gravel riding but I’m certainly out of the saddle
a fair bit as well uk gravel is mostly MTB lite with some framers tracks
thrown in!

So will use the upper body more.

Roger Merriman.

On Saturday, January 8, 2022 at 12:31:24 PM UTC-8, Lou Holtman wrote:
> On Saturday, January 8, 2022 at 9:15:51 PM UTC+1, Tom Kunich wrote:
> > On Saturday, January 8, 2022 at 8:10:28 AM UTC-8, Roger Merriman wrote:
> > > Tom Kunich <cycl...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > > > Well, the gravel ride the other day left me with a bad back and me unable
> > > > to stand upright. After two days it has hardly changed. Now this is the
> > > > same back I had back when I was 35 and riding cured it. So hopefully the
> > > > ride today will help my back. It is cold and the group I will be riding
> > > > with will be slow. for the most part.
> > > >
> > > > I'll let you know after I get back if it helped which it always has in
> > > > the past but sooner or later, I'm going to get so old that rather than
> > > > pulled muscles I will have disk damage.
> > > >
> > > I do find you use different muscles on a pure road bike vs MTB or even a
> > > Gravel bike, ie use more upper body.
> > Well, after 24 miles on the road bike and the back if much better though the muscles are still sore. I have to figure out how to change the position on the bike to stop this from happening. I suspect that I need a longer more stretched out position though I would think that rather counter intuitive.
> I really don’t understand how you setup your position. You buy a second hand bike. You ride it as it is. Of course you have problems after you first ride and them moving your saddle and handlebar all over the place.
> Don’t you have a bike where you comfortable on? Copy that position to start with. Start with your saddle position relative to the BB; height and for/aft. That should be the same for every bike you have. A gravel bike is not different.

Lou, you don't actually believe I rode it as I got it without setting it up to my road bike measurements do you? I think that the real problem is pushing those 37 mm tires though the wet gravel with tire pressures too high (60 psi). I'm used to running that sort of pressure on 32 mm tires on a CX bike.

On Saturday, January 8, 2022 at 12:34:11 PM UTC-8, Roger Merriman wrote:
> Tom Kunich <cycl...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > On Saturday, January 8, 2022 at 8:10:28 AM UTC-8, Roger Merriman wrote:
> >> Tom Kunich <cycl...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >>> Well, the gravel ride the other day left me with a bad back and me unable
> >>> to stand upright. After two days it has hardly changed. Now this is the
> >>> same back I had back when I was 35 and riding cured it. So hopefully the
> >>> ride today will help my back. It is cold and the group I will be riding
> >>> with will be slow. for the most part.
> >>>
> >>> I'll let you know after I get back if it helped which it always has in
> >>> the past but sooner or later, I'm going to get so old that rather than
> >>> pulled muscles I will have disk damage.
> >>>
> >> I do find you use different muscles on a pure road bike vs MTB or even a
> >> Gravel bike, ie use more upper body.
> >
> > Well, after 24 miles on the road bike and the back if much better though
> > the muscles are still sore. I have to figure out how to change the
> > position on the bike to stop this from happening. I suspect that I need a
> > longer more stretched out position though I would think that rather counter intuitive.
> >
> How different is the set up?
>
> This said depends on your gravel riding but I’m certainly out of the saddle
> a fair bit as well uk gravel is mostly MTB lite with some framers tracks
> thrown in!
>
> So will use the upper body more.

At 77 I am mostly in the saddle especially on hard climbs. This didn't have any climbing but it might as well have. The gravel was wet as was all of the wooden bridges. I am not sure if the tires really have high rolling resistance or if the slight drag of the disks was part of the problem.

I will say that as my past experience the power of the disks was too sudden and too extreme. Riding the road bike today with rim brakes was a pleasant improvement. Maybe I'll get use to it but I never got used to the hydraulics and these manuals seem to have the same sort of problems. I think that if I keep the bike largely on the flat gravel roads that the pads won't wear much though. The lightest application brings me to a rapid deceleration that puts you up on the bars.

Tom Kunich <cyclintom@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Saturday, January 8, 2022 at 12:34:11 PM UTC-8, Roger Merriman wrote:
>> Tom Kunich <cycl...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> On Saturday, January 8, 2022 at 8:10:28 AM UTC-8, Roger Merriman wrote:
>>>> Tom Kunich <cycl...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>> Well, the gravel ride the other day left me with a bad back and me unable
>>>>> to stand upright. After two days it has hardly changed. Now this is the
>>>>> same back I had back when I was 35 and riding cured it. So hopefully the
>>>>> ride today will help my back. It is cold and the group I will be riding
>>>>> with will be slow. for the most part.
>>>>>
>>>>> I'll let you know after I get back if it helped which it always has in
>>>>> the past but sooner or later, I'm going to get so old that rather than
>>>>> pulled muscles I will have disk damage.
>>>>>
>>>> I do find you use different muscles on a pure road bike vs MTB or even a
>>>> Gravel bike, ie use more upper body.
>>>
>>> Well, after 24 miles on the road bike and the back if much better though
>>> the muscles are still sore. I have to figure out how to change the
>>> position on the bike to stop this from happening. I suspect that I need a
>>> longer more stretched out position though I would think that rather counter intuitive.
>>>
>> How different is the set up?
>>
>> This said depends on your gravel riding but I’m certainly out of the saddle
>> a fair bit as well uk gravel is mostly MTB lite with some framers tracks
>> thrown in!
>>
>> So will use the upper body more.
>
> At 77 I am mostly in the saddle especially on hard climbs. This didn't
> have any climbing but it might as well have. The gravel was wet as was
> all of the wooden bridges. I am not sure if the tires really have high
> rolling resistance or if the slight drag of the disks was part of the problem.

Wet gravel is always hard work tend to sink in, MTB tend to float over so
are less of a issue but either way wet off road rides are always hard work.
As they are cable adjust them back if you think they are rubbing, should be
fag paper clearance visible.
>
> I will say that as my past experience the power of the disks was too
> sudden and too extreme. Riding the road bike today with rim brakes was a
> pleasant improvement. Maybe I'll get use to it but I never got used to
> the hydraulics and these manuals seem to have the same sort of problems.
> I think that if I keep the bike largely on the flat gravel roads that the
> pads won't wear much though. The lightest application brings me to a
> rapid deceleration that puts you up on the bars.
>
That’s what your used to, than any technical, if anything cable disks are
worse of both worlds for various reasons.

I’m used to hydraulic having had them for getting on for 20 years now. But
first time I take the MTB out takes a second or so to get used to the bite
of the big beast and it’s fairly powerful calipers and rotors.

Roger Merriman

On Sunday, January 9, 2022 at 7:41:09 AM UTC-8, Roger Merriman wrote:
> Tom Kunich <cycl...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > On Saturday, January 8, 2022 at 12:34:11 PM UTC-8, Roger Merriman wrote:
> >> Tom Kunich <cycl...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >>> On Saturday, January 8, 2022 at 8:10:28 AM UTC-8, Roger Merriman wrote:
> >>>> Tom Kunich <cycl...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >>>>> Well, the gravel ride the other day left me with a bad back and me unable
> >>>>> to stand upright. After two days it has hardly changed. Now this is the
> >>>>> same back I had back when I was 35 and riding cured it. So hopefully the
> >>>>> ride today will help my back. It is cold and the group I will be riding
> >>>>> with will be slow. for the most part.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> I'll let you know after I get back if it helped which it always has in
> >>>>> the past but sooner or later, I'm going to get so old that rather than
> >>>>> pulled muscles I will have disk damage.
> >>>>>
> >>>> I do find you use different muscles on a pure road bike vs MTB or even a
> >>>> Gravel bike, ie use more upper body.
> >>>
> >>> Well, after 24 miles on the road bike and the back if much better though
> >>> the muscles are still sore. I have to figure out how to change the
> >>> position on the bike to stop this from happening. I suspect that I need a
> >>> longer more stretched out position though I would think that rather counter intuitive.
> >>>
> >> How different is the set up?
> >>
> >> This said depends on your gravel riding but I’m certainly out of the saddle
> >> a fair bit as well uk gravel is mostly MTB lite with some framers tracks
> >> thrown in!
> >>
> >> So will use the upper body more.
> >
> > At 77 I am mostly in the saddle especially on hard climbs. This didn't
> > have any climbing but it might as well have. The gravel was wet as was
> > all of the wooden bridges. I am not sure if the tires really have high
> > rolling resistance or if the slight drag of the disks was part of the problem.
> Wet gravel is always hard work tend to sink in, MTB tend to float over so
> are less of a issue but either way wet off road rides are always hard work.
> As they are cable adjust them back if you think they are rubbing, should be
> fag paper clearance visible.
> >
> > I will say that as my past experience the power of the disks was too
> > sudden and too extreme. Riding the road bike today with rim brakes was a
> > pleasant improvement. Maybe I'll get use to it but I never got used to
> > the hydraulics and these manuals seem to have the same sort of problems..
> > I think that if I keep the bike largely on the flat gravel roads that the
> > pads won't wear much though. The lightest application brings me to a
> > rapid deceleration that puts you up on the bars.
> >
> That’s what your used to, than any technical, if anything cable disks are
> worse of both worlds for various reasons.
>
> I’m used to hydraulic having had them for getting on for 20 years now. But
> first time I take the MTB out takes a second or so to get used to the bite
> of the big beast and it’s fairly powerful calipers and rotors.

Before I work on the gravel bike I have to get my back back so to speak.