Laszlo said:
Thanks for your input. I had three informal fittings over the years, which were fine at first, but despite my best intentions to leave things I wound up making adjustments ...
I have had a twisting back injury caused by a car ages ago. What drives me nuts is how a seatpost adjustment of 3mm makes a world of difference- sometimes the post slips down that much on a ride that is going wrong and after I stop and bring it back up to my mark.
I try to get my wife to massage my legs after a long ride- but the best I can get is a backrub, maybe. Actually, I'm pretty hyper for a few hours afterwards. I don't stretch as much anymore- as my rides are less intense in terms of effort than before.
I've used some of the online fit-kits- but there's a lot of variables citing pedal systems, sole thickness etc. so I have a grey area which is about where my seat is. I can't stand the chamois in bike shorts and cut them out. ...
I generally focus on the task at hand and just grind out the miles hour after hour. On my really long rides I move around a lot more, especially early on shifting to lower gears and standing on climbs to reduce the fatigue buildup- but on short ones I try to make everything a bit harder to build up my strength. Meat grinder.
....
I recognize that everyone who has deigned to post a reply here has done so with the best of intentions to help solve this dilema- but this has been pretty much my experience this past nearly 2 decades. How I like to sit and how I like to ride has stayed fairly constant- it's just the where I sit seems to always be changing.
Man ... there is a lot in there ....
Your last para sounds like a classic response from someone with chronic pain ... "I've had the pain and even though you're telling me that I haven't done everything I can to address it (or am doing things that keep it there) I think I have and it is now a part of who I am". Ready for it ... that's bull****!!!
Sorry to put that to you straight up, but think about it ... As someone who had chronic back problems (what happens when you throw yourself at the road at 70km/h+ ...) I can sympathise with you ... to an extent. But I also need to tell you to "snap out of it" and that you need to have a fresh look at all of the possible solutions.
Another part of why I say not to count things out is that you seem to equate an amateur "treatment" with a professional one. For example you say you had a couple of "informal fit sessions" and you talk about getting massages from your wife. Now unless you are (like me) lucky enough to have a wife who is a professional massage therapist, the massages your wife can give you wont do anything near what a professional therapist can do for you. Likewise, unless those informal fits are from people who are seriously practised at fitting, they may well have set you wrong.
If your seatpost is slipping, that could well be contributing to your problems too. It may be slipping as you go along and be constantly affecting your position and your ride. It also indicates to me that you are fiddling with your bike way, way too much. My seatposts never slip on my 'crosser or MTB - let alone my roadie - because I know my seat height, have set my seats to it and have left them alone!!
You say you don't stretch as much any more. That'll also be doing you in. News flash - you're 20 years older than when these problems started and flexibility decreases with age. If you have an office job or a job that keeps you in a single position (or limited range of movement), then you'll be exacerbating that lack of flexibility. STRETCH!!! STRETCH SOME MORE!!! Go to yoga classes and get a proper/professional massage on a regular basis. All of these together can make a big difference - but don't expect it to happen over night and don't give up if you don't see an improvement immediately (which is a common response of chronic pain sufferers - see my first paragraph again).
Also you say you were in a car crash - did you get your spinal alignment checked out after that? Did you get anything done to address any spinal issues at the time? I carried a seriously twisted L4 and L5 for about 3 years before anyone could address it (osteopathy and chiropracty weren't well known in NZ at the time I had my crash). It took me a good few months of osteo and then a good six to nine months of once a week massage (I rarely stretched at that stage - and didn't do yoga regularly either) to clean it out. Now I am stronger and fitter than I was 10 years ago ...
The use of the words "grind" and "meat grinder" make me really wonder about your riding. As has been said elsewhere on this thread, it sounds like you're just wearing yourself out. Unless you're trying for inclusion in your country's world champs squad, what have you go to lose by restricting yourself to riding in the small ring and making sure that you're spinning above 90 rpm for a couple of months? Give your body a rest, lay yourself a good base and then after all of that, think about putting in some big ring riding in your rides.
Oh yeah ... do you have a really good friend who understands the problems that you're having? If so, gather up all of your 4mm, 5mm and 6mm allen keys (ie., whatever you'd use to adjust your seat) and take them around to their place. Tell them to keep them secure and ask them if it's OK to come over when/if you really need to do some work on your bike. Also make sure that they don't let you adjust your seat position if you do come over to work. And make sure that if you have any multi-tools or whatever that you ride with normally, take them across as well. I'm 100% serious in this - if as you say you're an insatiable fiddler, you need to remove the means for fiddling with your bike, and therefore the temptation to fiddle ... As I say, 100% serious.
I make no apologies if any of this sounds harsh - or if you think I'm the biggest arsehole to post on this forum. My comments are motivated by a genuine desire to help you - a complete stranger who is obviously desparate enough for a fix to their problems that they are prepared to ask a whole bunch of other complete strangers for help. If you're really looking for help - then you're ready for whatever response we give. If you're looking for reinforcement of your belief that there's nothing you can do - you're in the wrong place (and are definitely not getting it from me!).
Good luck - and I hope that you are soon on the path to pain free riding.
