Change Thorn Nomad flat track bar to a butterfly to get a more upright position

[crazytraveler]

My girlfriend has been having pain in her back during our world round trip and we are considering alternatives to reduce the pressure on her back while cycling.

Today I swap around our bar ends to allow her to hold from a closer position and it seemed to reduce the tension in her back.

Obviously changing the frame is out of the question, so i was considering to swap her handlebar to a butterfly one, since that way the "main grip" (where the brakes and change is) would be closer to her and allow her to cycle in an upright position.

In particular, I am looking at the BBB MultiBar BHB-30. But we are open to any other suggestions.

Anything we should consider about it? Any trouble setting up the Rohloff gear change there?

Cheers!

[onrbikes]

I'm not a doctor but…….

I've had lots of back (and knee) issues over the years. I'm 55
If its the upper back (near the neck) it'd be handle bar positioning. or even posture.
Looking at your site she isn't carrying extra body weight.

but if its lower back thats something else.

I'm well over 6' and find I have to do stretching and sit-ups before I ride and, before I go to work to keep my back in check.  Strong core muscle helps so much.
 My chiropractor has taught me a lot. There are so many stretches that fix the strangest spots.
Pain is an early indicator sign.  With me its mostly tight muscles. Hamstrings are the worst as are thigh muscles.

If hands start to go numb thats more serious.
Ice is good on the pain followed by heat.

[crazytraveler]

Apparently she has scoliosis.

She was checking with some physiotherapist and some doctors, each person would say something different... but in general the conclusion is to sit more upright, and she feels better as well since the tension is reduced.

She is working out her back to strengthen it and avoid problems, as you point out.

[geocycle]

Apparently she has scoliosis.

In which case it might be worth checking her leg lengths.  Curvature can sometimes cause the pelvis not to be straight and a simple shoe insert can work wonders.  NB this is from a family member's experience via a physio, I've no qualifications in this area.

[crazytraveler]

Apparently she has scoliosis.

In which case it might be worth checking her leg lengths.  Curvature can sometimes cause the pelvis not to be straight and a simple shoe insert can work wonders.  NB this is from a family member's experience via a physio, I've no qualifications in this area.

How should I do the measurement? From where to where?

I tried to measure her and if felt like 1 cm longer one leg, but not sure if I did it right.

[geocycle]

What the physio did is to get him to stand facing a wall and mark the position of the hip bones, one was clearly higher than the other.  The top of the hip bone was used as the reference point.  Apparently it is not uncommon to have a difference in leg length and most of time it is not a problem but I could imagine a protracted period of cycling like you are undertaking exacerbating any differences. A sports physio would be your best bet for accurate information.

[crazytraveler]

Problem is we are in China and it seems to be hard to find someone who really knows what they are doing . 

Anyhow, I tried that plus a few different measurement techniques from Youtube and in most tests it seems to have one side higher/longer than the other... At least slightly. 5mm maybe.

On the other hand, reading about it... it is a bit like the Chicken or the egg. Is it the uneven legs causing the scoliosis or the scoliosis pulling one leg and hip higher than the other? 

[mickeg]

I have no opinion on the bars you cite.

Would a higher bar position or shorter stem or a stem with a higher angle accomplish what you want?

There are steerer tube extenders, not sure exactly what their correct title is.

[halfmanhalfbike]

Turning the stem over on my Nomad so that it pointed up at an angle as opposed to parallel with the ground seemed like such a small change compared to the surprising improvement in comfort gained. May not work for everybody, but it greatly reduced a niggling back pain for me by raising my posture a little. You may already have tried this, but if not it might be worth a trial. It might save you money buying a new handlebar.

[j1of1]

I have a Nomad and because of back surgery wanted to be in a more upright position.  I got a lot of good advice from the folks here on the forum.  After checking seat position (it was good) this is what I did....changed the stem length and angle and then installed a Jones H-bar handlebar.  The H-bar sweeps back more than the Thorn comfort bars.  I'm now in a more upright - and for me, a more comfortable position.   Sure, my wind resistance goes up, but I'm touring not racing so I can live with that!

Jan