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I’ve been trying to dial in my riding position on my new gravel bike, but I can’t seem to get my lower back to stop aching after about an hour. I’ve played with saddle height and fore/aft, and even swapped the stem, but something still feels off. I’m wondering if the issue might actually be my handlebar reach or drop.

I spent weeks chasing saddle height like it was the magic fix but the gravel ride still bit back. After rides I noticed my upper body stayed too stiff and I was loading the lower back from being too upright. I tried a tiny change to how I sat with soft shoulders a looser grip and a kinder hip hinge and the ache eased after about an hour though it was not gone.

For me the back pain showed up even after the saddle was dialed in. I swapped to a wider grip on the bars and paid attention to breathing while riding which helped a bit but I still felt it on rough sections. I started focusing on spine alignment and letting the bike carry a bit more load through the legs.

I did a few quick cockpit tweaks in a ride to ride way. I adjusted the handlebar reach and drop a bit and slapped in 10 mm spacers under the stem to raise the bar. The first hard section felt a little better like there was more room in the spine but it did not last beyond an hour.

Do you think the real issue is the cadence or core fatigue rather than the bike setup?

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