Lately my back has been killing me when I ride. Actually it only bothers me really bad when I ride 2 up with either my best friend or DH. I know why it hurts riding with Alli. She’s so little that there’s nothing to hold on to. Even when we’re just cruising down the street I have to hold myself up with my hands on her tank, and it absolutely kills my arms and lower back.

Riding with DH is completely opposite. He’s a big guy, so when we’ve both got all our gear on I can’t get my arms around him. I have to hold onto his sides, which normally means I’m gripping pretty tightly to his jacket pocket area. I’m in an almost upright position, and that’s fine for the most part, but when down shifting before a curve I slide forward on the seat. I have to brace myself with my legs so that I don’t slide straight into him, and that kills my lower back, too.

I honestly can’t ride any more than an hour or so nowadays without totally killing my back. I’ve been blaming it on riding position for awhile, but I’m starting to think that maybe there’s more to it. Maybe my back is already in bad shape from our crappy mattresses, and being on the bike so much is just making it worse. I think I’m going to look into getting a better mattress set, and while I’m at it I might consider looking at platform beds so I can just get a memory foam mattress.

It might not solve all my back problems, but it will definitely make it feel better after a long day of riding!