Not necessarily — and for most riders, no. Pain every ride is your back reporting on your setup, not issuing a verdict on riding itself. The distinction matters, because plenty of riders quietly quit when what actually needed to change was the mechanics underneath them.
First, rule out the cases where a doctor comes before a bike: pain that radiates down a leg, numbness or weakness, pain that's just as bad off the bike, or a known condition like disc disease. If any of those fit, get evaluated — and ask specifically about riding, because "avoid it" from someone who doesn't know what riding means to you isn't the same as an informed answer.
If it's the far more common pattern — fine off the bike, hurting on a schedule when riding — then the pain is mechanical, and mechanical problems have mechanical answers. Riding loads your back three ways: static posture, vibration through the seat, and weight concentrated on two pressure points. Every-ride pain means at least one of those is chronically over budget. Work them in order: cockpit fit for a neutral pelvis, movement on a schedule (resets, peg stands, hourly stops), and the contact point itself — spreading pressure and absorbing shock at the seat, the layer most riders never change.
Give the fixes an honest month before you let the pain decide who you are. Most riders find the answer wasn't stopping. It was changing what they were sitting on top of.
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