Cycling UK Forum

I recently completed the BHF OxCam ride and the inside area of my right elbow has been quite sore ever since. I did the ride mainly with my hands over the brake lever hoods on drop bars, and I think it was this that may have caused it.

I have until quite recently been riding on a hybrid with straight bars and I was wondering whether the swap to drops may have caused the problem.

Has anyone else had this occur to them, and if so how did they get round it ?

I've not had exactly the same thing but do tend to get sore wrists and arms if a I ride my tourer with my hands on the hoods for too long at a time.

The simple solution is to make yourself move your hands around regularly. This is not as easy as it sounds especially if you're tired but it does make a big difference to most the over use type of complaint that you've probably been suffering from.

I use my arms and hands for propelling myself
about 10 miles a day and I do not get that familiar elbow and wrist pain that you describe,
so it must be
A) to do with the shaking of the bike at greater speeds
B) to do with the umoving aspect of the arms and wrists during that time.
C) to do with having to hold very tight without moving the wrists. (I have to hold very tight but I am constantly moving the wrists in a circular motion but do not get it

I do have slightly more prominent veins in the wrists after two years of this kind of propulsion
and occasionally get vague tennis elbow, which it is best not to dwell upon too long.

I think I may have got to the root of the problem....
it's because the arm is twisted more when riding on the hoods than riding with straight bars. Compound this with having the rider's weight more biased towards the front - and lo and behold, the inner part of the elbow/forearm will complain, especially if it's not been use dto this position.
Hopefully the arm will get used to the abuse and the pain will subside over time. If not, I may have to convert to using wider or straight bars....time will tell.

Gar,
To be fair there's a big difference in stress on the joints between 10 miles a day and say a 70 to 100 mile run. You simply don't have the time to create the same sort of discomfort. After all, even if you were sitting on your sofa in one position for 5 or more hours, most parts of your body would start to hurt, especially anything in an unnatural position and that's the point I was trying to make about moving around as much as possible.

Yes I was thinking the same that I would have to do another 10miles or so ie 20miles in total on a hand cranked recumbent to be up to the same level of use

To be fair there's a big difference in stress on the joints between 10 miles a day and say a 70 to 100mile
www.garethhowell.net/cleancycle.jpg

I don't use my legs to propel myself. I use my arms, which is why I used the comparison.

Gar

I don't want a protracted argument but by using your hands and arms in the way you do, whilst I fully accept they will get tired and be subjected to other stresses and strains (that I for one probably couldn't cope with), you are effectively completely avoiding the type of stress I am talking about, which is borne almost entirely from not moving your hands and arms for hours at a time. This is why i used the sitting on the sofa analogy.

All,

Visited my LBS and had my current riding position checked out. Looks like the bars are a bit too far forward and the current stem is not quite high enough (minimum inserted line showing - OOPS).

So new ahead converter has now been ordered and we'll try out various stem lengths to see which works best (was 130 but should be @ the 90-100 mark).

This is a nice example of where the service you get at a LBS exceeds those found elsewhere.....

Scott,
I agree with you entirely