Should I switch out bikes again? I've been in pain!

[karen]

I started out with a Swchinn Voyaguer comfort bike for two main reasons: 1, low price point because I wasn't sure I'd stick with biking, and 2, I have carpal tunnel and didn't want to be putting excessive weight on my hands all the time.

A month and change later, I swapped it out (Yay Performance!) for a Schwinn Super Sport flat bar road bike. I like it very much - the shifters are much better and it's a lot lighter, BUT I'm getting tennis elbow with this bike! Every time I ride, my left "elbow" starts to hurt (about where the dot is on this picture, right under the elbow: http://www.itendonitis.com/images/golfers.jpg)

A week or so ago, someone here said that a flat bar gave them problems and the different riding positions that a drop bar bike allows helped. But, I'm worried that by trying to fix the tennis elbow with a new bike, I'll upset my CTS - what to do???

I haven't yet gotten fitted at a LBS because I don't want to spend the money doing that yet if I should get a different bike anyway... I know it's important to get fitted, but I need some more advice first :)

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Karen,
I had some major left elbow pain on my road bike with drop bars for the past year of riding. Never any elbow pain at any other times- just on riding bike for more than 15 miles, getting worse as the rides get longer.
My doctor (who is a cyclist) suggested I change handlebars.
I got a different drop bar that is shorter reach so I am not as stretched out- a Salsa "Poco" bar. There was an immediate vast improvement. The pain is not ALL gone- because reach is still a small issue with my bike.....but 80% of the elbow pain was gone immediately and has not come back. Now it just gets mildly achy on long rides, but no sharp pain.
I have a custom bike coming in a few months and I bet there will be no elbow soreness at all on that one.
You might try a bike fitting and short reach bars. I think the elbow pain is from your weight being too far forward onto your hands. You need to get your wieght balanced further back.

[OakLeaf]

Another thing you might look at is lever position, and also how you're actually holding the bars.

It's only an issue for me on the moto, not the velo, but I find if I have my fingers on the levers all the time it aggravates my tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis, the opposite side as yours), but if I just relax and hold the grips when I'm not actively clutching or braking, I do a lot better.

On the velo, if I keep my fingers on the levers all the time I have trouble with my PIP joints hyperextending. So same thing, I try to just hold the bars and not constantly cover the brakes.

[Zen]

See if bar ends provide some relief.
Cheap and easy, just like me :p

[karen]

I keep my hands on the bar ends almost exclusively because it's significantly more comfortable! I probably am too stretched out over the bike... looking at the photos from the 150 that I did last month, it seems that I dont bend my elbows as much as I should be.

I should also add that I have two (don't know exactly what they're called) handlebar raisers on the bike because I had to stop a ride short with MAJOR hand pain. The cement path certainly wasn't helping on that ride, though.

I'll head to Performance tomorrow and see if they have any ideas for me. The manager knows I have been having issues and when my friend metioned it to him, he was apparently a bit distressed about it, so I know he'll do his best to get me fixed up right!

Edit:
http://orderpicture.com/profile_images/Jim_9545858787/Cycling_(a)_Cox_MS150_2007_(Atlanta_Challenge)_/001887.jpg
here's me on the ride - please view it with sunglasses... (yes, I AM wearing a jersey, thankyouverymuch :D)
This picture surprised me because i thought i bent my arms more than this, but clearly, I don't!

[rij73]

Please see this thread I posted back when I still had my flat-bar:
http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=15005

I was having real bad hand pain until I came up with this crazy setup. It did wonders. The pain went away 100%. I bet it would help you too because it brings the bar ends in to your shoulder width. In your picture, your arms are simply much too spread out. That's the problem with bar ends on the ends!

Another option is moustache or albatross bars or any bars that bend back towards you.

Of course this is all if you don't go for a road bike. I did go for a road bike, and after some tweaking of it to make sure the handlebars were high enough that I wasn't putting too much weight on my hands, it's extremely comfy!

[KnottedYet]

From looking at your picture, it appears you ride with one elbow locked.

Locking your elbow would certainly aggravate it!

[Wexy]

Make sure you're wearing good gloves. Gloves aren't just for regular comfort and to avoid "hamburger hands"...

There are several important little tuberosities on your carpals (wrist bones), which is where most of your weight is carried if you're riding with a flat bar. Irritation of your carpals can cause a lot of radiating pain-- which can refer up the medial aspect of your forearm...

Otherwise, it's possible you might be a bit too far from your handle bars if you're keeping your elbow locked. You may just need to strengthen some of your forearm flexors by paying close attention to that flexion.

[Wexy]

also, if you're experiencing that pain where the dot indicates on that picture, it may be medial epicondylitis aka golfer's elbow. "Tennis elbow" (or lateral epicondylitis) presents itself on the other side of the elbow, in the area of most of the extensors' origins.

[mimitabby]

it looks like you are leaning hard on those hands. You need to get a bike fitting.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I agree with Mimi. Too much weight onto the hands will create elbow pain- it did with me, that's for sure. See my post above again.

[karen]

A fitting is definitely next on the menu... i just upgraded to a Fuji Newest and will get fit on that as soon as I can!

This thread has more discussion about the issues: http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=19512

New bike + New riding position + fitting should = a happy Karen :)

[coyote]

We need pics of the new bike :)

[karen]

Here's the stock picture... Haven't taken a pic of my own yet! Will do that this weekend, hopefully...

http://www.fujibikes.com/2007/bikes.asp?id=278&subcat

She's a cutie, though! :D