Forearm pain on hybrid

[Cloudymoor]

Hi,
I just started riding a hybrid for the first time ever this week. My hands have been uncomfortable so far, which I mentioned on another thread as being partly attributable towards the anxiousness of being a newbie. They advised Ergon GP1-L Grips, which I'm going to seriously look into. I've been switching positions as best I can by placing my hands on top of my brakes so that my fingers can stretch. However, after my ride this morning I notice that my right forearm is sore. (Why not my left. I'm a southpaw if that matters.) My options for different hand positions are limited on this bike and I'm wondering since my LBS told me that the handlebars are already high (which he felt was right for me), if I should start messing around with the saddle. I absolutely feel like there is no bend in my elbows and so I feel alot of the road in my arms. (No front suspension to boot!)

[KnottedYet]

perhaps there are two things you can work on without changing anything on the bike?

1. Make a conscious effort to bend your elbows. They are your "suspension" for your body. Think of yourself as floating over the bike, connected to it by springy elbows and springy knees.

2. Loosen your grip on the bars. (springy bent elbows will help with this) You control the bike more with your body than with your hands, and once your body gets the idea it will become easier to relax the automatic death-grip on the bars. Elbows will take the shock, so hands don't have to grip so hard.

Hands and elbows react off each other, so working on one will help with the other even if you can't keep track of both at once.

It is likely that your left forearm is stronger cuz you are a lefty, so it didn't get as sore as your right. Your left arm probably has more practice gripping things.

[Cloudymoor]

Thanks so much for the helpful and speedy reply to my post. I absolutely agree that bending my elbows more is going to be key. However if I bend them, that means I have to squat over the frame of the bike more. Is this usually the case, or is it a function of my seat height or my arm length?? I wanted a hybrid to be able to sit more upright.

Thanks again!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Cloudy,
If you really are a new bike rider, then it could take a couple of dozen rides or more for your body and muscles to adapt to the new positions and strains you are putting it in. As Knot said, try to 'float' on your bike and keep all your joint loose and light and not locked into place. In time, your muscles will strengthen more to help hold your body in the biking position.
Muscle soreness is expected- actual pain can be either normal and temporary, or not normal- depending.

[KnottedYet]

Thanks so much for the helpful and speedy reply to my post. I absolutely agree that bending my elbows more is going to be key. However if I bend them, that means I have to squat over the frame of the bike more. Is this usually the case, or is it a function of my seat height or my arm length?? I wanted a hybrid to be able to sit more upright.

Thanks again!

Yup, you should be kind of crouched over the bike. Hybrids will position you to be more upright than a road bike, but there is still a certain amount of forward tilt of the torso that's designed to go into these bikes. If you get the chance, try riding something like an Electra Townie, which is designed for an almost straight up-right torso for comparison.

If you feel like the forward tilt is too much on your hybrid as it is now even after a few more weeks of riding, I would definitely not move the saddle to try to change it. The saddle height relative to the pedals is pretty much a function of the length of your legs. The bars, though, can be played with. There are some pretty nice riser bars (you'll hear folks mention Nitto Albatross bars and Nitto All-Rounders often) that you can switch out on your hybrid to dramatically change the flavor of your ride, without changing the handling of the bike too much.

I put some Nitto All-Rounders on my Giant road bike, and just love the positioning. It brought me more upright, without throwing the handling of the bike out the window.

Your best bet is probably to take your bike to your LBS, have them look at you on it, and tell them what you feel now vs. how you'd like to feel. The guys at my LBS have been great at helping me find ways to fine tune the fit of my bikes. (give them beer, beer is good! :D)