Finished my first major ride and now can barely straighten my elbows. Help!

I went on my first organized major bike ride, and rode 58.2 miles this morning. I learned a lot from the experience and look forward to fixing all my errors to get ready for the century I signed up for next month.

My question is about my elbows. They are aching like mad, worse than my wrists, quads, etc.

Is this bad technique on my part? Just a normal thing I have to get used to? Or do I need to look at bike fit?

If I hurt this bad after 60 miles, I'm scared to death about how I'll feel after 100!

Thanks,
~Julie

How's your core strength? Did you lock your elbows to "prop" yourself up? That can cause pain. Could also be that your reach is too long - was this position a major change for you? A major jump in mileage? Have you had a bike fit?

Good job on the mileage - sounds like you're well on your way:)

CA

Sounds like a bike fit issue, though technique may play into it a little too.

Do you have elbow injuries/issues in other sports?

I have no idea what would cause elbow pain, I haven't read of too many others who have experienced it (so it's definitely not "a normal thing", even for new riders), but I would look into maybe your handlebar width? If it is radically too wide (more likely) or too narrow (less likely, but possible), it could cause you to grip the bars at an angle that puts torque on your elbow... perhaps? When you grasp the bar, your wrists should be more or less straight in all planes, and your shoulders, elbows and wrists should roughly align (some people prefer a bar slightly wider, so your grip will be a bit wider than your shoulders, but it shouldn't but LOTS wider -- or narrower...). And you should have some bend in your elbow -- your arms should be fairly "loose." Does this sound like your position?

No injuries to speak of.

My core strength is pretty good, I work on that a lot through abs and back work and occassional yoga.

It was a big jump in mileage, but even on my shorter rides, I noticed this to an extent.

I have had a bike fit, but they were paying a lot more attention to my legs and hips than they did to my arms. I may go back in and have them check that out. I didn't think the handlebars were too narrow or wide, but again, I'll have them take a closer look.

I don't think I lock my elbows, but that is something I'll have to pay more attention to.

Thanks for the input. Off to schedule a new bike fit!

~Julie

Just for the record- my only real pain on my old bike was in my left elbow.
A lot of pain after 15 miles or more. We decided it was because it was a man's bike and the top tube was really too long for my proportions. Despite all kinds of fit tweaking which improved the general feel, we never could really get rid of that elbow pain. Plus I always felt like I was falling forward too much no matter what we did to correct it.
My new bike is a custom frame made to my measurements. It has a shorter reach and top tube, and has my weight balanced further back off my hands. It has exactly the same handlebars on it as the old bike. Elbow pain gone. Yay! :p

Hey congratulations on your big ride- excellent!!!

I used to have a lot of elbow pain. First, I switched out the handlebars, but it really didn't fix the pain (although it did feel more comfortable). Then, I adjusted the shifters a tad and the pain stopped. I just did it myself and put them where they felt right. Maybe that'll work for you Good luck!!

Are you shifting your hand position periodically as you ride this can help with hand/arm discomfort. Also try to stay relaxed on your upper body.

I had pain in my elbow till we made adjustments that shortened the reach, now I don't have any problem with it.

Go back with a laundry list of things that need tweeking, it's takes a few times to get everything in just the right place.

Barbara

I had similar pain on my first long rides with my road bike four years ago.

I went to the bike shop to discuss this (long story but it was not the shop that sold me the bike) and according to the the length of my body parts and to the charts I should have been fine as it. Still, the really nice owner of the shop decided to flip over my stem, which changed my reach distance by about a centimeter (different angle). No more pain!

I got different handlebars two years ago which give me an even shorter reach and I'm even more comfortable. We have avoided changing the stem. But on my next bike, as it was the case for BleekerSt_Girl, I will definitely have a shorter reach from the get go. This seems to be a regular problem in women's bike fitting.