Crampy Arms

[DebbieOSablada]

Hi ladies... newbie here. I got me a Dahon licensed urban foldie ( 7 speed aluminum frame with rear suspension ) and I've been cycling for maybe 3 weeks.. very very happy! I use my bike for commuting just around our subdivision -- not yet brave enough to tackle the evil roads and rude drivers (bike culture isn't so in vogue in my part of the world!) . Am planning to take baby steps, and ultimately get to bike to work (which is around 5-8 km away)

Anyhoo, I noticed that I don't have any muscle pains or anything like that after I ride, but 12-15 minutes into my ride, my arms start to cramp up,and tingle.. especially the right one... it goes away quickly when i stop a bit to rest or dangle my arms down one at a time. I was just curious if this is normal and what I can do to prevent this.

I use arm warmers and gloves, btw, but these aren't too tight. I actually cramp more WITHOUT the warmers.

Thanks.

[alexis_the_tiny]

Hello! Well, I'm not sure how foldies are set up for fit, but prior to having my bike fit tweaked for a better fit, my arms would KILL me on each ride. They'd cramp, ache and generally feel like I've been lifting 20kg weights after a 2 hour ride. So maybe you'd want someone to assess the fit on your bike and see if you're putting too much weight on your arms or sitting funny.

[DebbieOSablada]

thanks, i was thinking the seat being lower than the arms (for urban bikes) i think made the arm positioning more awkward.. am still tweaking but will probably ask couple of cyclist friends to check my position as I ride..

this is my bike..

[OakLeaf]

I would tend to agree - if your elbows are above waist level, it's bound to cause you problems.

I don't know anything about folders either, but it does look like your handlebars can come down some? I think there are several ladies here who ride folding bikes, so maybe posting a new message with "folder" or "dahon" in the thread title would attract their attention.

[DebbieOSablada]

Hi Oakleaf... after some tweaking, I lowered the handlebars as much as I could, raised my saddle as far as I could manage (now on my tippy toes but i am ok with balance ) , and also lean forward a bit more when I cycle... a LOT LOT better! THanks for the tips..