Pain in elbows???

[effy]

Ok, I am new to cycling and I HAVE A LOT to LEARN.

I have placed my Trek on a kinetic trainer and the front wheel is also on a base. I have started to train for 20-30 minutes, I felt like I was falling forward, so I raised the front of my seat up just a bit, then I had soreness like you wouldn't believe in my vaginal area. I have recovered from that pain but I have Serious Soreness in my Elbows.

Am I in the wrong body position?
Should I be changing the pitch of the bike?
What can I do to prevent the soreness, are there any belts / straps that can be bought to put on my arms above or below my elbows to ease the discomfort or do I have to condition myself.

Your help and suggestions will be greatly appreciated, I'm still sore and it's been 2 days since I was on the trainer.

thank you
Maria

[Norse]

Maria, it sounds like you probably don't have your bike "dialed in" for your body fit. I would suggest that you get a professional bike fitting. You say you have a Trek and I noticed you're from MN - if you bought it from Penn, chances are if you took it in to the shop you bought at it and told them you are new and having trouble adjusting if for proper fit, they would help you free of charge or very little charge. Also, Erik's does professional fittings for a reasonable price (I think I paid less than $30 several years ago).

One last thought re: the elbow pain, I wonder if you're not gripping the bars too tightly and/or using too much of your upper body instead of letting your legs and core do most of the work?

[Grog]

Hi Effy,

Sorry to read about your pain.

I agree that you should make sure that your fit is right. This being said, for some reason a bike on the trainer never quite feels the same as a bike on the road.

I was going to suggest that your bike is maybe a bit too long on the front side (which caused a lot of elbow pain to me when I first started riding) but reading what you say about your saddle I think you should have all the variables considered together, at the same time, by a fit professional. If you feel like you're falling forward the solution is not necessarily to tip the saddle, it can be a distance matter. Don't be discouraged, but I don't think a single "quick fix" will do the trick for you.

Good luck!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I had terrible pain in one elbow on my bike that didn't fit me too well. I never ride with straight elbow either- always relaxed and bent. I simply had too much weight coming down on my hands. My body weight was not well balanced on that bike frame, and no amount of fit tweaking was able to totally cure it. I use it as my errand/shopping bike now, because shorter rides are not uncomfortable on it.

[Jiffer]

There are bike fits and then there are bike fits. My LBS, for instance, will do a basic fit for free before you leave with a bike you just bought from them, but they have a professional bike fit guy, who gets real detailed in the fit. He puts the bike on a trainer and measures various parts of you and the bike and makes sometimes miniscule adjustments that make a big difference. Sometimes in the seat, sometimes in the handlebars. He also watches you ride and tells you how your riding technique can improve and if you're sitting properly on the bike.

I was putting too much weight on the handlebars, like it's possible you are doing. He said I needed to support my weight on the seat with my core and don't hold the handlebars with a death grip. My back was arched wrong and I was sitting too far forward in the seat, etc. It has taken a long time to adjust my body to his recommendations and I still don't do it perfectly, I'm sure. But I find myself doing what he says more and more and it's feeling more natural and comfortable. I don't have to "think" about it as much as I used to, but still find myself sitting wrong and readjusting every now and then.

So, yes, I HIGHLY recommend a professional bike fit with a reputable fitter. Make sure you get a good recommendation if you can, cause bike fitters are not all created equal. I think I paid like $125 for my fit and he spent about 2 hours with me. I'm sure this price is vastly different in different parts of the country.

Good luck!

[effy]

I want to thank you all for your help. I can clear see the importance of being fitted by a professional. Thank you all for your input.