My elbows are killing me....

[snapdragen]

Could you be locking your arms when you ride, instead of keeping them relaxed?

[yellow]

I used to get pretty intense tendonitis (AKA tennis elbow) on really bumpy rides as a result of absorbing a lot of the shock with my lower arms (I suspect). I really started concentrating on relaxing my upper body (as snapdragen alludes to). It seemed to take care of the worst of it.

On a related note, I learned back in my whitewater boating days to use tension in my favor. I forced myself to put all of my tension/stress/whatever in my abs and butt. It made me a much more relaxed boater overall; I lost the upper body tension that was messing with my ability to ride with the river instead of against it. The bonus is that it helped with core strength as well. Now whenever I'm stressed out and I notice it, I feel it in my abs (instead of my back/neck/shoulders/jaw...the usual places for most folks).

y

[Dogmama]

I love my aerobars. Mine are over ten years old, so I'm sure there are improved models. I'd look at all of them and see what fits.

They are great for taking the pressure off of hands, wrists and elbows during long rides. I pick up 1-2mph as well because of the position and increased pedaling efficiency.

Never ever use aerobars when riding in a pack. Your ability to maneuver and stop is compromised. I only use mine when I'm riding alone. They are great for long stretches of roads.

[halfbit]

Sounds like some great ideas there. I have large shoulders for my size and have always relied on upper body muscles as a result, so it sounds like I should definitely work on controlling that....I never ride in a pack, which is to say I never race - I would be a nervous wreck riding that close to another biker. I don't know how you manage to keep your eyes on everyone around you....I just do a lot of solo or "with one or two other" kind of riding, so I probably wouldn't have to worry about having aerobars on all the time. I'm about to move to Longview, TX (near Tyler for those of you who know the region) - am really looking forward to being able to ride on those back roads....

[Dogmama]

Halfbit - I noticed on my last ride that my elbows started talking to me if I road in one position for too long.

I, too, have large shoulders and my elbows tend to hurt. Wonder if there is a connection? (Besides the obvious arm bone, hyuck, hyuck, hyuck!).

Riding close to another cyclist is an exercise in trust. A long time ago, about 20 of us women would get together on Saturday morning, form double pacelines and ride about 30 miles. At one stoplight, the lady next to me remarked:

"Isn't this fun!! I've never gone this fast before."

Ohmygod!

You'll definitely need aerobars in Texas. Those long country roads...sigh!!!

[KkAllez]

I had this same problem and and remedied it by getting wider handle bars. It is amazing the difference it has made. No more elbow pain!

[Grog]

I too have wide shoulders and yesterday my elbows were screaming horribly after 60 km. I thought I'd get used to the position after a couple of rides (I am new to road biking) but after 500 km it's still the same, so no. I will be going into a positionning session next week and figure out what may cause this. I suspect it either handelbar width or the fact that I have to bend forward too far (and thus will have to raise the handlebar a bit or get a shorter stem...)

I'll keep you posted - I know how much it hurts!!!