Brakes are new and recently adjusted, hill is steep, curvy and brain refuses to allow more than 10mph during that mile descent (mind prefers 6 - 8), and arms are not strong yet. They're getting there!
(when discussing a real big hill today, I told DH we'd need two things if we do that climb. First, camping equipment, cuz it will take me a while to make that 16 mile climb, and after that, a car ride back down -- there's just NO way I could ride down that one!
This shoulder issue DOES seem to only be on "hill day," it's likely I'm noticing it more today than usual cuz I did double my usual hill, and I am still transitioning from upright comfort bike to road bike...
This last is why I'm more interested in looking for and correcting the issues in myself before "blaming" the bike! I KNOW I have "deficiencies!"
So, Wahine, thank you for the suggestions! I'm pretty sure that strength issues are things I can solve within myself the fastest! And, Zen, I do love that Plank thing -- even though it's a killer! It's good to know I'm headed in a good direction with that!
I told DH I need to go have the brakes shimmed one of these days, and I'll talk with my bike dude about the stem height too!
and yes, I'd love more suggestions for strengthening!
Karen in Boise
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05-11-2007, 11:53 PM #1
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05-12-2007, 06:25 AM #2
I like bikes
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Kano
me too!
My most painful rides are on long hills where I have to brake a lot because of traffic. MAN that can hurt. I'm just not sure how much adjusting can help. (I'll let you know if i have the problem on my new bike that i haven't gotten yet)
ten mph IS slow though... try to gradually increase your speed.
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05-12-2007, 06:35 AM #3
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I know ten is slow downhill, Mimi -- the good news is I'm up from six! Downhill on the winding hills amuses me a bit when I think about it, cuz there's just NO way I let the bike go, but then, like, I get down this particular hill, and there's another downhill run right after it that's straight shot, and I fly down that stretch at 30 no problem! And thinking about that rationally, if I know full well that I could lose control at 12 going down the curving hill, and need to know I can stay upright, whatever, then what's to make it easier on the straight shot? I figure it's that you can see so much farther ahead on the straights!
Originally Posted by mimitabby
Karen in Boise
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05-12-2007, 06:48 AM #4
Faster, faster!
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I recently changed some things on my bike, resulting in a more aggressive position (new stem has no rise & there's a pretty big drop from seat to bars). For the first 2-3 weeks I was getting a soreness in my neck/shoulders and in my lower back. But as I've adjusted to the new position (and probably built a little more strength), the pain has gone away, even on long rides.
I also find that it's useful on longer rides to periodically check in to see how relaxed I am. I'll open up my hands and "play piano" on the drops, take a deep breath, and make sure I'm not tensing anywhere from my upper back/shoulders/arms down to my hands. I find that since I've been doing this, I'm more relaxed all the time and actually need to do it less.
Core strength really helps too -- if I'm starting to feel tired or tight, I'll get down really low in the drops, so my elbows are at a 90 deg. angle, and grasp the handlebar very lightly kind of high in the drop, so I'm actually NOT carrying a lot of weight with my arms/hands, but rather supporting it with my legs and core.
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