Handlebars

[snapdragen]

So, sitting around, getting fat and thinking....

Currently my bike has flat mountain bars. I love how the mtn thumb shifters are second nature to me, but, I'm not sure that the biggest cause of my tendonitis (tennis elbow) is these bars. I think I hyperextend my arms while going downhill, add brake feathering and I can reproduce the pain in my elbow perfectly.

So girls, do you think switching to drop bars will be helpful? I keep trying to figure out if the different position would be easier on my arm. This would mean changing out a bunch 'o stuff - levers, shifters, brakes. Heck, it's only money....

Yes, I'm going to talk to my PT about this too.

[Trek420]

I dunno Snap, if you're hyperextending now when you descend would think that it could be worse with drops (further out).

Plus traditional road bike set up is more weight on the hands. I know I know, mine's not, and the Riv's are more upright so it can be done.

Question: what's different about when you descend? Do you feel tense? Can you keep your elbows down and slightly flexed or do they straigten out? Seems on flat bars your position should be about the same so why's it worse then?

[snapdragen]

I dunno - I think I'm more frustrated at my lack of improvment in my arm, and I'm searching for anything that might "cure" me. Definately would be set up more like the Riv recomendation - no way I'd last 5 minutes in the butt in the air racer position.

It does seem to hurt when my arm is in certain postions - using the brakes on my straight bars, picking up a carton of milk.

I admit, I'm tense on downhills, espcially twisty unknown ones (like we had at the Top Hat - hated them! ) I went off road on a downhill last year, guess I'm still a little gun shy. I try to keep my arms relaxed, but they do tense up, add braking to the mix and ooooowwwww.

I do think my arms are straighter than they would be with drops - here's a couple of pix:

[DeniseGoldberg]

I don't know if this will help at all - and I ride only on drop bars, so your experience may be different.

I was told many years ago by someone in a bike shop that I shouldn't have a lot of weight on my hands. He told me to use my abs to help hold my upper body up rather than resting all of my weight on my hands. Using my abs allows me to control the weight on my hands (as in place more or less weight on them) and it also allows me to easily keep my arms bent rather than having them straight. (Was he right? I don't know, but it works for me!)

--- Denise

[SnappyPix]

Snap,

Don't know if this will help or not, but I develop a sharp pain in my right elbow when riding my hybrid with riser bars (flat with a bend in the middle). I don't get any pain when riding my road bike with drops. I think it's the braking that does it for me, I probably tend to brace myself by locking the elbow out . Denise's suggestion is a good one I'll try. My hybrid has adjustable front suspension too, which should dampen a little of the vibration off, but still get the pain. The road bike is a completely different position for me, which works.

[bikerz]

Hey Snap -

Sorry you're having such trouble - tendonitis is the pits. Several years ago I had tendonitis/carpal tunnel in both arms (from computers work), but I learned that one of the important things is to try and keep the hands and wrists in a neutral postition as much as possible. In the 2nd photo you posted, it looks like your wrists are pretty bent (sorry - don't have the anatomical jargon for this!) and that position, especially if the arms are tense, looks like trouble to me.

I am very new to cycling (6 months only) but I have found that using drop bars, and being mostly on the hoods creates a nice neutral position - my thumbs are up, and there's a straight line from my thumbnail along the forearms to the inside of my elbow. Also, sometimes neck and shoulders can interfere with what's happening further down the arm - sounds like you have a PT who can help with this, which is great. The PT I had said that building strength in the arms can really help.

Finally, I have also read what Denise said - that you should be able to lift your arms off the bars, and using your abs, you should be able to maintain that position withour excessive effort (of course, you want to be in a trainer to try this!) - I saw that in this article: How to fit a bike

Good luck - I hope you get it all worked out!

[Trek420]

hey snap, what everybody else here sez....one good thing about time off the bike is you could work the abs, can't hurt, might help...bikerz brings up an interesting point, could it be something off the bike like ergonomics on the computer? Hard to judge from two pictures and that was on the flats. When you're riding can you "feather your fingers" like playing a piano? If you can't you're tooooo tense. Relaxe right now &^%$ it, breathe, this is supposed to be fun ;-)

[LBTC]

Hi, Snap!

DH says "Lose the thumshifters, NOW!" They cause tendonitis. Apparently it's well documented. Go to rapid fire shifters and your tendons should be much happier!!

Namaste,
~T~

[SadieKate]

Snap, those shots are difficult to judge but I'm guessing you are leaning on your hands a LOT! Your shoulders are hunched up, your elbows are locked out and your knuckles are tilted up. This is usually a sign of fatigue. Get those abs and back muscles stronger and break the habit of riding with your arms locked out. Your elbows are your suspension system on a rigid bike and you're taking all the shock in the joint with them locked out. Flat or drop bars - you must break that habit. If the muscles are strong, you'll feel more comfortable leaning a bit forward to keep your elbows bent and also get into a nice platform position for downhills.

'Nother thought - I use 9 degree bend flat bars on my mtbikes due to pain in my wrists (this means the outer ends of the bar sweep back closer to your body). This keeps my wrists straight in line with my forearms. Not sure what your bars are doing but it kind of looks like you may have the same problem. Everything should be in as straight a line as possible.

Have you had a pro or a very experienced friend do a fitting concentrating on the angle of the brake levers, the bend of the bars, etc.? For your upright position you make want to drop the levers a hair so that the back of your hand and your forearm are a flat plane with your thumb behind the bar. (You hit a bump, just what is going to keep your hand on the bars, Miss Snap? ).

OK, I'm going to look at those pictures some more and mull it over. I do know that over the years friends who've gotten into riding and used me as a mentor have had their locked elbow habits broken real fast. I'm a darn nag when it comes to this because it causes such pain in the elbow, neck, shoulders, etc., etc., etc. I try not to let my friends ride in pain.

[SadieKate]

OK, I looked again at the pics and I think Bikerz and I are saying the same thing. In both photos the backs of your hands are not in the same plane with your forearms. This and the elbow lockout must go! I don't know how much is bike fit, bad habit or weak muscles. If you really want to keep the flat bars, get someone who fits a lot of mtn bikes to help. Just make sure they don't set up the levers for extreme downhills. (as in the butt-flossing position). This will cock up your hands into a bad position.

[CorsairMac]

just another thought amongst all the many:

I was having severe pain in my elbow on my comfort bike. When I started talking to my LBS guys and paying closer attention to my riding - I discovered I tended to "pull" on the bars whenever I was climbing or standing in the pedals. The comfort bike had seagull?? mustache?? bars - don't know what they were called but it had a slight bend in them and I was trying to either get in a more aerodynamic position or using the bars for leverage. Either way - when I stopped pulling on the bars (and switched to flat bars) the elbow pain went away.
So, are you pulling against the bars?? Plus what everyone else said - your arms and hands don't "look" comfortable to me anyway, they look very awkward and tight.

[snapdragen]

Wha? Nobody likes my "shoulders up around the ears" style? That first pic is probably a bad example, I had just come up a nasty, short, steep hill and was trying not to collapse. But I think y'all are right, looking at the second pic, my arms do look awful straight and stiff.

I believe you are correct Denise, strong abs are a must for comfy bike riding. I've not been to my Pilates class for 4 weeks, it's time to dust off the DVD's and do some matwork before my core is completely shot.

LBTC - I think I have rapid fire shifters, my bad, I call 'em thumbies. They're Shimano XT.

Other friends have suggested moustache bars, which I was thinking of getting at some point when Bleu becomes a singlespeed. (After I steal Waldo.....) So I may get them now, and try them out, or check out something like Sadie suggested. Honest mama sadie - I usually do have my thumbs behine the bars

Coach Curtis did a fit for me last year, but I may give him a call and revisit everything. He talked me out of drops because my flexibility wasn't all that great, maybe he'll be happy with 'staches, or have other suggestions. He's a wizard - only reason I'm not seeing him now for my PT is my stupid HMO.

My mood is better, thanks girls. Time to go practice the deep breathing/relaxation techniques Trek ordered me to do!