Osteoarthritis and Vibration
My DOB is 1949 (IOW, I am old) and I have (per an MRI) severe arthritis basically deep in the ball joint of my left shoulder. Soft tissues, on an age adjusted basis, are in pretty good shape. My biggest problem right now is cycling which really triggers the shoulder issue. Based on just how things feel and the fact that cycling is no issue at all on my (similarly set up ) indoor bike, I am convinced that road vibration is the problem. I ride a 2020 Trek Emonda SL6 and/or an older EL/OS steel frame Bianchi (upgraded groupset) and don't notice much of a difference between the two. They both have conventional butyl tubes and Conti 5000 25mm tires. I definitely cannot go bigger on the Bianchi - not sure about the Trek. I ride on mostly country roads that are typically in decent repair but vary from smooth asphalt to chip/seal crap.
Right now I have added some foam insulation (designed for water pipes) wrapped around the handle bars near the hoods (where I spend most of my cycling time) for vibration reduction (plus a decent set of cycling gloves). My question is "has anyone else run into this issue and how did you deal with it". There are lots of things to do here from a different/better handlebar vibration insulator to more supple tires with latex tubes, maybe better cycling gloves, or I suppose that something like the suspension on the Trek Domane (as an example) might help, although that is a bigger step than I had in mind here. I was just looking for some guidance to help streamline the trial and error process.
Any input/perspective would be appreciated - thanks.
dave
ps. For reference I ride 120 to 180 miles per week and can still crank out a solo 19 mph ride on a good day.