Originally Posted by
Iride01
Well I'd say try keeping a good bend in your elbows. In the positive direction and not reverse. Try it out when you ride. Probably won't feel natural and likely your current setup won't make it an easy thing. But you can make a conscious effort and maybe see some indication of what the results might be even if you can't do it for the entire ride.
When I had the most issue with my shoulders, it seems to have been fixed with the narrower 38 mm bars I put on the bike. So that I'm not braced so much to resist side by side swaying motion.
Just being able to keep your elbows bent 70 to 90 degrees might keep your shoulders from bearing too much weight and transferring bumps straight into them. If I'd tried that first before going to the 38mm bars, I wonder if that also will have solved my shoulder issues.
But that much bend might present it's own set of issues for your fit and comfort on the bike till you get other things squared away.
I forced myself to ride with normal horizontal bent and about 80 degrees vertical bent. My body position was somewhat the same but it was harder to carry the weight.It caused more pressure on my lower back and led to pain. I had to switch back to my old knock-knee-looking elbow position. I will try to ride this way and see if it improves. Thanks for the advice.
Originally Posted by
cyclezen
Hypermobility is not THE problem. And resolving aching shoulders is not just about bending the elbows...
Aching shoulders can come from a number of areas. But your mention of 'hypermobile elbows leads me to deduce (for lack of further info)
That you ARE 'straigtharming' (in your hypermobile way...) and locking the elbows. Along with that comes a bunch of other contributing factors, like hunched shoulderrs.
You're not unique. Many riders I see on road bikes and hybrids (which actually cause/exacerbate this issue) have this issue to some degree.
My earlier post/link covers much of how to resolve these poor posture issues - not all.
That they ride the way they do, is totally up to them. Not my crusade. But I lucked out and had some good tutelage when I first became more involved in riding.
Ultimately the issues fall to a lack of using some core muscle and back strength to help in holding up the torso. Either due to poor strength or just poor understanding.
Once there is realization, there can also be adaptation, in a more personal way, for each rider. Of course, some just chose to continue on as is.
Ride On
I forgot to mention the fact that my shoulders are also hyperflexible and I have a slight biological dent(pectus excavatum) to my left side which shows itself as shortened reach on one side. I solved it by moving the shifter a bit closer. I am indeed straightarming/locking my elbows. My shoulders are pushed up and squeezed around my head. I am mostly bending my elbows weirdly when I am lifting hard or pushing something. I guess that is why I am struggling when I try to hold the bars without bending my elbows weirdly. I have been doing some core work lately. I will re-read your article again. Thanks a lot for your help.
Also, I am trying to find a bikefitter but there is none around, unfortunately. The scarcity of fitters causes me to question their quality of work since there is no competition. I would be happy if you suggest to me any book or reliable source for doing your own DIY bikefits.I read almost all the articles of Steve Hogg and watched all the bike fitting-related stuff on youtube.