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View Full Version : Aerobars hitting my triceps?




bburrito
10-21-07, 05:45 PM
Performance bike had an amazing 15% off in store deal so I picked up a pair of basic Profile Designs aerobars which I was able to pick up for under $35. Killer deal right? So today I did my first ride with them and I can totally tell the difference with regards to lack of control, as well as reduced wind resistance. The other thing I noticed was that my triceps were pretty sore afterwards. Is that normal for aerobars? It is my first time using them so that might explain it, but want to make sure I am not doing something wrong.

Has anybody else noticed this?

rplong
10-21-07, 08:51 PM
You are probably extending your arms out too far, thus you are using your triceps to support your upper body. When you have aero bars on, you will roughly want your shoulder-elbow-forearm to form a 90 degree angle. I bet your arm is more an obtuse angle. You want the bars to support your upper body through the skeletal structure, not muscular. www.slowtwitch.com has plenty of articles about this issue. Either move your seat forward (screwing up your position), roll your pelvis forward, grip the bars closer to your body, or get a pair of shorty bars instead (the best option). Good Luck.

Treefox
10-22-07, 05:25 AM
Either move your seat forward (screwing up your position)

Might give him/her a better TT position as s/he'll have a steeper effective seat tube angle - could be more aero. In theory one will always have to do this to get a decent TT position on a road geometry bike.

Though remember that you'll have to nudge the seat up (vertically) a bit to compensate.

And it may further degrade your handling (but that's half the fun of aero bars!).

bburrito
10-22-07, 02:26 PM
Thanks for the update guys. I will have to give that a shot some day. Not getting on my bike any time soon as I like my lungs. smoky skies and lung tissue don't get along together. I am in San Diego and in case you havent heard, the county is blowing up around us.