augiedogie

Started this thread based on personal experience. I used to really enjoy bike riding and enjoyed some long rides. But I stopped for many years and just recently started again. Now I've developed something in my right elbow. Stress fracture, stretched ligament? Who knows. Anyhow, the bugger hurts. I also bowl but have being doing that for 10 years so I don't think that's the cause. But the bike riding is new, and it definitely gets worse even after a very short ride, like 2 miles. So I guess I'll have to rest it awhile until the pains go away. No biking or bowling. Also means the hybrids got to go. If I'm going to try biking again, its going to have to be with a different bike. Fortunately, I can still ride my motorcycles. No pain at all from that.

howellhandmade

For elbows, tendonitis usually shows up first. Maybe just from gripping the bars. But if you were to consult a doctor, you might get back on the bike sooner. Good sports medicine ortho. Physical therapy could help fix what caused it in the first place and build strength so it doesn't happen again.

Northwestrider

+1, Yes, IMO it's likely grip or any twist of the arm when holding your bars. BTW are you using flat or drop bars ? Drop bars may help, by providing more possible hand positions, and lessening any twist of your arms.

Ursa Minor

Maybe a recumbent would be good.

Charlie

Carbonfiberboy 

"Rest it" is old think. "Exercise it" is what works for me. Hit the gym. Strengthen it and increase range of motion, but don't do anything that hurts it right in that spot. If you don't have a gym membership, now is a good time to get one.

digibud

Bike fit is darned complicated. Your bars could be too wide or too narrow. Or not angled. Or your seat could be tilted down, or too far forward or too far back, or your stem could be too long or too short. Or you could be gripping too tightly or need better core strength to hold yourself up well with less hand pressure. If you're properly balanced you should have very little need to support yourself with your hands/arms and it should result in very little strain on your hands. A different bike with drop bars, properly fitted may very well do the trick but a real expert bike fitter might also work wonders. Something pretty dramatic is going on for such a problem in 2 miles so I wish you the best of luck in figuring it out.

chasm54

OP, aren't you the guy who is riding a bike with too big a saddle-bar drop and looking for a comfortable road bike?

Get some professional advice on how to get a bike that fits you properly. You're putting too much weight on your hands and I'm prepared to bet that this is a cause of your problem. It isn't biking that's the problem, it's biking in the wrong position.

wphamilton

Maybe, but there is at least a possibility of something I've experienced. If I ride for a long time or consistently with my elbows in one position always at the same angle I'll develop a pain and stiffness whenever my arm bent at that angle. All other angles it was fine.

By sometimes varying my position - sometimes for the whole ride - I got over that and I suspect that frequent curls would help also.

Wogster

Best option is get it looked at by a doctor, most of us are not doctors, we don't play one on TV, we didn't even stay at a famous hotel last night. Get it looked at, if it's broken or cracked they can fix that. If it's not broken, your doctor may refer you to a physiotherapist, to get some exercises to strengthen whatever has been damaged.

Something to try, sit on your bike normally, now take your hands off the bars, and hold yourself at the proper angle. If you have to put your hands on the bars to keep from smashing your forehead into the stem, then you need to strengthen the core muscles, raising the bars may also help.

linnefaulk

I notice my elbows are sore since I started riding again. I think it is vibration and lack of muscle tone in my arms. Welcome back to cycling.

Phloom

Just finished my third month bicycling to work everyday. About 5 miles each way with mostly flat bicycle trails. Got back into cycling after a 20 year sabbatical. The first time to work, I had to take a rest break and I actually got off and pushed the bike up a small hill. Now, I can do the run in half the time, with no breaks and pedaling up all the hills. It is hot now and when I get home, I am soaked in sweat. I was worried that a damaged rotater cuff would start acting up but so far, so good. My blood pressure has dropped to 120/70. My doctor was very impressed.

Now, I am going to replace the pedals on my Peugeot mountain bike with a set of Shimano clippless. I wisely postponed doing this until I was a lot stronger and more stable. The first night out with the Peugeot, right after I put it all back together, I fell just trying to get on. Did that twice and I was sure glad I was wearing gloves. The next morning I started the commute and haven't fallen since.

Bottom line is I feel a hell of a lot better now. My only regret was not doing this years ago.

augiedogie

"Rest" for a sore elbow may be old school, but I'm old. I'll take the tried and true, especially when it hurts as much as it does today. I think my problem started with a couple of 8 mile rides on my hybrid bike. The bars are really wide, IMHO, and since I had raised the seat, I think I had too much weight on my arms, from leaning over. I think what I'm going to do is rest it till the pain goes completely away. The second step is get a different bike. A road bike with drop bars would give me more movement and different positions. I just can't figure a way that I can modify this bike to make it work.

Terex

Sounds like some less-wide handle bars. I developed golfer's elbow (inside of elbow) from riding a spin bike. My regular road bikes were perfectly comfortable. You've probably just got a fit problem that can easily be solved.

rydabent

Best suggestion so far is to get a recumbent or a trike.

spdracr39

fit fit fit it can't be said enough. If you can't get it just right then get a pro to do it for you. Short of an actual medical problem all kinds of little pains and issues can pop up from incorrect bike sizing and or fit. They can all be corrected but unfortunately it cause many to just quit riding. Make sure your bar width and hand position isn't causing you to lock your elbows. Move the seat forward. tilt the bars back, raise/flip the stem, or on a flat bar even different grips can help. something as simple as the trigger shifters and brake lever at the wrong angle can cause your elbow to hurt.

Road Fan

Did you move your saddle back? I think that advice was given on your other thread. Its one of the ways to mitigate too much weight on your hands.

Can you take a picture of yourself on your bike, drive side view, in riding position, with your drive side foot at the bottom of the pedal stroke? Then we could at least start to see your situation.

augiedogie

Thanks for all the help. I think many of you are right. The bike is a bad fit. The handle bars are indeed pretty wide and with the twisting of the gear shift, I think that started my problem. Now my problem is finding a bike that will work. I'd switch to a road bike immediately, but we have a lot of rough roads here and I'm hesitant to jump into a road bike with skinny tires. Yet, most bikes, if they are not the road bikes with the skinny tires have flat bars. I think this is going to take some time to find what will work.

chasm54

Look again at the advice to consider a touring bike. Drop bars, but relatively relaxed geometry and the clearances for generous tyres. Very comfortable bikes, and versatile in terms of the surfaces they can handle. If I had to make do with only one bike, that's what I'd choose.

Terex

Thanks for being so helpful.

Cyril 

There is no law stating you must keep the same handle bars that your bike came with.
Try some drops. Yes, this will mean different shifters. But I suspect the new set-up will be cheaper than a new bike.
And if you like all other aspects of your present ride, why not?

digibud

Another option is a hybrid or a cross bike. Hybrids come with wider tires and can be had with drop or flat bars. cross bikes are essentially the same but more geared toward racing. skinny road tires can often be put on these bikes and make them quite fast. Available in anything from steel to carbon.

Doohickie

Proper fit is definitely something to look into. I have several bikes and while I've done my best to fit them to my build, some have their quirks (the poster child for this is my 1966 Raleigh 3-speed; it doesn't really lend itself to stem/handlebar mods) and I have to realize that if I ride them too long I'm going to end up with some kind of pain (especially after breaking my elbow last year). On other bikes I can get a better fit and can ride longer pain-free.

Null66

Actually "old school" is if you can stand, you can work...