Ridefreemc

I don't think it is as much from road shock as it is the strain holding up weight. So, bending the elbows will cause more weight transfer to the shoulder. I have a pretty relaxed position now.

Ridefreemc

Thanks Rachel. I may have to stop riding for awhile, but that will be my last resort. I did get off the bike for two weeks recently, but went to Syracuse and shoveled snow every day, plus learned to cross country ski - ouch with the poles!

I currently wear gloves from the auto parts store (no padding), but saw the same high viz gloves for $14 with padding at Walmart.

I'd need to change my entire brake system to go to flat or curved, so I'm going to hold that idea out for awhile. Great suggestion on the wider tire though, as I hadn't thought of that. I am running 35s now and have a pair of 40s that I can put back on, and of course run a touch lower pressure. It's a Kona Rove TI by the way, so not a terribly aggressive riding position.

I did put the Fizks stuff on this afternoon and took a ride. We'll see how that goes. I will look into the Specialized stuff, as like you I have had good luck with it in the past.

I like the control better too (on my upright). The speed was awesome on the bent, but I use my bike for everything from fast pace lines, to library and grocery runs, as well as multiday touring. Not so easy to do all that on a bent.

veganbikes

Yeah pretty much. Bents seem like a neat concept and I have seen people touring on them but for most practical uses they aren't going to be as great. If I were doing some sort of more epic off road but relatively flat ride not around a ton of people I would probably consider a recumbent trike like the Catrike sort of thing. I believe someone who did an Antarctic record was riding one, if memory serves me correctly.

Ridefreemc

The bent was awesome fun. If you want to go fast and be in relative comfort that is the bike. I remember completing a ride with a large group out of Gainesville Florida (Horse Farm 100?) and seeing about 50 riders in front of me traveling downhill (as I crested). I powered past all at about 40 mph! They were doing about 25. Also, I did a century on the Withalacoochee Trail at 4 hours 58 minutes and 20 seconds. I found that my heart rate was much lower on the bent - say 135 bpm at 20 mph vs. 165 bpm for the same speed on my carbon fiber road bike. I just found it more challenging around town, especially with hard bottomed shoes. Tricky when stopping and putting your foot down (I had 26 inch wheels front and back - smaller front would have been a little easier). It was nice to keep up with traffic though (in some instances .

Anyway, back on topic...I need to say to the readers here that I added a quality Glucosamine, Chondroitin, and MSM supplement to my diet this week and not sure if its what is helping or not, but the pain is almost gone! That includes a few hours worth of pitchforking/raking/shoveling Thursday and Saturday associated with my side business. I also went bowling last night and although I notice the shoulder is not perfect this morning, it feels pretty goo (my pride hurts more at scoring a low of 84!).

I have a ride planned this afternoon, so we will see...

Thanks for all the great input!

Ridefreemc

Update - here is what I changed:

Went to 40 mm tires (from 35s) and will drop front pressure 10% lower than rear and about 25% lower than max
Put gel inserts under the bar tape
Got some nice padded long finger gloves from Specialized
Taking joint supplements
Stretching more
The DW working on the shoulder
Shifting hand positions a little more

Then, I got a cold and couldn't ride for over a week! I did get out for a short ride Tuesday and will extend bit tomorrow. The shoulder does feel better though.

Thanks all!

Bmach

Strengthen your core and really check your fit. Sounds like to much pressure on your hands, which is straining your shoulder. This can be fixed by stronger core and better fit.

Ridefreemc

Good advice and I work on that fairly regularly. I may or may not have stated in an earlier post that my left upper body has some paralysis (broke neck once and cracked bones again another time) and so the right side has to do the majority of the holding up. This causes some problems, as is the root of my post. I’ve had this problem for 40 years and pretty much work though things the way I have here. Adjustments, strengthening, equipment, and just simply staying very active with a variety of movements. I’m thankful that I can do so much.

I will see if I can increase the core strength more though. I wonder if the ton of marble chips I carried and placed in landscape area over the past couple of days counts?👍😳

55murray

To convert any pair of gloves into full finger sun protection just get a pair of Coolibar Unisex Full Finger Gloves (the long ones, so they give you sun protection along the wrist as well). They are super thin, and very tough. Put your standard padded gloves over them. If you do an evening or short ride, you can skip them.

Ridefreemc

High 5 55! Cool stuff on that site. I'll look them over. Thank you.

Hondo Gravel

I’ve had 7 hand operations for dupuytrens contracture aka Viking disease and a padded glove of decent quality is a must. I also adjust the angle of the brake/shifter levers to accommodate. Annoying at times but it hasn’t slowed me down. Most riders I know use padded gloves and don’t have any physical issues it just seems padded gloves make a more comfortable ride.

55murray

They run a tad small, so say if you can get away with a medium on some gloves order the large in these. Handy here in Indiana for riding in cooler weather as well, a feature you may not need in Florida!

I have a medical issue that makes exposure to direct sunlight a huge no-no, so I had been using these for years already when I found out my standard padded gloves fit right over them.

e17blade

I used a variety of padded/gel mitts for years to no great effect.

Eventually I tried the Specialized Grail mitts with the padding in the palms and they were a revelation.

The padding being on the palm of your hand rather than where the gel padding usually is - fingers and heel of your hand - makes more sense doesn’t it? As that is where you put your weight.

Also try a bike fit. And improve your core strength.

Good luck!

Ridefreemc

Thanks Hondo - nice to hear you've had some success and maybe I will as well.

Ridefreemc

I got the Specialized Trident long finger gloves. Very comfy, and yes the padding is in the center where I need it. I also have an issue with my right hand whereby the tendons are fusing with the muscle. Not painful, but will lead to limited motion if it continues. Started after a 10,000+ mile motorcycle ride in 2016 and continues with bicycling with no gloves. Time to turn that around too!

jay ray

You probably already tried motorcycle gloves. I got a cheap pair of motorcycle gloves with thick padded palms from Walmart, $15 bucks. They eliminated 90% of my road bike hand pain. But when it rains they turn my hands black.


Probably a trip to Harley would produce a more weather stable and better glove for me.

Ridefreemc

I found that RevZilla always had the best prices, and great information on their products.