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...other than liking the aeroez too much and becoming a triathlete? 😎
Just trying to take as much weight off hands/fore-arms as possible whilst letting the tendonitis heal up.
No amount of positional tinkering or judicious use of riser block under front wheel on turbo trainer etc. is enough and even after a 1hr session the golfer's elbow is playing up.
Am hoping by using clip-on aero bars with pads well back and ski bends at approximately same reach as my hoods, I can get close to my usual upper body position whilst being able to spend longer periods effectively resting on my elbows or forearms instead of using hand/wrist muscles.
Will give it a try either way, just curious if anyone has ever tried similar?
Ra
my road bike now has embarrassingly tilted-in brake levers, though that's for poorly wrists rather than elbows. Seems to have made a difference to the wrist pain and, of course, I am moar aero than yew ('til you get your clip-ons)
I've used aerobars a couple of times - on both road and MTB. I'm perfectly willing to admit that I'm doing it wrong but I didn't find them at all comfortable. If I was suffering from tendonitis, that's the last avenue I'd explore 🙂
Yep agree completely with Scotroutes. For me they are an additional position as opposed to a comfort position. If I was having elbow issues not sure I’d see the bars as a help. I do have shoulder issues though so hurts me tucking in (if that makes sense)
(I’ve taken part in loads of TT’s, have been professionally fitted to a TT bike and also done loads of multi day touring with clip on bars on my hardtail and never really found a position I’d say was comfy)
The obvious pitfall. You can’t brake on the aero bars so think ahead. You also want the pads under the forearms not the elbows. I use small gel pads for more comfort on long TTs.
The position is very low so you’ll crush your bits. A proper TT position moves the saddle forwards and slightly lower to rotate the body about the BB. Just cranking over onto aero bars is often uncomfortable unless you raise the bars. Might ant to flip your stem and use the spacers if any are provided.
Iain never brakes anyway. That's why his brakes always squeal 🙂
Iain never brakes anyway. That’s why his brakes always squeal
I brake plenty! Apparently I just brake 'wrong' though 😁
Thanks for the other advice. Am confident that taking hands/wrists out of the game will help with the golfer's elbow, but comments noted re:lowered riding position, was conscious of trying to keep it as close to my current position as possible e.g. not really going full aero.
Should probably have bought more expensive bars with stackers underneath, think my bar height is already maxxed out...
Am confident that taking hands/wrists out of the game will help with the golfer’s elbow, but comments noted re:lowered riding position, was conscious of trying to keep it as close to my current position as possible e.g. not really going full aero.
Hmm... so a couple of turbo sessions with the aero clip-ons revealed that yes, they take the wrists and hands out of the game which is handy for the golfer's elbow (which is aggravated by gripping or weight bearing at the hands). Also I like the position in theory.
In practice though it's too low and long, as suggested above, and I could feel it in my achilles tendon after both sessions, I guess because it's basically putting more stretch through hamstrings and calves.
But I see plenty of people using road bikes/gravel bikes with clip-ons? Is it just a case of slowly adjusting to the change in position, or do you just find a set of clip-ons that can be positioned higher and shorter, in effect letting you use the elbow pads without committing to the change in upper body position? I guess a longer saddle with a padded nose would let you slide forward for short spells albeit your effective saddle height would be lower.
I just like the idea of using them on my occasional flattish, potentially headwindy 25km commute, am hoping it's just a case of getting used to them.
any pitfalls to avoid
Yes, be aware you may well end up with Achilie's Tendinitis. I did....
Oh
and I could feel it in my achilles tendon after both sessions,
😀
Is it just a case of slowly adjusting to the change in position, or do you just find a set of clip-ons that can be positioned higher and shorter, in effect letting you use the elbow pads without committing to the change in upper body position?
I think you need to make the position suit you.
It's not the easiest thing to do since they're generally geared around racing, so the products are rarely made with comfort in mind. But if you get it right it should be comfortable out of the box, and it will be because it nicely supports your skeleton. Dropping the saddle a bit can help with the stretch. And adjusting saddle tilt helps with the change in body position. Generally speaking though, you don't want to be overly stretched out if comfort is the goal, and if you are, the position needs changed. Which may or may not be possible with the aero bars you have.
My aero bars have risers, about 4 or 5cm rise. Makes them far more comfortable and I use them more and for longer.
When they were slammed to the bars they were far too low and uncomfortable.
Interestingly on the video with Mark Beaumont prepping for raam they raised his tri bars to make him faster. It's not just about being low, it's about being compact and having your body in a comfortable position for most efficient output.
Don't swop one injury for another. Comfort has to come first.
Don’t swop one injury for another. Comfort has to come first
Haha, yeah, worth keeping that one in mind! Any idea what bars those are that have the risers? Even post-injury I'd quite like to try and make them work, just for fun.
Sorry for the amazon link, but it has the best picture. Mine are profile bars.
I'm 6ft3 and with a rise on my tri bars, my head and shoulders are in almosy the same place as when I'm on the drops but I'm a lot narrower and my weight is over the pedals which seems to give me more power.
I tend to just use the drops now for going down hill. Around 25mph plus I get a bit scared on the tri bars
Excellent thanks, I think I could probably bodge one of those kits to work with my bars, it can only be bolt thread diameter/length and possibly the centres of the bolt holes that are different
I bodged the risers onto a cheap set of carbon tri bars trying to save some weight. It was one of those jobs were you needed 3 hands. It did work but they just didn't feel as good as the profile bars.
They might help as an alternative position, even if you are only using them for a minute or so at a time, to offload your common flexor while you rehab it. I know a lot of Tour Divide entrants use them, and it's to have a bit of a rest as much as it is maur aero
I sometimes rest my forearms on the tops if my bars when I want to make myself a bit less of a sail, it's hard to sustain that position for any length of time though