Can't hold on to bars...

Coxy_UK

At Bike Park Wales after a few runs my arms get tired to the point where I even had o stop a few times on runs like Ring Dinger (rocky and bumpy). When hitting bumpy sections I could no longer cover the brakes.

I know fitness will play a part and I will post a question on this in the relevant forum section, but what what fork settings would effect this please?

As far as I know high speed compression is for big hits or jump/drop landings, and low speed is for brake dive and pedal bob (and small hits?). I have the air set to the correct sag.

My for is a Manitou Dorado Expert and the adjustments is has are rebound, high speed compression and TPC+

I've read up on them but in practice I just ended up twiddling dials and not really knowing what i was doing.

Any help and advice would be great, cheers.

nicklouse

Brake position and angle.

OE poor cockpit set up.

Post pics.

peter413

Brake and bar positioning has a big impact on this. Nice grips also has a big impact. The fork settings is one of the least influential on this IME.

What grips are you using?

Coxy_UK

I experimented with different brake angles to no avail, however by then my arms/hands were already shot. Grips are Yeti Hardcore which I have used for years with no problems on XC trails.

cooldad

Perhaps you have puny little girl arms?
















That's my problem anyway.

pesky_jones

Does it hurt to open and close your grip? Well not hurt but ache? I get it as well, don’t think its down to fitness because I have strong wrists, forearms etc. Think it just happens

Coxy_UK

No not really, my fingers don't lock in a claw if that's what you mean.

As for puny girl arms, not really I'm on the large side, that's not to say I don't maybe have puny girl strength

robertpb

Try not to grip the bars so hard.
Years of riding rigids you had to practically have minimum contact with the bars on knarly sections, used to call it the thumb and index finger grip.

lostboysaint

robertpb wrote:

Try not to grip the bars so hard.
Years of riding rigids you had to practically have minimum contact with the bars on knarly sections, used to call it the thumb and index finger grip.

That. Elbows lower and push through the bars rather than grip it. Watch the top DH guys and see how relaxed their grip is.

peter413

Have you tried changing the bar angle and adjusting the brake lever so it's closer to the grip?

I get sore arms a lot while riding but that's just because I'm not fit enough. I'm on the bigger side too but because of that I also have to support more weight.

It still might be worth considering new grips. I've found ESI's make my hands less tired than lock ones because there is no outer collar and no inner core so there is more give in them.

Coxy_UK

I do try and keep a loose grip and consider my position, though sometimes I do catch myself gripping more.

I will try different grips next time. I brought the lever blades in as much as I could too but again it was pretty much already too late by then.

The Rookie

Make sure that in your normal riding position the brake levers are below your fingers when extended in line with your forearms, higher bends your hand back and guarantees problems as you describe.

Coxy_UK

A lot of people seem to think the opposite, that raising lever level is better, allowing better control and makes getting the front wheel over obstacles easier. Under rotated means you can push forward. This is advocated by Tony "Jedi" Doyle.

I guess it's a personal preference thing as one way works for some, another works for others.

The Rookie

Not sure how higher levers make it easier to lift the front wheel?

Coxy_UK

There's a video explaining it somewhere, but yeah I'm rather sceptical about it too.

mcnultycop

Spend some time in the gym. Bench press, shoulder press and a bit of bent over rowing (all barbell) and it makes a massive difference.

njee20

The Rookie wrote:

Not sure how higher levers make it easier to lift the front wheel?

Forces weight back and heels down, so un weighting the front is easier. Steeper lever angle pushes you over the front of the bike.

rockmonkeysc

Riding uplifted trails means your getting a lot more descending in to a day than you ever would by riding up so it highlights any weaknesses.It sounds like forearm & hand pump. Best exercise to cure it is to get to your local indoor climbing centre.
When on the bike you need to stay loose & relaxed. Don't ride so far back on the bike that your arms are straight, they need to be slightly bent and you should be central on the bike. The correct position will put no weight through your hands.

Coxy_UK

OK thanks well I will try standing on bike with no weight put through hands, I'm not sure if my stance is like that already or not. I do intend to add I'm some forearm workouts in the gym too. Also I'm going to try a slimmer grip as I have small girly hands.

rockmonkeysc

Be careful with exercises in the gym. Get the wrong exercises and you will just make it worse! Rock climbing or indoor climbing are both excellent for this.
To check your position on your bike just bounce the bike through the pedals, it naturally puts you in the right position, I even do this during downhill race runs before particularly gnarly sections just to help relax and check my position.

ravey1981

Arm pump - if you get it on an mtb don't take up mx! I suffered from it a lot on the motorbike, the best advice is to relax the grip. You naturally tend to grip harder when going through rough stuff which uses the muscles in you're forearms that ususally don't get a workout. I always find brake levers in a straight line with forarms to be the best position (when you are in the "attack" position on the bike. I used to use some grip strengthening things with a spring in them, an hour a day whilst watching tv or whatever will do wonders.... This type of thing.....

Coxy_UK

Good tip cheers.

Do you know what I could do in the gym or at home to help forearms? I appreciate rock climbing would be good but don't really have the time to start up something new!

ravey1981

Squeezing tennis balls works also, or those stress ball things that used to be about, but you need something thats not too easy to squeeze....

cycleclinic

Or ride a rigid for a while it will do all the toughing up of your hands and arms. Also you will learn how to grip the bars while barley touching them. If you are riding a full susser that is not so easy but if you ride a hartail rigid forks are not all that expensive. It is a learning curve though.

But even if you don't do any hand excerises or start riding rigid, riding alot on less knarly trails and slowly building up to the really rough stuff will help alot. Plus you will get fitter too which is a bonus.

Herdwick

add some dead lifts, pull ups (palms facing front) and dips in your gym program, focusing on strength, and not the muscle hypertrophy-arnold- wannabe kind of programs. ask a trainer on your gym for advice on that.

sdalby

Get yourself a stress reliever or grip trainer (used for stringed instruments) and use them regularly. Arm pump will disappear in no time.

rockmonkeysc

Herdwick wrote:

add some dead lifts, pull ups (palms facing front) and dips in your gym program, focusing on strength, and not the muscle hypertrophy-arnold- wannabe kind of programs. ask a trainer on your gym for advice on that.

Thats the wrong exercise for reducing forearm pump, they aren't even working on the right muscle groups.
The forearm curls in this article are great for reducing pump http://www.indoorclimbing.com/Forearm_Exercise.html

The Rookie

I carry the milk home from the shop (2 x 4 pint cartons) doing single finger lift reps to build forearm strength.

pesky_jones

Simple dumbell curls build your forearms up. Or Barbell curls. Or hammer curls. Or preacher curls. Bascially just do curls. Heavy weight, low reps.

cooldad

Use alternative hands when walking.

samcivilised

I had a problem with grip and sore thumbs at BPW

When I got home I changed my grips to these and they work a treat for my big shovel hands

http://www.superstarcomponents.com/en/l ... -excel.htm