# arm pain when riding?



## CC09 (Mar 11, 2006)

I get some pain in my upper arm, sort of near my tricep, except a bit higher and more forward (central) on my arm, it usually creeps up around 15 or so miles. 

I am just starting to add 1 and 1, is this related to me feeling cramped on my bike in the drops? Or do I just need to build up some arm muscles that are cycling related?
thanks


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## Mr. Versatile (Nov 24, 2005)

It might be a little of both. You might play around with the fore/aft adjustment on your saddle, and/or maybe try a different length stem. You might also consider going to a good LBS to have the fit checked. That might be the fastest way to a solution.


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## b987654 (Aug 18, 2005)

*sound farmiliar*

Do you do any other upper body activities?
Over the summer I ride more and tend to quit all other activities ,weights pushups and sit ups. 
For me i notice pains in my triceps and sometimes in my back. 
try doing some pushups, it helped me.


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## CC09 (Mar 11, 2006)

i play lacrosse once a week, and also do some tricep specific workouts once a week for surfing......and i do pushups before bed every night.

could it have anything to do with handlebars? I feel like mine may be too wide for me (i feel stretched out to far)


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## fleck (Mar 25, 2005)

don't move your saddle! That is a good way to muck up your knees.
your saddle position should be in relation to your feet. With the crank arm perpendictular to your seat tube, your knee bone should be directly above the spindle of your lower foot.

get a shoter stem for your triceps. or perhaps one with a higher rise if the reach out is good.


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## dog29 (Jun 15, 2007)

Im in the same boat Ive got a new frame and I get tricep pain after 15 to 20 miles, I reckon its iether the stem too far but most likely too close .Im riding with a 12cm stem and my saddles well back so I may nip the saddle closer on the next ride. Bike fit is my nemisis- No joke Ive tried 8 frames in the past 5 years, none fit as well as my rusted but SORELY missed Bottechia SL. No pun intended. Ive been down this road many times and had many different pains from each of the frames. Ive tried the mathematical route too, to match my old frame even that doesent work! The journey goes on.


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## bill (Feb 5, 2004)

unless you're doing something funky with lifting your arms, you don't use your biceps for much for cycling.


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## Chase15.5 (Feb 17, 2005)

perhaps your core strength needs some work?


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## bill (Feb 5, 2004)

okay, here is a dirty little secret.

"perfect bike fit" is possibly the most oversold concept in all of cycling.

yes, yes, yes. cycling is repetitive motion, and you can notice immediately some surprisingly small differences in dimensions.

but it doesn't mean that you can't get used to it.

balance on the bike is important, and you getting the dimensions right to carry your weight comfortably, dividing it among your butt, arms, and pedals, can be a trick, but even then it matters greatly as to whether you're noodling along at 15 mph or hammering at 27.


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## GearDaddy (Apr 1, 2004)

It may just be the extent to which you lean on your hands. If you are riding along in your normal position and then you simply let go with your hands, then it shouldn't be very difficult to maintain the same body position for a little while. If you can't hold that position very easily, then you either need to strengthen your core muscles or you need to change your setup.

Tilting your seat upward a bit would help some, but that can have other negative side effects. You may simply need to raise your handlebars.

One other thing that is possible is that your tricep pain could be an indicator of a cervical disc problem. I've been there before. It is common to have radiating pains in your shoulder blades, triceps and forearm in this case where the neck is where the real problem may lie. Another reason to raise your handlebars.


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## Albino (Mar 24, 2007)

Do you visit the chiropractor? You could have a slight misalignment of a nerve or something like that. Worth looking into.


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