Newbie with shoulder pain

[Kit Bradley]

I got my first Cruzbike, used Sofrider v3! I completed the tutorial this past Friday and, today, went on a 22-mile ride on the bike. Except for a manageable case of the wobblies, it went okay. However, about halfway through the ride, my right shoulder started hurting. And after the ride, my right trapezius muscle is quite stiff, and so is my right wrist. My right shoulder does have some impeded rotation and I'm prone to shoulder pain on that side, anyway, but it wasn't a problem I've had with my other recumbent bike.

I suspect the issue is that I'm "fighting" myself on the bike. In the short term, it's not a big deal, I'll just take some ibuprofen before riding.

What I'm asking for is if I might be doing something wrong, or some tips or advice to get me through the stage where I'm exerting shoulder strength and being all wobbly.

 

[ratz]

I got my first Cruzbike, used Sofrider v3! I completed the tutorial this past Friday and, today, went on a 22-mile ride on the bike. Except for a manageable case of the wobblies, it went okay. However, about halfway through the ride, my right shoulder started hurting. And after the ride, my right trapezius muscle is quite stiff, and so is my right wrist. My right shoulder does have some impeded rotation and I'm prone to shoulder pain on that side, anyway, but it wasn't a problem I've had with my other recumbent bike.

I suspect the issue is that I'm "fighting" myself on the bike. In the short term, it's not a big deal, I'll just take some ibuprofen before riding.

What I'm asking for is if I might be doing something wrong, or some tips or advice to get me through the stage where I'm exerting shoulder strength and being all wobbly.

Welcome aboard.

Chronic Arthritis in my hands. ibuprofen was a requirement for the first 2 months of riding; then the muscle developed and I stopped fighting the bike. This was pre-training instructions so it took a long time to figure out the wrong and stop doing it. You should be able to adapt faster if you do the drills. Try adding some mental reminder to (1) relax your jaw; (2) relax your shoulders; (3) relax your grip; repeat; it'll come and the muscle will get stronger.

 

[Kit Bradley]

I had a feeling the answer would be, "Practice makes perfect." It usually is!

A month or two of ibuprofen isn't a big deal. I knew there'd be a learning curve, but I hadn't heard of anyone else having shoulder trouble! Though it makes sense, given that part of the *point* is using your upper body to get power to the drivetrain.

Otherwise, it's going well. I'm not having much problem starting, even on slight upslopes. Other than the wobblies and the shoulder stiffness and pain, I think things are going very well. And if both can be fixed through practice. . . well, I'm gonna get right on that.

 

[ratz]

Also a picture of yourself on the bike will help the rest of stop if you have something obviously out of position that might cause pain.

 

[Bill K]

I have also had issues "fighting" the bike when it was new.
Short rides are better than long rides. Once you start getting stressed out, stop, walk the bike for a minute or so, then take a deep breath and ride again.
Last winter I got an indoor trainer. Surprisingly, it did a really good job to break my bad habit of pulling hard on the bars, especially when pedaling hard.
After all, the bike cannot fall over and you really do not even need to touch the bars. That makes it easy to form a good habit of keeping a light touch on the bars.

 

[RojoRacing]

Dude my fingers, hands and wrist were in so much pain during my first couple weeks and the 24hr race during my second month with the bike. It was obvious I was fighting the bike as well as had my bars tipped to far forward but with a little time I worded it all out. New things require new muscles and new muscle can be whinny little B*****s until they get stronger. When I first built my single speed mtb it was my tricepts and abs that would give out on my first, not my legs.

 

[1happyreader]

I had a feeling the answer would be, "Practice makes perfect." It usually is! Other than the wobblies and the shoulder stiffness and pain, I think things are going very well. And if both can be fixed through practice. . . well, I'm gonna get right on that.

No reason that we can't make the practice pain free, and speed up your minds adaption.
All wrapped up in a tangled ball are things you forgot you had to learn as a toddler with a new bike.
To TRUST the bike, you have to FEEL what its doing, and KNOW if that's normal/ok/or disaster.
Good place to start is During your parking lot adventures , big swoops ect ,
PALM OUT
get rollin ,
pedal lightly,
put the palm against the grips and release your fingers
feel both what your feet and hands are doing as you move and steer..
FINGER POINT
On some easy section of your ride
Point your index fingers forward and release your thumbs. ( Last three fingers on grip)
Just like driving the interstate raise you sight point further up the road. we don't need micro corrections. a child just goes there no interim.
RELAXATION triggers.
back against seat
SAG shoulders down
HANG your hands on the grips
RAISE chin /sightline
It's a beautiful day to ride.

It don't mater if you put the eggs in first or the milk , mix in whatever clicks for you.

Have FUN learning your NEW toy,, you didn't buy it because it was the same as your old toy.

 

[Kit Bradley]

Thanks for the tips and encouragement! Take shorter rides (or at least take breaks as I ride to shake things out to relax and refocus), palms out, point my fingers, progressive relaxation - and have fun while remembering that I'm developing a new skill and I LIKE developing new skills! I did get the new toy for a reason, after all.

Here are some pics of my posture and hand position on the Sofrider.

 

[Jeremy S]

A few suggestions from my memory of riding my Sofrider:

- Rotate the handlebars so the ends point as much downward as possible. It looks like they are pointing a bit backward towards you. This should unkink your wrists a bit.
- If your stem is adjustable, point it as forward as possible to move the bars away from you. This may unhunch your shoulders a bit.
- Lower the handlebars as much as you can while maintaining knee clearance (looks like you may have some room to spare). This should also unhunch your shoulders a bit.

Tweaking is well and good but, as has been said, when you are acclimated to riding a Cruzbike you will be much more relaxed.

 

[Kit Bradley]

I fiddled around with the bars like Jeremy said, and I dunno if I fixed anything, but I was doing figure 8s and they went much better. I think I was feeling the "steering with your feet" business because I was cutting them much lower than I normally do. It was really fun!

Then - before it started to rain - I went down to the kid's park nearby that has a quarter-mile loop and did that. I tried to keep myself relaxed, pointed my fingers, etc., and got about four miles in, and I'll go out and do a few more in between rain showers. The wobblies seem to be dying down at lower speeds - no worse than my other bent ride, really, though that bike tends to get *more* stable at speed, which isn't true so far for the Sofrider.

Thanks, everyone, for the advice and support!

 

[Derek]

Did you get over the shoulder pain and, if so, how?

 

[DocS]

Try slightly pushing, vs pulling on your bars.

Blessings,
DocS

 

[ChaleJake]

It might be a bit odd but if I don’t have the headrest exactly right; I hunch my shoulders causing pain. I have to get the headrest and handlebars exactly right so my shoulders are relaxed and then it is heaven with no pain. Good luck with finding your perfect spot and technique. You will find it and a smile will crawl across your face.