this weekend i rode whistler and noticed something new to me. my hands and fingers were getting very tired and my wrists were a bit sore. i was on a relatively new fork (boxxer ride) and bar/stem combo (funn direct mount & fullon bar). i had been working on adjusting my brake lever position to help out. but it did not seem to be working. my thumbs were sore and hurting around the lowest knuckle joint.
then it hit me
i looked at my hands when i was in riding position and i realized that my wrists were at an odd, and weak angle. they were fighting the bars and contorting to reach the levers. i experimented with arm positions to find a better fit and i noticed that things were much improved with my elbows positioned forward and out. before, i had been riding with them tucked in (to avoid hitting trees). i noticed the new position brought my chest forward over the stem. i felt like i was in much more control in the corners and my hands did not fade as fast or work as hard when braking.
has anyone else noticed this? can anyone speak to other posture adjustments that they have discovered to help with control?
along those lines, how big a difference does bar sweep make and how many different bar sweep variations are out in the dh world now? it seems that more back sweep would be better for riders who like the elbows tucked in and less sweep would work better for those who like them out away from the body.
then it hit me
i looked at my hands when i was in riding position and i realized that my wrists were at an odd, and weak angle. they were fighting the bars and contorting to reach the levers. i experimented with arm positions to find a better fit and i noticed that things were much improved with my elbows positioned forward and out. before, i had been riding with them tucked in (to avoid hitting trees). i noticed the new position brought my chest forward over the stem. i felt like i was in much more control in the corners and my hands did not fade as fast or work as hard when braking.
has anyone else noticed this? can anyone speak to other posture adjustments that they have discovered to help with control?
along those lines, how big a difference does bar sweep make and how many different bar sweep variations are out in the dh world now? it seems that more back sweep would be better for riders who like the elbows tucked in and less sweep would work better for those who like them out away from the body.