The ultimate bar has yet to be made. I'll bet that for most people if they stick their hands out in front of them (sitting or standing) in an handlebar grip position they should notice that their palms do not sit flat, but instead sit at a slight angle below horizontal. Most bars don't really account for this and I'd posit that this is where a lot of wrist and elbow pain comes from for riders. The reason I include elbow pain is that if you have your hands in that handlebar position and turn them more horizontal to accommodate typical bar position you'll notice that the elbows come up and flare out a little bit. This is one of those mysteries of bike design where I wonder why bike companies don't have people with biomechanics expertise on their staff to accommodate for these sorts of things.
I'll also throw in the usual comment that the effort/time required to put into a strength training routine is fairly minimal in the grand scheme of things, especially considering the payback in improved riding performance and overall lifestyle improvements as well.
July 9, 2024, 10:38 a.m. - Mark
The ultimate bar has yet to be made. I'll bet that for most people if they stick their hands out in front of them (sitting or standing) in an handlebar grip position they should notice that their palms do not sit flat, but instead sit at a slight angle below horizontal. Most bars don't really account for this and I'd posit that this is where a lot of wrist and elbow pain comes from for riders. The reason I include elbow pain is that if you have your hands in that handlebar position and turn them more horizontal to accommodate typical bar position you'll notice that the elbows come up and flare out a little bit. This is one of those mysteries of bike design where I wonder why bike companies don't have people with biomechanics expertise on their staff to accommodate for these sorts of things. I'll also throw in the usual comment that the effort/time required to put into a strength training routine is fairly minimal in the grand scheme of things, especially considering the payback in improved riding performance and overall lifestyle improvements as well.