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Answer:
You are right
on the money in thinking that you are placing
too much weight on your forearms and wrists
with the position you are in. Have the high
seat and low handlebars means that you are leaning
straight down on your forearms. It sounds like
you are developing an overuse injury in them.
You may want to
try lowering your seat a little and raising
the handlebars so that you are in a more upright
position when biking. This is less aerodynamic
but it will help to alleviate the tension and
stress on your forearms.
Another alternative
you may wish to try is to use what are call
"Tri-bars". You can get them at any
good bike shop. If you've ever seen a triathlon
or a bike race, they are the forearm rests that
the cyclists use to remove all tension from
the forearms and wrists. You simply lean forward
and rest your forearms on the pads. This also
has the advantage of putting you in a more aerodynamic
position.
The only thing
to be aware of when using Tri-bars is that you
won't have as much control of the bike when
using them. They shouldn't be used when you
need to make quick turns. If you are mountain
biking on trails, I wouldn't recommend that
you use the Tri-bars.
You can also try
doing some forearm strengthening exercises such
as wrist curls or grip strength work. One of
the easiest ways I've found for doing this is
by squeezing a tennis ball repeatedly while
you are watching TV.
Combine the adjustment
in your biking style with Tri-bars and forearm
exercises and you should see a fairly rapid
improvement in your condition.
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