Hello fellow cyclists.
We have all had that long ride where our wrists kept killing our mojo. You have a nice full stomach, great warmed up legs. Cool wind in your hair. But, your wrists wont shut up and you end up hating that ride and any other attempt at riding longer distances. This is even more so for some of us who ride traditional flat bar bikes like mountain bikes and hybrids. This does not mean the roadies skip the article.
If there was any physical prep that I really paid attention to before doing my bikepacking trip in the Himalayas, it was for grip and forearm strength. For two reasons, one- My bike had a rigid steel fork, two- I had luggage mounted on said fork and bonus reason number three- I was going to hold the bar for entire days on end and ride technical uphill trails.
There are things you can do to the bar to make this ordeal a lot less taxing, but that’s got to stop somewhere. Next step is to better your bodily strength and that’s why I made this video.
If you are like most people and have a lifestyle that does not involve labour intensive heavy or even mild lifting, then these can come in handy in overall arm strength. You can practice the stretches everyday. The progressions are mentioned on the video. If you have any doubts, feel free to write to me at fullmoonlaboratorybangalore@gmail.com or drop a comment below or on the Youtube video.
Have another cycling related query? You have my email now write in. I’ll use up all my 11 odd years of riding a cycle as an adult to answer your query.