Hand problems
So after riding my road bikes with drop handlebars, I notice for a few days afterwards my hands are somewhat disabled; minor nerve damage making it harder to handle small objects. After a ride I can't cross my fingers or click my fingers, and in general my hands become quite weak.
Is this a riding position issue? Anyone had this issue before that can give me some pointers? Hope I'm not doing serious damage here.
Tags: bikes, damage, drop, handlebars, nerve
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by David Bowler on -
I have had nothing like what you describe. I have however had issues with my wrist. Not sure if the cause way my riding position or rsi from working the mouse at work, or a combination of both. Anyway I have changed the position of the mouse at work to under the desk so my wrist is not at such an angle and the problem seems to have pretty much gone away.
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Permalink Reply by Dave L on -
It is very important to keep a good circulation to the parts that are not doing much on a ride. For arms/hands try changing the grip position every 1Km or so and never lock your elbows, always have them slightly bent. As for the more important bits (male), get out of the saddle on a regular basis ;-)
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Permalink Reply by colin ware-lane on -
this is a common problem with motorcyclists that ride sports bikes due to the direct pressure on the nerve, gel gloves can help but i have found that in cyclists its main cause would appear to be bike set up.If you are not" sitting on your saddle" and have too much weight on your hands this will cause pressure on the nerves in your hands.
A simple way to test this is as your riding with your hands on the hoods you should be able to let go of the bars and NOT fall forward,good core strength is a key to this stability.
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Permalink Reply by Mike W on -
Have you had a bike fit John ?
The reason I ask is that I had a fit on my old bike and after a couple of hours into each ride I was getting painful wrists and a bit of tingling.
When I got a new bike I had a fit at a bikeshop on Brighton Rd, they found that when they set the seat and pedals up to the correct position I was still carrying too much weight on my arms.
Simple fix, they reversed the stem so that it tilts up a bit more, that has shifted my weight back a bit and it has made an enormous difference.
Talk to your bike shop is my suggestion John based on the result I got.
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Permalink Reply by Bec on -
Also be mindful that you are using your core stability muscles to hold you up on the bike not your hands. Hands should be placed on handlebars and arms relaxed.
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Permalink Reply by David Southern on -
I have had similar problems with both drop bars and flat bars. However, in my case this is a residue from a work related overuse injury (RSI). Is there any possibility that your occupational activities may be contributing to your problems?
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Permalink Reply by John Vincent on -
Hm, thanks for the tips guys. Reckon I'll experiment with bike fit to try and get a bit more comfortable. Didn't realise there wasn't supposed to be so much pressure on the hands.
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Permalink Reply by Andrew Prior on -
Part of the issue may be your saddle placement. If too far forward, or if sloping down it may push you to put too much weight on your handlebars...
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Permalink Reply by Paul on -
I had carpal tunnel a couple of years ago and when on the roadie my fingers would go numb really quick. I added an extra layer of bar tape to make the bars fatter, spreading the load over the palms a bit more.
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Permalink Reply by John Vincent on
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Ah yeah, that definitely makes sense. I'll try a nice thick wrap and lessen pressure on the hands.
Cheers everyone!
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Permalink Reply by Glen Turner on
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Hi John,
The condition is called "handlebar palsy". It's due to compression of nerves. It's related to: weight of hand on bars (more is worse), strength of grip on bars (more is worse), transmission of vibrations through bars (more is worse) and position of wrist related to fingers (dropping your wrist below your fingers puts more pressure on the nerve).
Thus people's suggestions about bike position, tape, gloves, etc. Unaddressed it can be a debilitating.
Cheers, Glen
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Permalink Reply by heather on -
re the last reason for hand pain. with mtb handlebar, my wrists are twisted in one plane, then twisted in another plane for the 5 degree bar ends. i had rsi before i took up cycling again. no probs on women's entry style bike, but a prob with mtb handlebars. change hand positions a bit but not the full answer. when david southern posted on ac, i realised the cause. he has fitted old style women's handlebars to his bike to deal with his rsi. i am not prepared to do this -- look nerdy enough. apologies to david but his bike is not festooned with lights, reflectors and reflective tape.
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