Hands are numb....

[Stretch]

I had the same problem, sorted it out by fitting bar ends. Alows you to use different hand positions and as a bonus helps up the hills.

+1 on that

[ebenvn]

Maybe check your gloves!?! I get I when I use gloves with padding. Think they increase the pressure on the veins...

[mark ellis]

try moving seat a fraction higher, I had same thing and found I had a lot of pressure on my wrists, moved seat up a tiny bit and checked my seat level, mine was angled a tiny bit forward so my body position was in a forward leaning position, thus the pressure

[Witkop]

use riser bars or lift the handlebars a bit, so as to reduce the resure on the hands. Shorten the stem as well, will improve bike handling.

[leeu52]

The missus and I both had exactly the same. It went away after we:

1. Raised the handle bar to reduce pressure/weight on the wrists (fitted and angled stem)

2. Replaced the foam grips with the expensive moulded grips & Bar ends named above

 

Pain gone.

['Kaze Pete]

Core strength so you do not have to lean on the bars?

[Morwa]

TX for all the replies and feedback. I'll "play" a bit with my setup.

 

I've also Google'd the problem quite extensively. The was a suggestion somewhere to raise the tip of my saddle a bit (angle), but not to much. My saddle was level, but raised the tip slightly. Tried it as quick fix, and it definitely worked.

[rvdm1]

I read people saying padded gloves gives them the problem, wouldn't they design the padding in such a way to distribute the pressure away from the 'danger' zones? It worries me a bit because I never had the problem and I used to have gloves without padding but they tore yesterday and I bought new ones which has padding. I'm probably not going to do another long ride before the 94.7 so I wont be able to test the new ones thoroughly.

[BodyBikeFit]

I've been riding MTB for almost a year now, and initially thought the problem was newby related and would go away. My hands are numb (read dead/sleeping sensation) at about 10 min into my training sessions. It recovers quickly if I change hand positions, but I quickly experience that "pins-and-needles" sensation in my hands again, in the new hand position.

 

My bike was professionally set-up by AB CycleFit, so I doubt that the set-up is a problem. I've tried various types of grips (ODI's, ESI, etc.). I’m currently using the Specialized BG Contour Locking Grips, with gel gloves.

 

Any suggestions or advise are welcome. I need some help please!

Using padded gloves and grips with more support will only alleviate the problem, not stop it. It is 100% setup related. As some hubbers explained, you put an unusual amount of pressure on your ulna nerve and vein and you need to relieve that pressure. Going for a shorter stem or one with a higher pitch only won't solve the problem either. You need to get that sweet spot (which is a personal thing you will feel right away).

 

I have a tool where I can determine that exactly. I'll pm you my details, give me a call and I'll explain the details!

[Fitter]

Using padded gloves and grips with more support will only alleviate the problem, not stop it. It is 100% setup related. As some hubbers explained, you put an unusual amount of pressure on your ulna nerve and vein and you need to relieve that pressure. Going for a shorter stem or one with a higher pitch only won't solve the problem either. You need to get that sweet spot (which is a personal thing you will feel right away).

 

I have a tool where I can determine that exactly. I'll pm you my details, give me a call and I'll explain the details!

 

David, what you say is correct but there is a little more involved:

Getting the stem length/height is crucial to fixing overall hand pain issues, BUT, often pain in one hand only is associated with saddle issues. Normally this is because the rider is not sitting square on the saddle - you know how to check for this - often it is a leg-length discrepancy issue or it is because the rider is reaching too far down to the pedals and this causes displacement to one side. Dropping the saddle often cures this.

Edited November 22, 2011 by Fitter

[Pieterg]

Anybody have a set of core training exercises with pictures that we all can do