Hands hurt on bouncy descents Mtb

[RoboLuke]

technical bouncy downhills hurts my hands. And my lower back hurts in races more than

50 km.

Is this a shorter stem solution?

Or rising the handlebar?

 

Yes i did have a setup done

i already swapped the handle bar for carbon plus use foamy grips

its on a dual sus 29er

[Cruz Addict]

set the fork softer and bend your arms more allow for the bend in your arms to act as a shock absorbor taking the force off your hands, i don't mean stupid bent just a little and try as best possible to relax your grip. that will relax the strain on your hands a little.

[Dr Snuggles]

how's your grip during the descents? If you white knuckling it, then your hands are going to hurt quite a bit eventually. I havent used the ESI grips myself, but consensus thus far suggests they are generally The most comfortable.

[Leg breaker]

Get better Grips.. i just bought ESI grips because i had the same problem. Been out twice with them and no hassle. Also about conditioning your palms.

[Guest Omega Man]

Ok i'm no expert but I have done 2 DH trips to the alps so I know ALL about sore hands on descents. The syndrome is commonly known as the claw. It's most likely caused by your grips and brake lever positioning. If it was cos of suspension setup you'd get arm pump. A very different thing. My tips are as follows.

 

1. Set the angle of your brakes up so that when you are riding their is as little bend in your wrist as possible.

2. Set your lever reach as close to the bar as possible. The longer you have to reach for the brakes the more your hands will hurt. (Obviously the levers musn't touch the bars)

3. Try fatter grips. The fatter grips will give you a more natural grip and there will be a teeni bit more squish. ODI Rogue is my grip of choice. You will lose some feeling with the bike if you run fatter grips.

4. 1 finger braking. Takes a day to get used to it.

5. Also set the brakes so that your finger is as straight as possible when braking.

Edited December 30, 2012 by Omega Man

[Leg breaker]

I still get very bruised after a ride. Mostly on my hands but also on my back and shoulders. Not sure if that's from lack of muscle or just doing something wrong.

[Mojoman]

When I got my FS I suffered with backache. Started doing some stretches and back exercises after rides and the problem went away.

[TALUS]

My lower back killed me for the last week. Did lots of long flat rides. Moved my saddle back 1.5cm. Much better on 3h ride today.