Numb hands

[Iwan Kemp]

Try Ergon grips. I changed to them in 07 and have never looked back. I use to suffer quite a bit and since I've changed haven't had a single issue.

Apart from core muscles and just plain old simple relaxing you can also train yourself to not grip so tight. Find a fairly easy piece of single track and ride it slowly at first focusing on keeping your arms, grip and shoulders relaxed. Then slowly build up speed.

Then, next time when you are out riding, set-up a mental checklist of things to focus on.

1. Relax

2. Take deap breaths

3. Relax your arms and grip

3. Look further ahead

4. Lead with your head and shoulders

5. Brake less

6. Look around you now and then and enjoy the beauty of it all.

 

This way all of the above will become natural. I do the same when I practise technical stuff. I start small and slow(er) to give me time to focus on all the important stuff. Then when you pick up speed and go big it's natural. Works like a bomb.

 

Back to your hands. Never underestimate the importance of stretching...even yor hands. It is after all muscles that grip the bar.

 

Seriously though, try Ergons.

[Slowbee]

 

Try Ergon grips. I changed to them in 07 and have never looked back. I use to suffer quite a bit and since I've changed haven't had a single issue.

Apart from core muscles and just plain old simple relaxing you can also train yourself to not grip so tight. Find a fairly easy piece of single track and ride it slowly at first focusing on keeping your arms' date=' grip and shoulders relaxed. Then slowly build up speed.

Then, next time when you are out riding, set-up a mental checklist of things to focus on.

1. Relax

2. Take deap breaths

3. Relax your arms and grip

3. Look further ahead

4. Lead with your head and shoulders

5. Brake less

6. Look around you now and then and enjoy the beauty of it all.

 

This way all of the above will become natural. I do the same when I practise technical stuff. I start small and slow(er) to give me time to focus on all the important stuff. Then when you pick up speed and go big it's natural. Works like a bomb.

 

Back to your hands. Never underestimate the importance of stretching...even yor hands. It is after all muscles that grip the bar.

 

Seriously though, try Ergons.

[/quote']

 

will i be allowed to put ergons on the THE BIKE !

 

[Guest colonel]

Sounds like Carpal tunnel syndrome and this occurs when the median nerve, which runs from the forearm into the hand, becomes pressed or squeezed at the wrist. The median nerve controls sensations to the palm side of the thumb and fingers (although not the little finger), as well as impulses to some small muscles in the hand that allow the fingers and thumb to move. The carpal tunnel - a narrow, rigid passageway of ligament and bones at the base of the hand - houses the median nerve and tendons. Sometimes, thickening from irritated tendons or other swelling narrows the tunnel and causes the median nerve to be compressed. The result may be pain, weakness, or numbness in the hand and wrist, radiating up the arm. Although painful sensations may indicate other conditions, carpal tunnel syndrome is the most common and widely known of the entrapment neuropathies in which the body's peripheral nerves are compressed or traumatized.

 

When your hands are on the top of the bars make sure you dont bend your wrists. Do this and the sensation will go away.

[BendeBeer]

I had the same problem using gym gloves - The problem has now gone away totally through a combination of improved fitness and a pair of R400 specialized gloves with gel, @#$% body geometry whatever but most imporantly a special area that takes the preassure of the ulnar nerve at the bottom corner of your palm - which causes the pins and needles.

Whatever you do though get rid of the gym gloves and get cycling gloves of whatever make...

 

BendeBeer2009-02-10 01:21:30

[TheHulk]

try keep your wrists straight, it helps the circulation. Sorted the problem out for me.

[Slowbee]

hulk, you joined 26 Nob 2008, and this is your first post ? Awesome ! 

[Iwan Kemp]

I found Louis Garneau gloves work better for me than Spec's BG. Great for me as they are R300 cheaper! But that's me. You are gonna have to try a couple before you find the magic one.

Slowbee: THE BIKE will be like a new THE BIKE. Experiment with the angle to find your happy place. For trail riding I angle them down...but they work wonders. Don't know why Cyclelab is so expensive. City Cycles and Cycle Factory Store has them for R450. City Cycles actually has a couple of different ones in stock. With bar ends, without bar ends. GX1, GP1...

[Iwan Kemp]

.

The Crow2009-02-10 00:29:19

[slowpoke]

TheCrow, gotta agree with you re the LG gloves.

 

Another thing to try is to double up your bar tape - it softens the overall grip and by making the bars a little "fatter" tends to stop you from clenching them. This was suggested to me many years ago when i started cycling and i had the same problem and it solved the issue instantly.

[Iwan Kemp]

Doubling up your tape could have the opposite result. Same with saddles. The extra COULD lead to nerve pinch or blood sirculation cut off or slowed.

 

I say COULD cause it works for some people for others it don't. Before RB'ing was discontinued I used to do a bit of that as well. I used a anotomic handlebar to help with my hands. Made a world's difference. Some of them can be quite expensive (ITM,FSA,PRO,etc), but you also get sme good inexpensive ones like RAV-X.

[paulvs]

 

I have removed my bar ends. Was holding the bars with the bar end digging into the soft tissue in the palm. Much better now. Dont hold the bar so tight either.

 

 

same here... no more problems...

 

[dagwood]

And I thought I am only one with this problem....

I will try different ways and see which one work for me...

Thanks for all the info....

[Slowbee]

will try get to city cycles

 

 

[Slave]

Another thought on the topic - The pressure on your hands might be due to under developed core muscles.

Make sure you're not "resting" your entire upper body on your hands. Will be interesting to hear if you suffer from shoulder and neck pains!

 

Couple weeks before the fast one, we did a 102 k training ride and my neck nearly killed me. Seriously, I had to stop about 3 k's from home and lie down on someones nice green lawn, my neck was so sore. During the ride I also suffered heavily with sore shoulders. (Traps).

 

It was much better during the fast one and I managed with minimal neck pain.

 

You saying that this is due to a lack of core strength? (I wouldn't dispute that since I never do any of that, but seriously thunking of getting it going.

 

If this is gonna help the cycling and neck pain, I'll do it.

[Iwan Kemp]

Here goes:

I suffered quite badly from back pain when mtb'ing. Went for a full body assesment which revealed a couple of things. First of all my right shoulder is lower than my left shoulder due to years and years of drumming.

Secondly I had weak stabilizing muscles which is what caused the back pain. What happened is this: Cause of a weak stabilizing muscle it put strain on one or two of my back muscles. This is what I experienced as back "pain". It was in fact just muscle strain. Then when this back muscle couldn't keep it up anylonger a neck muscle kicked in to help out which caused hectic neck pain.

Two months of pelaties focusing on core, stabilizing and posture sorted me out.

Now I make sure I stretch before and especially after EVERY ride and look after my body.

So yeah, weak core muscles can lead to back and neck pain.

[Iwan Kemp]

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What's Hot? Serfas Silicone MTB Grips! - 12-Feb-2009

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