thumb p.i.p pain

[softthings]

ok, so i got my new road bike. i hold on to the hoods mostly when i am riding. i got a tarmac, it is fast and scary and i am not used to it! :p anyway, i now have pain in mostly my pip joint, but it radiates out to the top joint and the ball joint where the thumb connects to the rest of the hand. i know the obvious choice is to not hold on to the hoods the whole time, but, is that the only way to rid myself of this pain? i think it may also be a reach problem from when i actually do brake. haha, i am such a wuss some days on the bike, i ride the brakes a lot if i get going too fast for my comfort. oh, also, i do hair and we do massages on each client before the cut, so my hands to get to rest much. any ideas are much appreciated. thanks ladies.

[redrhodie]

Are you wearing gloves? Have you tried riding in the drops? Maybe try stretching your hand a bit before and after riding, and shake them out. If it doesn't get better, you may have a fit issue, but I think it may be temporary new bike pain.

ETA, if you think it's a brake reach issue, there are both shims for brake levers, and short reach brake levers you may want to try if you don't already have them.