Hand Issues

So, as my previous post mentioned, I've been trying to transition to a road bike from a comfort bike. I went for a short ride today (3 miles, but the longest I've done on this bike so far) and my hands were killing me after a mile. The bars just seemed so "hard." I'm guessing that this is mainly due to the fact that I'm putting more weight on my hands than I was with the comfort bike's more upright position. It wasn't any sort of achy wrist pain or anything, just a feeling that the bars were too hard, if that makes sense. My bars are wrapped with cork tape and I did have some cycling gloves on. Do my bars need to be padded or something? Or will I get used to it as I ride more?

thanks!

My Cannondales have both had flat-topped bars, instead of round tubes. LOVE! Our tandem has round tubes and my hands hate that.

You can put bar gel underneath the handlebar tape to make it feel pretty plush. You can also wear padded gloves. YOu should also move your hands around while riding - Don't keep a death grip on the handlebars - you can ride up on the hoods, you can hold the handlebars next to the stem, whatever, just move your hands about. As you build up your core, you won't lean forward so much and put weight on your hands. Keep your elbows slightly bent while riding.

I don't know if you've had the bike fitted to you or not - but it's possible that raising the height of your handlebars will make your position a little bit more upright and get some weight off your hands.

In my experience, hand issues can be hard to sort out. It could be a simple matter of finding the right handlebars or gloves, changing out the bar tape to something that's a little more padded, or changing the tilt of the bars or their rise. As counterintuitive as this may sound, moving the saddle back a bit can take pressure off your hands. And, as others have suggested, the proper posture and core strength on a bike are also important.

Start with a professional fitting before doing anything else, especially if you're experiencing any numbness or tingling. Having experienced cycling related nerve issues in my own hands, it's serious stuff.

I completely agree with indysteel on everything she wrote above! I have, what I would call, chronic "hand issues". I do believe that I have some nerve damage, so with that, it's very difficult for me to totally eliminate all of my hand pain/numbness. So now, my main objective is to "lessen" it as much as possible. I too, ride a Cannondale with a flat-top bar. I just had my hubby retape my bars (my tape had started to tear and unravel), and we used gel pads underneath the tape to make it a bit "cushier". I have also discovered during my ongoing experiment with various types of gloves, that my hands seem to prefer a glove with thinner padding. I've tried heavily padded gloves, I even have several pairs with the "U-bridge" padding which is supposed to keep your hand nerves "happy", but they seem to bring on the pain & numbness more quickly for me. I have to switch my hand position frequently (like every 5 minutes) on my bars, to keep my hands from going numb. I also have to shake them out every so often, to get the blood flowing freely again.

Linda

With my first road bike, I had no real issue with my hands after getting a professional fit. With my second bike, it was a whole other story. Durong ridesn my hands were painful and bright red. After, they were bruised and sore. I tried nearly every fix known to man and two fitters before finally hanging the bike up. While a few of the tweaks helped marginally, they did not help me ride pain free. I think the bike was just too small for me. I'm back to riding my first bike. I had to ease back into yoga after taking a break when my hands were at their worse.

Hopefully, the OP's issues are nowhere near as difficult to solve. But, if the issues persist, please consult with a hand specialist. Like I said, nerve issues with your hands can be quite serious.

I've pinched the ulnar nerve in one of my hands - aside from putting me in a wrist brace, to protect the nerve, my doc sent me and my bike for a professional fit, and to have the shop put cork tape on my handlebars (my doc was a cyclist, which helped). I was riding with padded gloves, but after a 50-mile ride I discovered that a hand didn't work. I had to ride the rest of the season with the wrist brace, just to keep me from re-injuring my wrist. The shop shortened the stem - I was reaching out too far, and adjusted the tilt.

Definitely get your bike professionally fitted (remember to wear your riding kit, and bring your gloves when you go in). Changing hand position while riding is also important.

When you ride don't have a death grip on the bars and shake your arms out often. My bike (Specialized) has extra padding, like bubble wrap under the bar tape. You might take a look at something like that. Also take a look at your saddle tilt, even a little too NOSE down tilt can put weight on your hands. Good luck.

When I got my road bike, I ride 90% of the time in the hoods, and my hands don't hurt. I will move them to the bars or drops perhaps the other 10% just to change position and give them a rest. My handlebars are slightly higher than my saddle. I am not really sitting upright, but I am not leaning forward as aggressively as some other bikes. My Ruby came that way and I just adjusted the seat height.

When I got my Bike Friday which has a straight bar, my hands were killing me after 10 miles. (It didn't bother me on the test ride.) I could tell that the reach of the handlebars was too far away and the handlebars were the same height as my seat. I was putting too much weight on my hands. I was on a trip and miserable. I went to a bike shop and bought an adjustable stem and was able to bring the handlebars to a position that was more comfortable - closer to the position on my Ruby. I think you might need to replace the stem on your bike.

Fit is really important. There is no need to suffer. If you suffer too long, you can damage yourself and then you have to spend all this time recovering from something that should have never happened. Don't tough it out. Riding should be fun.

I have very small hands and I recently had my handlebars slightly tilted up higher to help me grip the brakes easier. My LBS stated that may help with the slight discomfort I was feeling in my hands, which when tired - my hands and fingers could hardly get a good grip on the brakes. It's easier to reach now, but I still have to take it on a long ride to see if that will help make a difference. They also moved the brakes/hoods up just a tinge.