Numbness in my right hand

[jordanjustgo]

Hola ladies...
I apologize in advance b/c i know there are already several older posts about this and I've read thru them all... but I'm still struggling to find the right answer for me...

Yesterday, i went on my longest ride, 25 miles... got a little bit of numbness in my left hand during the ride, but it went away afterward. However, a little after my ride, I got the tingling sensation in my right hand, only in the pinky and ring finger. Did my research, found out about ulnar nerve entrapment... blah blah blah. Started to go away, but I got it back again today on a shorter ride.

Anyway, when I first got my bike (GT ZuM), I thought the reach was a bit far, so a friend recommended moving the saddle forward, which I did... however, now I find myself constantly pushing back on the saddle. Should I push it back to where it was? Raise the seat? He said the stem was short on the bike so raising the bars isn't a likely choice unless i switch it out (???)... any help would be fabulous! Thank you!!

[indysteel]

Hola ladies...
I apologize in advance b/c i know there are already several older posts about this and I've read thru them all... but I'm still struggling to find the right answer for me...

Yesterday, i went on my longest ride, 25 miles... got a little bit of numbness in my left hand during the ride, but it went away afterward. However, a little after my ride, I got the tingling sensation in my right hand, only in the pinky and ring finger. Did my research, found out about ulnar nerve entrapment... blah blah blah. Started to go away, but I got it back again today on a shorter ride.

Anyway, when I first got my bike (GT ZuM), I thought the reach was a bit far, so a friend recommended moving the saddle forward, which I did... however, now I find myself constantly pushing back on the saddle. Should I push it back to where it was? Raise the seat? He said the stem was short on the bike so raising the bars isn't a likely choice unless i switch it out (???)... any help would be fabulous! Thank you!!

You shouldn't move a saddle to alter your reach. Saddle position is, instead, is a function of placing your knees in the correct position vis-a-vis your pedals. Moving your seat forward also has the affect of moving your weight forward on your bike, and can cause upper body problems. Saddle height, also, is about getting your knees and hamstrings happy.

To shorten your reach, change your stem length and rise, raise your handlebars if you cab, and/or change your handlebars to one with a shorter reach. If all of those things are maxed out, then your bike might simply be too big. You can work on your flexibility to try to make it work better for you.

Whatver you do, do not keep riding your bike as it's currently set up--unless you want permanent damage to your unlnar nerve. Have you had a professional bike fitting?

[pll]

I see the GT ZuM has a flat bar. I second the suggestion to get a fitting session, and explore swapping the grips with ergonomic ones. In addition to changing the stem, your bars might be shortened so that the match the width of your shoulders better. Ergon makes very nice ergonomic grips (in two sizes, for small and large hands) -- the bar ends give you more hand positions while you ride. Search for them in Amazon.

[jordanjustgo]

The bike was fitted, and everything else about the fit, I love... The reach just feels a tiny bit stretched. I feel I have a tendency to lean forward and ride "low" to the bars naturally (though this could just be bad posture also and adding stress to my wrists), so I think switching out the flat bar is a possibility...

I just want to be able to ride farther distances in the future without screwing up the nerves in my hand.

[pll]

Also, you could ask about "riser bars" -- for example, Easton has one that rises 4cm (1.6"), but in Amazon there are some with a 5" rise...

[KatzPajamas]

OK...very simple here, but Freedomrider had similar problems when he started out. He got a better pair of gloves with better cushion and rarely has problems since.

[Ered_Lithui]

I have the same issue with some gloves but not others. I made the mistake of ignoring it and spent two years with numbness before my fingers recovered!