Hand discomfort and handlebars

[Bicyclette]

Jennifer - I think you're right - my hands are smaller - I have long fingers but a fairly small hand - in fact - using a regular size mouse is very uncomfortable for me so we have a little baby mouse that we use instead - normally if I grip too tightly my hands soon go numb... what I'm experiencing is pain in the base of my thumb - from about the wrist joint to the first knuckle which seems to be made worse by wrapping my thumb around the bulk of the handlebar

Lisa - I don't think it's hand position - but I have considered getting a different type of handlebar and trying it out to see if it helps

Kaludurga - I had wondered if wrapping instead of grips would be a viable option - because like you pointed out - it is safer to ride with your thumb curled under the handlebar! I know nothing about wrapping handlebars!! LOL hmm.... I'll have to check into that.

Thanx for the help - these are great suggestions

[honeybee]

After I posted I read further in other threads and see there is another discussion specifically about hand numbness. Thanks. Could be my core is not strong enough yet. That third kid really knocked my abs.

[Kano]

[QUOTE=Bicyclette]what I'm experiencing is pain in the base of my thumb - from about the wrist joint to the first knuckle which seems to be made worse by wrapping my thumb around the bulk of the handlebar[QUOTE]

Bicyclette --

OOOH! Mine was a little different, but a similar thing had me talking with the guys at the bike shop a while back. It was just one hand for me, and the solution was kind of silly --

At the time, I was having lots of pain in the pinkie finger side of my hand, and it turned out, as I looked at things more carefully, that I was holding that hand funny, so that there wouldn't be any pressure there. DANG did my thumb hurt! Now, don't ask me how I fixed my poor pinkie area, but shifting "my weight" off that part of my hand made a big difference for my thumb.

easy core strength helpers -- a "dyna disk" that you can set on a regular office type chair makes you "wobbly" if you don't hold yourself upright, or lean hard on the chair back. It also feels good on a sore biker-butt! Sitting on an exercise ball instead of a chair has that same effect.

Karen in Boise