Hi pooks,

Did you ever get around the pain in your hands while riding? I was just looking at this thread and thought I'd recommend the grips I installed on my mountain bike -- from a German company called "Ergon". I have the "race" magnesium version, which has the longer bar ends (although they are small relative to most bar ends I have seen). These grips are extremely comfortable and I find the bar ends helpful for a different hand position.

http://www.universalcycles.com/shopp...p?category=708
or (cheaper here)
http://store.airbomb.com/items.asp?CartId={46C97FB1-F375-4A81-A7CC-3B7C060F403EVEREST7}&Cc=131%2DT%2D499&iTpStatus=1&Tp=

Another modification in my bike was to cut half an inch from each side of the handlebar. With the original width, holding the handle bar closer to the stem was more comfortable on my wrists, hence the shortening...