Hands keep falling asleep

[sjsart]

Hello all,

I am a new cycler and am learning daily how to be a better one. My problem is my hands tend to fall asleep and there does not seem to be any rhyme or reason as to when this happens. I have spoken to a doctor and my circulation is not a problem so I am wondering if anyone here can shed any light on this. Is there a different way to set up my bike or different grips or gloves or something?

Any input will be appreciated-thank you,
SJSART

[goddess1222]

have you considered gel gloves? some of the girls on the site swear by them.

oh BTW, i am from oregon too. where in oregon do you live?

goddess1222

[MightyMitre]

Hi Sjsart - what kind of riding do you do?

If you're on a road bike - which is what I mostly do - then ideally your body weight should be distributed about 60% - 40%, between saddle and handlebars. Try shifting your weight around a bit to make sure you're not putting too much weight on your hands. Or if that doesn't help you may need some help with the overall set up of the bike to make sure it fits properly.

Also, just relax - I don't know how new you are to cycling but if you're just starting out , try and stay nice and relaxed. You need to have a reasonably firm grip on the bike but your arms should stay loose and floppy, not tense or locked out. Give your fingers and hands a wiggle and shrugg your shoulders every so often to stop them tensing up.

Gel gloves are a good idea if your an MTB rider, but probably not so good for road riding as they can be a bit bulky. Some nice squishy bar tape would be good for a road bike, with some normal mits.

Hope this helps! Let us know how you get on.

[Irulan]

Originally posted by MightyMitre
Hi Sjsart - what kind of riding do you do?
Gel gloves are a good idea if your an MTB rider, but probably not so good for road riding as they can be a bit bulky. Some nice squishy bar tape would be good for a road bike, with some normal mits.

Hope this helps! Let us know how you get on.

I disagree about gel for MTB-ers'...unless are on a rigid. On the advice of some longtime riders, I went to gel-less... you get a much better feel for the interface between your hands and the handlebars and therefore the trail.

I cant' seem to find it but there was another thread somewhere about this..? Hand numbness with lots of good ideas.

Irulan

[sjsart]

Thanks all of you! I ride on the street and hardly ever ride on trails-mostly because I use my bike primarily for commuting to and from work...It is really a street bike although it has the look of a mountain bike it is a lower end bike and not so tough-also kind of heavy! However, since I can not afford to buy a new bike at this time, must make do.

Anyway, thank you for all the suggestions, I will probably take the bike into a shop and ask for some help!

Also, for the fellow oregonian, I am in Tualatin-are you near?

Thanks again, Sjsjart