loss of feeling/strength in fingers

[MomOnBike]

Actually, the numb hand thing is the proximate cause of me getting a recumbent. I make my living with my hands, and just couldn't/can't afford to have numb hands after every bike ride.

I also sleep in a wrist brace, took the arm rests off the office chair 'cause it was hitting the ulnar nerve, and wear an elbow pad whenever I think my elbow is going to be resting on something.

Take care of your hands. You neve know when you'll need them.

[Torrilin]

I get hand pain and numbness after about a 15 mile ride on my flat bar mountain bike. A looser grip helps some. Doing my weight work also helps. Wrist curls make my hands feel better right away, and there are a few other exercises that help loosen things up. The numbness is usually worse in my right hand, and makes computer games really unpleasant. Knitting and handspinning seem to mitigate the problem, provided I use good technique.

This is great for my craft productivity and rather awkward otherwise. It would be worse, but I'm one of those right hand for the mouse lefties, so most of my daily activities are not impaired.

I've been test riding bikes to see if different bars help. So far, a narrow cruiser bar seems best for my hands.

[Wahine]

Numbness is definitely a sign of nerve damage, (temporary it sounds like), but there are several possible causes. It could be a simple matter of direct ulnar nerve pressure from the handle bar in which case you need to adjust your fitting somehow to get some of the pressure off your hands as some of the other ladies have already mentioned. It could also be related to pressure elsewhere like at the elbow or in the neck. The neck cause is also very common with long rides and worse with poor surfaces.

Did you have problems bending your wrist backward or tricep weakness?

If you did, it's likely your neck and you should see your doc for an x-ray. Really, the safe thing to do would be to see your doc anyway. If there is weakness, not just numbness, it's best to get some of the more nasty stuff ruled out.

So go get it checked OK.

[RoadRaven]

I have similar happen to me, and can usually shake it out as you describe in the first post...

Just want to echoe the others, if its not going away, go get it checked out...