glove question

[babynoahsmom]

Thanks! That is some terrific advice. I am riding this afternoon and I am going to try it out. I think I may be bending my wrists now that I think aobut it. I actually had gel tape put on my bars not long after I got her. I might need to think about the carbon upgrade if repositioning doesn't seem to help. I will lyk! Thanks again!

[fidlfreek]

Hey I was thinking that if you're coming from a mountain bike then maybe you're not taking full advantage of the myriad of hand positions open to road bikers. If you're not putting your hands in a different position every few minutes then maybe you're not moving them enough....I can think of at least 6 different options. On top, on the bend on top, on the shifters, on top of the shifters, in the drops, down at the end of the bar. I'm sure there are more...

Also, realize that if you go carbon bars then you're much much more likely to have to replace them after a crash because they're relatively fragile. And a minor crack can lead to catastrophic failure!

[Eden]

Do your gloves have a velcro wrist closure? - Don't close it... and definitely don't pull it tight. My fingers start to go to sleep even if I loosely close my gloves. Even a little pressure is enough to do it. Also as with saddles and chamois, more is often less. I prefer a pretty thinly padded glove - no bulky gel, super padded palms - just enough to protect my hands in case of a fall and prevent chafing. Highly padded gloves just increase the chance you'll get pressure in the wrong spots.

[tctrek]

I'm no expert, but I think hand numbness has less to do with your gloves and more to do with your hand/arm position. If you lean too much on your hands, whether you're on a bike or not, your hands/wrists will get tingly/numb. Of course, tight gloves could account for numbness, but I think form of your arms/hands has more to do with it. Make sense?

[Eden]

My fingers were always falling asleep until I figured out to not close my gloves at the wrist... when I stopped doing that they stopped falling asleep. I think numbness and tingliness probably has more to do with gloves or rough roads (heavy chip seal has a tendency to make my hands feel like they are still vibrating, sometimes even with carbon bars....) and stiffness/soreness come from bad fit or form... If you already have some problems like carpal tunnel, I'm sure bad hand posture could cause a problem, but I would try the simplest fix - gloves first.

[babynoahsmom]

The more I read the more I'm convinced it is a positioning problem. I will leave my gloves open too and see if that helps. I also don't think I am changing positions enough. I hadn't thought about the fact that on my MB I always kept them pretty much on the grips. If it ever stops raining I will let you all know the results. If this keeps up I may have to trade my bike for a canoe and and paddleLOL!

[Heifzilla]

My hand numbness was not caused by my gloves, it was definitely a hand position/handlebar reach/locked elbows issue. I had mountain bike handlebars and switched to trekking bars, and while I still have occasional tingling, it's is SO much better than it was. I would look into those items because it could be a really simple adjustment you need to do to help get yourself off your hands so much.

Good luck!

[Cataboo]

Also, realize that if you go carbon bars then you're much much more likely to have to replace them after a crash because they're relatively fragile. And a minor crack can lead to catastrophic failure!

I can't say I've had a crash on the carbon bars yet.... But I usually figure anything that makes my wrists happy so that I can ride without misery is worth it

[Miranda]

I can't remeber where I read this atm, but...

It was something about squishier (is that a word even lol) grips, wraps, etc. can aid in hand/wrist issues. Some study that was done on body mechanics. Basically, sub-consciously you grip the softer surface MORE in a effort to still keep a tight grip. The tigher you grip, the more work your hands are doing, more fatigue, stress etc.

I don't know what type of work you do for a living either, but I have some carpal tunnel issues. Just like my houses' allergery issues (acculative effect), the wrist issues can be acculative too w/use. Meaning if your wrists get a workout for 'work', then you work them more in your new road riding position... well, you get the idea I think.

My mtb rides are not as long as my road rides, and positioning is all over. Which you said positioning is part of it. But the repetative working of the muscles can aid in it. I specifically stretch my hands & wrists for riding like for my pc use. Even if not pc, things like holding a pen repeatedly, etc. can do it too. I think the stretching exercises helps.

FWIW. Good Luck.

[Crankin]

My numbness was totally due to gloves. I cannot stand any padding or gel! It is hard to find minimalist ones, but the Terry T gloves are good ones. I also have a pair of Descentes I like. But my favorites are Capos. Very expensive (got with a gift certificate), but no padding, no velcro, and a little ring to help you pull the glove off.

[babynoahsmom]

The rain finally let up enough I could hit the road last night. I tried swicthing positions more often and concentrating on not bearing my weight on my wrists. It really helped. I also left the velcro on my gloves open. I really appreciate all of the advice from you all. I am going to look into the carbon bars also. Have a great day.

[Geonz]

I'm really grateful that I had piano lessons when I was a kid. I can't play the piano for beans, but I spend probably 7 hours out of any day either riding a bicycle or typing on a keyboard, and because I had good, very relaxed hand position from the beginning, I don't have the issues others do. (All those years swimming and drilling in relaxing whatever muscles weren't pushing water help, too.) I see riders with tense, bent wrists and it's gotta hurt!