Hand position question

[sarahspins]

During my ride I basically had my thumbs on the handle bars and my fingers were touching the brakes - not putting any pressure on them

I don't know if it's right or wrong but I don't tend to leave mine on the brakes - I've had to brake in a hurry more than once and it's not a problem to grab them when you need to. I think it's more of a confidence thing than a habit thing - once you get more comfortable on the bike in general you won't feel so reliant on "needing" the brakes for security.

That said, the "reach" on those brake levers can be adjusted.. you shouldn't need to strain yourself to reach them, or cause fatigue/pain because of them.

[Zen]

My 7.6 came with ergonomic grips but I put some of these on.

[sarahspins]

I put GC2's on my 7.2 before I swapped out the bars.. now my 8yo has them on his MTB. They were a huge improvement for me before I opted for new bars (I have inverted Soma Sparrows on my fx now).. ultimately my problem with hand fatigue was related to wrist position, and something I couldn't really fix with flat bars.

[HillSlugger]

When I ride my flat bar road bike (Jamis Coda) I generally keep my hands just like you describe. If your hands are getting sore it's likely that you are putting too much pressure on your hands. As you improve your core strength you should get better in supporting your upper body from your core rather than from your arms and hands. Give it time.

Are you wearing bike gloves?

I like the Titec Hellbent grips

[Catrin]

My 7.6 came with ergonomic grips but I put some of these on.

My 7.6 has trigger shifters - did yours? I know what can be changed if desired. As a newbie I have no preferences either way.

[Zen]

My 7.6 has trigger shifters - did yours?

yep.
But I'm thinking of changing to either the Soma Sparrows or trekking bars. My hands have been going numb on my last rides. So much that I can't feel the shifters or brakes

[Catrin]

I do have a pair of Pearl iZumi gel gloves and a pair of Shebeest winter gloves for when it is too cold for the others, and I like them a lot (so far). At this point I am hesitant to ascribe the soreness to anything more than just the learning to ride process. It seemed good to ask about it though, and I will certainly remember the good advice to try and vary my grip and so forth.

I have a custom fitting session at my LBS scheduled for Jan. 16 and I will ask him if my brake levers might need adjusting. I want to wait until I've been riding a few months before I start considering changing things like seats and so forth, let my body get adjusted to this wonderful activity.

The fitting session will take 2.5 hours! I am really curious to see what will take so long, but apparently a computer is involved. I figure the better the bike is fit to me, surely the easier it will be to learn to ride it!

[sarahspins]

yep.
But I'm thinking of changing to either the Soma Sparrows or trekking bars. My hands have been going numb on my last rides. So much that I can't feel the shifters or brakes

Get those sparrows already.. I bet you'll love them