painful hands

[OakLeaf]

once you've started aggravating your hands/wrists, it's pretty important to not sleep with your wrists bent or your hands clenched

+1 - and many people do this unconsciously, just like bruxing teeth.

It's amazing how much difference it can make to sleep in a simple wrist splint.

[featuretile]

When I bought a slightly used Bike Friday with flat bars and took it on the first long ride - 40 miles, my hands and wrists really hurt. I was leaning much too forward and putting too much weight on my hands. When I had tested the bike and ridden 10 miles, it was not noticeable. So, it takes a long ride to see how you are going to feel.

I sat on the bike and imagined where my hands would be if they were resting in a comfortable position. I went to a bike shop (I was on a trip and nowhere near home and called around to see who had adjustable stems.) There was going to be more riding on this trip and I did not want to continue with my hands and wrists hurting. I put on the adjustable stem and raised the handlebars to where my imagined hand position should be. No more hand pain the rest of the trip....

So, this is going to take either experimenting with handlebar position with an adjustable stem (it only cost about $30, and I know, is a little heavier....) or getting a bike fit and then changing either the stem or handlebars or both. You could also try moving the saddle a little forward in increments to get it closer to the handlebars - your reach may be too long. Just please do something and don't keep riding like that or you could do some damage to your hands and wrists that would take awhile to reverse.

[Roadtrip]

+1 on all of the above, epically the get the problem fixed and don't just assume you'll "get used" to it. Sounds like an injury waiting to happen if you continue... ibuprofen is your friend!! LOL. A little discomfort is one thing, but shooting pains mean something is wrong, you need to get it resolved.

First ride out on my new flat handlebar ride and a half mile in I was in a serious bother with bum and wrist pain. I stopped and moved the seat down (was too high and I was using my hands to support myself) and while it was better, the wrist was still very tender and painful. The LBS crew suggested to start with a slight tweak to the grips and rotated my Ergo grips back toward me about 10 degrees. I haven't done any long trips on this bike yet, but the wrist pain is gone, tho I am still working on the saddle angle as I feel sometimes I'm still slipping forward.

Good luck!!
Shannon

[Cataboo]

It is a major crisis in my life when I am out of ibuprofen. I seem prone to overuse injuries But I don't take it constantly and I make sure to stay well hydrated when using it.

I've been using six six one wrist wraps more often recently for wrist support - They're a lot more comfortable than normal wrist braces and don't impede your movement nearly as much - often times you just need the reminded to keep your hands in a neutral position, as opposed to something that stops you from moving your wrists at all like most wrist braces:

http://www.sixsixone.com/Catalog_661...a-5059bb4def96


They're meant to be used while biking - but I haven't tried it. just while mowing the lawn and sleeping and such.