wrist ache

[liksani]

Hmm, I'm a fairly new rider and after some rides I notice that my right wrist kind of aches. I know that's not a very good description. And sometimes when I rotate it, I can feel clicking? I'm not sure if I should be doing something to try to fix this or not... I think part of it might be because I'm putting too much weight on my hands cuz sometimes I just tense up and grip the handlebars too tightly... I don't know if this is important or not, but I've injured that wrist before falling on it while snowboarding and using the mouse also kind of aggrevates it so I switched to using a mouse with my left hand... Any advice for me?

[DeniseGoldberg]

Two things that may help - try not to put much weight on your hands (use your abs to hold your upper body position), and keep your wrists straight.

You might also find some good suggestions in Sheldon Brown's article on Bicycling and Pain. It's at http://www.sheldonbrown.com/pain.html.

--- Denise

[Fuji Girl]

Two things that may help - try not to put much weight on your hands (use your abs to hold your upper body position), and keep your wrists straight.

+1. You might also want to try some pads underneath your bar tape to reduce road vibrations - I use the Fizik ones and it helps with my numb hands and sore wrists a lot. Some other options too:

Fizik Bar Gel:
http://www.performancebike.com/shop/...tegory_ID=5256

Aztec Vibe Wrap:
http://www.performancebike.com/shop/...tegory_ID=5256

Specialized Bar Phat:
http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCEqP...jsp?spid=10018

[liksani]

oh yeah.. also forgot to mention i have flat handlebars. have a specialized sirrus.

[Hell-uv-a-job]

Omg!!! I Do Too!!!

Any suggestions on a set of gloves ya'll like best??

[Fuji Girl]

oh yeah.. also forgot to mention i have flat handlebars. have a specialized sirrus.

Ah, flat handlebars. I think you're more likely then to have some numbness/soreness/achiness due to flexion of your wrists, which impinges the ulnar nerve that travels through your wrist. Definitely use gloves - that helps a lot. I like the Pearl Izumi Pittard Carbon gloves:

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/...egory_ID=1240#

Also, I changed my grips on my (hybrid) bike to the Specialized Body Geometry Comfort Grips, which has a little rubber pad on them to pad the ulnar nerve and to reduce the amount of flexion (keeps the wrist more straight, not bent). So far, so good! I have these:

http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCEqP...jsp?spid=10020


http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCEqP...jsp?spid=13266

Good luck!

[wavedancer]

I had really bad wrist pain last spring after starting to do more mountain biking with straight bars. They felt fine on my road bars, but the tendonitis or arthritis (or maybe a combination of both) was very uncomfortable for several months. I changed the grips on my bars to Ergon WP1 grips and it really made a difference. They have a wider, ergonomically-shaped platform that gives my hand more support and puts less stress on the outside (ulnar side) of my wrist.

http://www.ergon-bike.com/ergon_wp1.php?la=en

[Hell-uv-a-job]

I am even having difficulty holding on to my car steering wheel, my hands hurt. Gosh!! I am a mess, first the knee and now my wrists.
I have a commuter bike, with straight handle bar. I am thinking of three possible causes of my pain:
1) Carrying a lot of my upper body weight on my hands. I think i could raise the headset or maybe get a longer stem so the handlebar is closer to the body. But then, i have to consider my saddle since more weight would be going to my saddle... gezz...!! Is cycling this complicated? Maybe I am just putting too much tought.
2) I think the grips are too big, I have small hands.
3) Since my closest LBS is very short on supplies, I went ahead and got me some "male" fitted gloves, with the gel padding (my third set of gloves, can't get one I am comfortable with). As a matter of fact, as dumb as it would sound, the best gloves so far are my weight lifting gloves . I think the last I purshased are too small. Where's the spellcheck?

[Hell-uv-a-job]

I just added end bars http://bicyclehabitat.com/site/itemd...g=1&sort=Price to my Specialized Sirrus and I have to say I had the best ride of my life. I paid $20 for them at my LBS. I know they are normally for mountain bikes but the reason I added them is to have more hand positions since the straight bar don't allow for much options. They helped me a lot during my climbs and sprints, and felt much more comfortable rinding overall.