Hand discomfort and handlebars

[Bicyclette]

I ride a hybrid with a straight handlebar with grips on the ends. I think that the grips make the cicumference of the handlebar too thick for my hands. I have a difficult time wrapping my fingers around the handlebar ( it causes a lot of discomfort in my hands) and so I usually ride with my thumb curled over the top of the handlebar instead of curled underneath the handlebar ( was that confusing?? ) Has anybody else experienced this? Any ideas on how to alleviate this? I've been looking at different types of handlebars and wondered if a "trekking" handlebar might be more comfortable. Does anybody have one of these?

Pat

[Bikingmomof3]

Pat,
I do not know if I can help or not. I am not a seasoned rider, yet. I do however have a hybrid. My problem was not with the handle bars, but if you have small hands I would understand why it might hurt. You can always switch out handlebars. Go to your lbs and try a few to see if the discomfort is eleviated.
The only other thing I can think of is that you may be gripping them too tightly?

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Pat,
Perhaps if you switch to albatross bars instead of straight bars, your hands and wrists will be in a more natural position and will be more comfortable. It's sort of like the difference between holding a computer mouse and holding a pen- check out the difference in your hand/wrist angle when you switch back and forth.

[Kalidurga]

If the issue is that the grips are too bulky, would it be possible to remove the grips and wrap the bars with tape instead? On my old bike, I had grips and bar ends, and I had wrapped the bar ends with tape. I would think you could do the same with flat bars.

I've read in a few places that it's much safer to ride with your thumbs hooked around the bar, not resting along the top of it. Our good ol' opposable thumbs apparently make a big difference in bike control.

[honeybee]

Speaking of hand discomfort, my bars are the right size but my hands fall asleep after about an hour on the bike making it difficult to brake and shift. I change positions but it does not seem to help. I have a traditional curl set up on my road bike and a horizontal bar on my mountain bike but experience the sensation on both bikes. Have switched gloves, loosened the gloves, adjusted the height of the handlebar stems...any other suggestions?

[Bicyclette]

Jennifer - I think you're right - my hands are smaller - I have long fingers but a fairly small hand - in fact - using a regular size mouse is very uncomfortable for me so we have a little baby mouse that we use instead - normally if I grip too tightly my hands soon go numb... what I'm experiencing is pain in the base of my thumb - from about the wrist joint to the first knuckle which seems to be made worse by wrapping my thumb around the bulk of the handlebar

Lisa - I don't think it's hand position - but I have considered getting a different type of handlebar and trying it out to see if it helps

Kaludurga - I had wondered if wrapping instead of grips would be a viable option - because like you pointed out - it is safer to ride with your thumb curled under the handlebar! I know nothing about wrapping handlebars!! LOL hmm.... I'll have to check into that.

Thanx for the help - these are great suggestions