Sore hands

ivancarlos

Got a hard tail with risers and Spec BG grips. On longer rides my hands get numb so that I cant change gear properly. After a recent 10hour enduro ride it took days for them to recover. My friend says I should try flat bars and stubbies. I'm going to give them a go but wonder if anyone else has had similar problems or has any advice?

ddraver

try spesh BG gloves, i liked them alot or more ergonomic grips if those ones are nt?!

or use it as an excuse to update to carbon bars

put some bar ends on thr risers first to see if it helps, don't worry about stupid people that are too hung up on fashion and looking good to ride the most comfortable effiecient way :P

CitizenLee

This isnt going to answer your question but you should try one of these...

Powerball

It wont stop the problem happening, however it will help with the after effects.

They look a bit gimmiky but I have one and it's awesome. Really good at improving your grip and hand strength. Works most muscles in your lower and upper arms too.

Aside from that, one thing I've found from BMX (just got into MTB) is that riding with gloves over a long distance or period of time on increases the chances of hand cramps, so if you can ride with no gloves then give that a try too.

I'd try and see what you can do without changing your bar / grip set-up 1st. No point in spending money if you dont have to.

Red Panda

Re the Powerball idea Ivancarlos you can get them from here too...with a little more selection and free postage.

http://www.play.com/Gadgets/Gadgets/6-/ ... chsource=0

I have one and I think they're very good, although I think you might need to explore more about why you're getting the numb feeling in the first place.

Maybe foam grips and/or more padded gloves would be the answer? Another thought I had is that maybe...as ridiculous as this may sound, perhaps you're holding the bars just that bit too tightly? over a long period you're gong to get pains and numbness doing that.

Have you tried other bikes to see if the problem goes away or gets worse? Anyway just a thought.

hamboman

Relax the hands on the bar, old fella. you're prob gripping a bit too hard, go a bit more floppy.

Anonymous

no-one seems to have considered that maybe the grips are too small or too big?
Or that possibly the gloves have too much padding (same effect as having grips that are too big.)

Just a thought.

ivancarlos

Thanks for the replies. I already wear BG mits. A couple of you have hit the nail on the head with regard to me gripping too hard and I constantly have to remind myself to loosen off a bit and the problem is worse when I am competing and less relaxed. Not sure how to combat this though :?

dunker

tried without any "BG" stuff? also try resting your hands on the bars putting more pressure on the inner area of your hand, near your thumbs rather than out near the edges where all the "BG" stuff is.

i remember years ago i used to get numb hands with a slight "BG" grip now i'm using just standard ones with standard mitts and no numbness at all. maybe worth a try if you hav'nt tried it yet?

ivancarlos

Its on the outside of the hands where the problems arise.

killercheese

How tight are your gloves? if you have tight gloves they could be causing the problem.

MarvintheAndroid

It might be worth trying a shorter stem, and I certainly agree with the suggestion to try a carbon bar. I also switched to ODI Yeti bar grips and find them excellent.

Marv.

Anonymous

yeti grips are excellent, I've been using them for about 12 years now!

Excuse my ignorance, but what exactly is this BG stuff? :?:

shadybean

The body geometry grips are a good idea from people I've talked to, but to be honest I can't stand riding, suppose its all personal preference though

Anonymous

Oh, Body Geometry. I see.

I can wholeheartedly reccomend Fox gloves.

ivancarlos

Just bumping this thread to say that flat bars have solved the problem

Anonymous

really? I can't see how a flat bar would solve the problem. Maybe the rake is different to the riser you had, or maybe you had the bar at the wrong angle?