Advice on hand and seat pains

Jumping Jack Flash

I've just found this website as I have all but given up on the hope of eliminating pain in my hands and backside when cycling.

I'm 5' 8" and weigh 15 1/2 stone (stocky, not fat). I bought a Cannondale Team Six 13 a few months ago and am very pleased with it. I was measured up for the right size at the shop and went for the 52cm frame.

The problem is these pains. I've adjusted tyhe seat up/down/forwards/backwards/tilted down or up but still can't eliminate it. The saddle is a hard Arione Wing Flex racing saddle and the bars are FSA wing profile carbon. I've thought of trying a gel seat but the guys in the shop say my current seat is fine.

Can anyone offer me some adviceon this as I don't seem to be getting anywhere. At the moment my cycling is limited to how long I can put up with the numbness not wearing myself out!

Thanks in advance.

dudi

Do you wear padded shorts? and mits? if not, then try that...

You can even go as far as to wear padded shorts, with padded boxer shorts underneath... mmm, comfy. Otherwise, your seat may just be the wrong width for your ar$e. some of them can be quite narrow, and if you're of stocky build you may need a slightly wider one to fit properly.

Andrew

Jumping Jack Flash

dudi I wear some Fox MTB shorts with padded shorts inside. They help but it still gets numb. I can't help thinking the two problems are related.

Wooliferkins

Saddles are notoriously individual just like backsides. If one saddle suited everyone the market would collapse overnight and someone would be v rich. Both saddle and bum have to settle in I have 3 different saddles on 3 bikes. My Brooks on my commuter/club bike was 500 miles of hell to wear in but worth it. The Rolls San Marco on the full tourer is great but i always know i'm sat on it. The Planet X on the Pompino is fine up to about the 100km ride point. Back to your point, the set up might be right for the bike, but is it right for you? If it has been set up in a race position you might not be flexible enough yet to sit properly in this position and end up off your seat bones and leaning on your hands. Obviously I have no idea of your cycling background. A good pair of mitts and maybe Cinelli Gel bar tape might help your hands. My favourite mitts cost me about £3 in an Italian bike shop, I am gutted that they are starting to disintegrate after only ten years use and am struggling to find a pair to replace them. A decent bike shop who stock Selle Italia may still have some of the try out saddles they did and there is a return deal on some Selle Italia saddles.

topdude

I'm about the same weight as you so a few suggestions,
Padded shorts have been covered already,
Padded gloves make a big difference,
Decent bar tape (spongy or gel inserts),
Bars raised a bit higher if possible,
Suitable saddle, i have a San Marco Rolls, not a light weight or high tech racing blade but boy is it comfy,
Wider tyres at a lower Psi to give more shock absorbtion,

Some of the above would be frowned upon by the out and out racing cyclist but if it is not comfortable to ride you are not going to ride it !!

Monty Dog

Try fitting 25mm tyres and running them at a lower pressure i.e. 100-110 psi - the bigger airpocket means their less likely to puncture. Whilst Fox MMTB shorts are OK for short rides, I find the pad a bit too soft in comparison to a decent, slightly firmer pad found in many road shorts. Try some gel-padded bar tape too.

dudi

100 - 110 psi is low? what do you normally ride at?

Jumping Jack Flash

I put 110psi in about two weeks ago. What do you think they should be?

WEould a gel seat be better?

scapaslow

You could try Bontager Buzzkill inserts (£10) in your bars which claim to eliminate high frequency vibrations. The new Lemond bikes come with these and my LBS rate them highly. Is your stem length ok or are you overstretching to reach the bars?

I have the same bars/saddle combo as you on my Cannondale Synapse but don't suffer the hand pain. I'm not really getting on with the Fizik Arione which can lead to a numb derriere after 50 miles or so when i start to alternate getting out of the saddle for short spells of relief. How far do you cycle before the pain starts?

I'm thinking of trying a Specialized BG Toupe but the thought of a possible waste of £80 is offputting. I think you'll maybe need to try and find a new saddle.

Jumping Jack Flash

scapaslow I'm not stretching to reach the bars and the guy in the shop suggesting lengthening the headset. I cycle twice a week for just 25 miles a time. It's mainly a fitness thing at the moment. I do weights three times a week and used to play rugby twice a week. My back gave up on me two years ago and after a disc op I'm ok again but the cycling has had to replace the rugby as a means of exercise.

I'll have a look at those gel inserts.

scapaslow

The inserts are brass or aluminium not gel. Brass seemingly offers the higher dampening effect.
Sounds like your LBS has been quite thorough in your setup and maybe you should try a longer stem as they suggest.
About the saddle - sorry mine's an Ariane not Arione :!:
I'm assuming maybe that you've not done that many miles on the bike (i may well be wrong) and sometimes it just takes miles to bed in a change like a saddle. It wasn't that long ago that 50K would cause me saddle soreness. Now with a lot more miles under my belt its usually 50 miles before the pain sets in. I find this with all 3 saddles i have. Don't think there's any easy solution to the saddle problem but do see if you can try out a different one. You can get measured for the Specialized saddles by sitting on a foam mat which gives an imprint of your sitbones and then get the correct width. Might be worth a go? Good luck.

mea00csf

Bontrager do ultimate comfort guarantees on their saddles. If you don't like it take it back to the shop within 90 days for a full refund. I liked the specialized saddle and had heard lots of good things about them but decided to give the bantrager a go first, knowing that i could take it back if it was wrong. didn't have to try out the guarantee as it was comfy for me.

ut_och_cykla

Jumping Jack Flash wrote:

The problem is these pains. I've adjusted tyhe seat up/down/forwards/backwards/tilted down or up but still can't eliminate it. The saddle is a hard Arione Wing Flex racing saddle and the bars are FSA wing profile carbon. I've thought of trying a gel seat but the guys in the shop say my current seat is fine.

Which if the discomfort is putting you off cycling it plainly isn't! AS others have said if your saddle is too narrow you will not be supporting your weight on the sit bones but on buttocks/other even more sensitive fleshy parts! A wider saddle (at the back) but not softer might help. If your 'parts' are going numb you probably have a flexibility issue too. You mention your back problems - an out and out 'racing' position is probably not for you - not without plenty of time and practice anyway. You might find that raising the handlebars up/closer will help both numb bits and hands. A shorter stem or shorter rising stem would help here. When you've had this for a while you might be able to go lower /more forward in small increments.
Gel under the bar tape and gel mitts will help as will good quality shorts but if you weigh 15+stone and are 5foot 8 that's a lot of weight going through very small contact areas (I'm 5/7 adn weigh about 11 stone) You'll need to learn to move about on the bike to releive pressure - stand up, change bar grip etc. Using smaller gears also seems to make undercarriage pressure worse as you don't get teh micro 'lift' that bigger gears produce (but big gears can wreck your knees and lower back so be careful there too!)

Oops :oops: I've written loads but above all don't give up!!

Get the shop you bought your bike from to help you. Tell them about your problems /back issues. If they can't/won't help go elsewhere!

Good luck

inaperfectworld

i think most people get some numbness in hands,; you can minimize it by taking a hand in turn off the bars and let them hang down whilst giving a good shake; i don't wear gloves and this works for me

Jumping Jack Flash

ut_och_cykla I've just been tot he shop and booked a fitting session for this Friday!

I'll sort this bloody thing out if it kills me!!!

ut_och_cykla

Jumping Jack Flash wrote:

ut_och_cykla I've just been tot he shop and booked a fitting session for this Friday!

I'll sort this bloody thing out if it kills me!!!

Hope they don't go quite that far!
And I do hope you get some help - its not rocket science - just needs someone who can listen and apply knowledge in a sensible way.

Make sure you tell them about your current probs and previous back trouble.

Be prepared to throw the 'right fit for a racing bike' rule book out the window - at least until you get comfy. Once you're comfy and doing plenty of miles you might find that you can slowly shift back to a more racing stance.

Let us know how you get on - and keep riding!

Jumping Jack Flash

I went this morning.

He turned the handlebar bar stem upside down which has the effect of raising the bar height, moved my saddle forward slightly and altered the rotation of the bars.

It does seem to have made a difference. The seat still gives me some pain but he said try it as it is and if the seat pain persists then look at it again.

I can't help thjinking that my @rse would be a lot happier on top of one those Gel seats though!|

Speed_King

Hi there i ride a speciallized rockhopper pro disc ... ok nice bike sure but i am haveing quite annoying hand numbness kinda like when you sit on it for too long and it aches and gets a fuzzy feeling in it ?

Anyone got any ideas on how to combat this prob, or is it just the muscles working? For information i am 5 ft 10 on a 17 " frame with quite a high seat postand a standard xc bar/stem set up.

Many thanks for any help
Gary aka (speed_king)