Pain in my fingers (newbie)

jackricho

Hi,
I was riding hope valley yesterday and my finger was really hurting when i was riding down the rocky path. Is the because im new to riding and need to get use to this????

Thanks

asquithea

Are you wearing gloves? Highly recommended to avoid scratches and bruising.

butcher of bakersfield

Braking finger? The obvious thing would be to check that the levers are positioned so that you can reach them comfortably. Bikes don't always come perfectly set up out of the shop.

If you're new to something though, a few pains can be expected. I used to be very active, skating and riding mostly. In recent years though, I've found myself working in an office and not doing a great deal outside of that. Decided to get back on a board after about a year out and found that after 10 mins my back would be so pumped up (like your arms get after an hour of lifting weights) that I could barely walk normal. Never mind skate. I was getting the same thing doing any activity where you're bent over (no jokes..). Fixing the car for example! Few weeks skating and it's fine now.

Similarly, getting back into riding I found my wrists weren't strong enough. I'd often hurt them (only mildly) pulling up the front end and going off the smallest of drops. Again, that cleared up over time, riding the same bike.

jackricho

Hi
Im riding with glove. my friend has just suggesred to lower the seat before going down down? just to keep the weight of my hands?

mr joey

probally is braking finger i got it in france 2 years ago and still suffer with it now

bunyip

its probably from holding the brakes on tight for long periods. I suggest moving the brake levers (and shifters) away from the grips and angling them down so you can use 1 or 2 fingers when braking. to find the right position sit on your bike and place your hands on the bars and see where your fingers sit naturally. if you haven't altered it from new I bet the levers are no where near you finger positions.

BigShot

If you are going to try adjusting your brake levers, you might want to try the technique I described in this thread.
http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12717903
(3rd post in the thread)

I find it puts the levers in the perfect spot for me and seems to have done similarly well for others I've done this with.

Hope you get the finger pain sorted.

nickfrog

Brakes are for wimps.

BigShot

Nah - good brakes make you go faster.
(True too.)

tjwood

Possibly related to the nerves in your hand ("handlebar palsy" or a mild form of it). I suffered when I first got my bike. Turned out my seat was too far forwards meaning I was supporting my weight through my hands, also I was gripping the bars with my wrists bent backwards.