new road bike

cyclopsbiker

hi,

My second time out on the new road bike today. first ride was about 35km, today was about 22km. my wrists ache while riding....is that normal? got some lower back ache too but nothing significant. I've been commuting daily for about a year now on a mtb so I expected some adjustment to the new riding position. should I be worried? do anything with the bike set up?

my other issue is that my toes/forefoot goes numb....I'm using SPDs and the shoes are not too tight - any ideas?

cheers

ratsbeyfus

Is your saddle tipped forward? This could be causing you to be putting too much weight on your arms. Can you get the shop you got it from to take a look at your riding position?

datpat64

Wouldn't worry too much but check the saddle as previously suggested . Put a book on it and then a spirit level and make sure it's as level as possible (easy to adjust as the screws underneath allow tilt as well as backwards and forwards movement).

Make sure you've not go the seat too high as well. Common error !

cyclopsbiker

thanks guys, I'll check the seat level/height. I think the height is good - in the bike shop they spent some time with me hopping on/off the bike and adjusting it. I had decided to ride the bike for a while and if any niggles arose I'd go for a proper bike fit.

anyone any clues as to why my toes/forefoot goes numb?

johnoakleyallen

I know you said your shoes are not too tight but be aware your feet do swell (can be between 1/2 to a size bigger) during a long ride. Have you used clipless shoes in mountain bikes before?

A good tip is to make sure you can wiggle your toes

37monkey

I find that sometimes I sub-consciously "grip" with my toes and if think about them and relax them give them a bit of a wiggle and stretch my calves out, it helps (well for me it does) also a few pedal strokes out of the saddle works for me ( about 50-100m in ten miles)

rclarke2

+1 for tense toes.

I just can't stop myself doing it. I frequently find that my feet have gone numb from my arches forward, and it's especially noticeable in cold weather. It's totally me, I just tense up my toes while riding. If I consciously relax my feet, the feeling comes back.

As to wrists, when I moved back onto a road bike three weeks ago I found the same. The riding position on a road bike ( especially if you're on the brake hoods or drops) puts a higher percentage of your weight forward on your arms. Three weeks later, I don't notice it. I can only conclude that this marvelous machine known as my body has adapted.

rob

stannie

cyclopsbiker wrote:

thanks guys, I'll check the seat level/height. I think the height is good - in the bike shop they spent some time with me hopping on/off the bike and adjusting it. I had decided to ride the bike for a while and if any niggles arose I'd go for a proper bike fit.

anyone any clues as to why my toes/forefoot goes numb?

Have you checked that your cleats are in the right position on your shoes. If they are too far forwards you toes may start to go numb.
Also, if your saddle is in the wrong position it could make them go numb too.
Other than that, perhaps a set of insoles in the shoes might help.

dmch2

How do you position them correctly? The ball of my foot is quite a big area and the cleat adjustment is only a few mm forward/back.

My right toes ache a bit but that might just be me tensing them up a bit or might be the lack of padding in there or might be cleat position. How do I tell?