PAIN!

Thrumk

Hi guys.

I got a road bike yesterday, first one, and took it out today.

My god! The pain is unbelievable! My thumbs, or rather the fleshy but between my thumbs and my palms are absolutely killing me. I only rode for about 15 minutes as well!!

What on earth can I do? I'm sorry if this is a common problem with umpteen posts like this one but I was soooo excited to get out on my new bike... maybe I'll always have to have a flatbar bike?

Any ideas/help?

Thanks.

Berk Bonebonce

Road surfaces in the UK are amongst the worst in the developed world. And the wide use of granite chippings means you can get a lot of road buz throught the bars. Added to that the use of STI levers which are somewhat awkward for the hand to actuate.

Get some comfy bar tape and gel mitts. Why do you think these products exist?

BigLee1

I had the same problem when I got a road bike, solved by loosening the handlebar clamp and rotating the bars upward so the brake hoods are facing up a bit rather than down as the bike came to me. I can now ride on the hoods with no discomfort

Level like this -

http://www.aroadbike4u.net/img-catalog/ ... dlebar.php

Hope that helped!

Baggervance

Agree about the road surfaces being awful which certainly has an effect on comfort.

Suspect you may be putting too much weight on your hands, have you set up the bike for your limbs & torso size - if not this would make a huge difference.

It's perfectly normal to suffer some discomfort when you first start riding a road bike but it does get easy as your body gets conditioned.

steveadi

BigLee1 wrote:

I had the same problem when I got a road bike, solved by loosening the handlebar clamp and rotating the bars upward so the brake hoods are facing up a bit rather than down as the bike came to me. I can now ride on the hoods with no discomfort

Level like this -

http://www.aroadbike4u.net/img-catalog/ ... dlebar.php

Hope that helped!

i agree with biglee i had a simiar problem with an aching palm turned the handle bars up a little problem solved i also wear gel pad gloves.

Thrumk

Thanks guys- I guess it's just a 'getting used to it' pain.

My back ached a bit but I was expecting that. The thumbs were far far worse. I do use some Specialized BG gloves - not cheap by any means - but there doesn't seem to be any padding where the fleshy bit of the thumb goes.

I will try levelling the bars though, they are tilted forward somewhat.

Anyway, thanks for your advice.

BigLee1

sounds like the bars are the problem! Please post when you've tried it

Paul32uk

I too had this when I started riding a road bike. I just made sure I had decent padding on my gloves and rode more. Like toughening up the butt the muscles in my hands needed to get used to the change in grip position.

Thrumk

Yeah, I'll let you know how I get on.

I do a lot of climbing so my hands are quite strong but I guess its just that spot that's a sensitive place.

rake

sitting further back tends to ease the weight on the bars. my hands are quite big and putting gel under the tape helps, not just the cusion but makes the bar fatter. dont hold as such just loosely wrap the fingers around.

cougie

All about position I think - so yes - rotate bars. Also raise them if you can and if that's not enough - maybe you need a shorter stem.

Also - what width tyres and what psi ?

thegreatdivide

If you want to solve that thumb pain with some padding these are by far the most comfortable mitts on the market - and dirt cheap if you go for the 'Mountains' range:

http://www.prendas.co.uk/details.asp?ty ... d=6&ID=595

I suffer from 'bit between the thumb and fore finger' pain and these mitts have loads of padding in just the right spot. I wont wear anything else these days.

rick_chasey

Also - over time, your lower back will become stronger and be able to support your upper body more.

MichaelW

It is unusual to get extreme pain from a 15 min ride, even if the bike doesnt fit.

Is the bike the right size for you?
Have you adjusted the saddle to roughly the correct position.

Once the general setup is Ok you can look at details.
You alter the rotation of the bars within the stem. usually they are set so the drops face backwards, aimed at the rear axle.
You can alter the position of the brake levers on the bar. You can raise or lower them along the curve and also rotate them about the bar. I like a little inward cant on my brakes.

If he bars are in the wrong position (usually too low or far away), you need to get a different stem. Adjustable stems are useful for initial sizing.

When adjusting, be careful how you tighten the bolts, it is easy to apply too much torque and damage components.

keef66

I still occasionally get painful thumbs despite the fact my bars / hoods are prety flat, and I have a short flipped stem.

I put it down to the fact that for a long time I played 5-a-side in goal, and lost count of the number of sprains, strains and dislocations I suffered.

I find riding on the tops for a while relieves the pain.