Pins & Needles in my hands

cuffylad

I have just got a new ride (spesh hardrock).

I have taken it out on a few test rides to get it setup up (nothing over 10miles and all on roads). After 20mins I get bad pins and needles in both my hands, I am staying relaxed and dont have a death grip.

Could this be due to incorrect setup, eg seat too high or handle bars too low so my weight is all on my hands when riding, im not a very light guy (18st and dropping ). Or could it be that im new to mountain biking and just need to get bedded in more?

Any advice would be most welcome.

supersonic

Try rotating the controls on the bars so they lie in the same plane as your arms.

Experimenting with set up is always worth it. If it fails, have a look at Specialized BG grips.

bluechair84

What you're experiencing is a common problem so there's loads of options for you. It's lilkely that you are putting too much pressure on the ulnar nerve: It runs from your little finger, through the pad of your hand and up your arm. You should try to protect this nerve. There are gloves with more padding around this area, you could try thicker and softer grips, or you could try some ergon gripsthat have a broader shoulder around this area.
Finally, when you are seated comfortably, your brake levers should sit 180deg around the bars from your arm . you should be able to draw a line from your shoulder to you knuckles over the brake levers. If they are significantly higher or lower, this could have an effect.
Hope this helps.

Rybes

supersonic wrote:

Try rotating the controls on the bars so they lie in the same plane as your arms.
Experimenting with set up is always worth it. If it fails, have a look at Specialized BG grips.

good advice and excellent grips. had the same prob as you and after a little fiddlin of the controls and fitted those grips its all gone away.

Ian43

Try the specialized gloves also they have extra padding around the ulnar nerve.

Keith1983

Pins and needles can sometimes be a side effect of poor circulation, just to rule out anything serious pop in and see your GP who will check that out for you.

philcube

i had the same problem with my 2010 rockhopper, after about 20 mins of riding, i would get really bad pins 'n needles. i bought some specialized body geometry lock on grips (the ones with a sort of moulded 'fin' to support your palms) and some body geometry 'comp' gloves, these gloves are well padded around the area of the ulnar nerve, and now i can ride for 2 hours or so with no pins 'n needles.
also, maybe try fitting some bar ends, so you can vary the position of your hands as you ride, and not just have them in one position all the time.

phal44

Ergon grips Get a nice set of grips with good support for your hands + integrated bar ends to give you lots of different hand positions.

toasty

Another possibility, if there's a free spacer over the stem, you could try raising your bars a touch. This will bring your weight back slightly, off the bars.