Cycling injuries

michael206

Hi

I am relatively new to road cycling as i have had my bike around about a month. I have noticed that while out cycling my left arm and particularly hand is prone to pins and needles although this is not all the time. I visted my doctor as i thought i had maybe jarred a nerve, however he has advised me that there is not much that can be done to avoid this in the future other than perhaps finding a workaround or simply putting up with it. I just wondered if anyone else has suffered from this and what they have done to resolve it. I am pretty certain that my riding position is spot on as i have no other issues while on my bike and it was my local bike shop who measured me up for my bike.

g00se

A quick test: When you're cycling along (you must be pedalling for this to work), can you let go of the handle bars (or try to un-weight the bars) and see if you feel like you want to fall forward? Ideally, you should be able to comfortably maintain the angle of your body without much effort.

redddraggon

Sounds like road buzz, what tyre pressures do you run on the front?

winterdancer

I've a similar problem with my right hand, on and off, and more usually on the mountain bike. I've tracked it down to stiffness in my shoulder from using a computer mouse too much, so I make sure to loosen out/stretch my neck and shoulders every day and it seems to be working. Only time it still causes problems is when I'm riding harder and tensing up a bit. A physio should be able to assess if you are stiff in one side and give you some simple exercises to keep things moving... good luck, it's a right pain to deal with!

keef66

I get this sporadically despite the fact I've been riding for years. Things to try:

Decent mitts with decent padding to protect the ulnar nerve (I have the Spesh BG ones) but make sure they are not too tight for instance when your hands het hotter.
Decent bar tape & consider using gel pads or even gel tape
Keep switching hand position on the bars
Don't have too big a drop from saddle to bars. I know the pros all ride around with their @rses in the air, but for the average Joe that can put too much weight on the hands / arms / shoulders.

Evilbug

I had this problem and found my problem was the bars were to thin forcing me to pull me arms and elbows in at a funny angle. I have not had a problem since switching to wider bars. I know this goes against what most people will tell you but I will never a fast rider so the comfort factor comes into it instead for distance.

Wacky Racer

I have suffered from this over the years, even MTB'ing, and agree with the advice already given. Decent mits and regular changing of hand positions works for me to a reasonable degree, I still get a bit of an ache on the outer cheek of my left hand, but it is better having gone through what has already been recommended. I have gel padded gloves which have helped considerably. Dropping my seat height helped too, there seems to be a growing trend of Eiffel Tower height seats, it might look cool but it definitely puts more pressure on the hands.

sungod

also...

are you leaning on the bars, i.e. putting weight on them? - don't, try the test in the first reply, if you can't help leaning then it could be the fit isn't right, could also be that you need to work on core strength

are you gripping the bars tight? - don't, relax, a light grip is all you need most of the time

and as above, change hand position every now and then, padded mitts, etc.

once you've triggered the problem, it may take a few days to recover, if you have been leaning/gripping hard, try to change the habit and see if things improve after a week

g00se

If it shows that you are 'falling' forward too much, the first thing to look at is putting the saddle back a little bit. Forget the 'knee over pedal spindle' rule - that assumes you are Mr Average and also have the appropriate crank arm lengths. You may need to get your centre of balance back away from the bars a little bit.

kingrollo

I went for a pro bike fitting this week. I was amazed how much the angle of the bars can alter how you feel on the bike. Stick your bike on a turbo and have a play - quite a revelation.

a pro bike fit costs about £75 - £150 - and would probably solve or at least reduce the issue. But would try tweaking and stretching exercises first.

michael206

Thanks for all the advice so far.

I think that as a newbie to road cycling i am probably guilty of leaning on the bars and i know i have been gripping the bars too tight especially when cycling on some of the steep hills around Fife. I am also guilty of not changing my hand position often enough so will take all your advice on board as well as possibly investing in a decent pair of padded mitts and keep my fingers crossed that does the trick. I am off on my first ride with my local bike club next week so will put all your advice into practice.

Thanks again much appreciated.