Hand/Wrist pain on Rollers

portland_bill

Morning all,

I just wondered if anybody else has struggled with the aforementioned while on rollers. I know a mate of mine has the same problem and it's putting him off using them, and the last two times I've finished my workouts, it's not been because I'm done, but rather because my hands can't take anymore and I'm starting to wobble around while trying to take the weight off my hands.

I don't really want to mess about with the settings of my bike because it's spot on while out on the road, but for some reason I cannot get comfortable while on the rollers and I think it's getting in the way of me getting the most out of them.

Any advice?

Cheers!

term1te

I find I hold on much tighter when I'm on rollers, some how it feels like I won't fall off if I really hold on tight. I used to get a bit of pain in my right shoulder, almost certainly due to the tennsion in my hands/arms. I've tried relaxing, and that helped, but practice and confidence are the key. After a few sessions back on the rollers by mid winter my grip loosens a bit and then it is just my legs and lungs giving me grief.

portland_bill

Somebody else has told me it could be a lack of core strength too and that because of that I'm putting too much weight on my wrists/hands. If I ease up on my hands the front end starts to move too much so you could be onto something. Been on them pretty much three times a week for the last three weeks and the pain seems to be getting worse but we'll see.

Garryboy

It's probably a combination of holding on too tight, tensing up and the fact that rollers don't offer much resistance - meaning your legs taking less of the weight and your upper body taking more.

I've had similar issues and forced myself to change hand positions (even though I'm not great or that steady on rollers) and this helps - moving from tops to hoods every now and again.

I've also noticed an improvement since fitting a sportcrafters progressive resistance roller on mine (cyclops), which makes it a bit more road like in terms of feel and gives you more resistance as you pedal. This means legs work harder, upper body takes less of a hit.

I still can't go longer than 50-60 mins without wanting a break, but boredom plays a part there too

Alex_Simmons/RST

If you can't ride with hands near the bars but not actually on the bars without falling forward sharply, then you probably need to adjust your bike position/set up. Too much weight borne by the hands is not a good thing. Should be able to ride with just a light hand pressure down on the bars.

You might also consider lifting the front end of the rollers up a little as well (not too far of course).