Numb hands

secretsam

Whenever I ride more than an hour, I end up with numb hands, sometimes so bad I can barely operate brakes/shifters. Am fine once I get off the bike for a bit. Sometimes affects my shoulders.

Current bike has Carbon fork, 23mm tyres run at around 100psi (can't go bigger). Have Cinelli Vai stem, Ritchey classic bar wrapped in 2 layers of cork tape. I wear mitts (Spesh BG sport). Have had the whole bike fit thing done.

Any thoughts/suggestions?

mattitheowl

Get a bike fit done.

DrLex

I sometimes suffer similarly if I've been putting too much weight through my arms rather than my seat.

kajjal

Try changing hand positions during the ride. I spend most time on the hoods but move between the hoods and the bar during rides a few times to losen things up. It is not unusual to get numb hands if you ride in the exact same position and grip a bit too hard.

rafletcher

You will also find that doing core strength exercises will assist in keeping you in position without putting too much weight through your hands.

wishitwasallflat

I had this and changing to unpadded gloves resolved it (counter intuitive I know but it worked for me).

blackpoolkev

I was given advice years ago when I first started doing longer rides. An old experienced rider told me that my hands should rest on the handlebars as a piano players hands rest on the keys.
Basically use your stomach,hips and back(core muscles) to secure yourself on the bike, not your hands.
I still hear his voice when I feel tense around the arms and shoulders.

secretsam

blackpoolkev wrote:

I was given advice years ago when I first started doing longer rides. An old experienced rider told me that my hands should rest on the handlebars as a piano players hands rest on the keys.
Basically use your stomach,hips and back(core muscles) to secure yourself on the bike, not your hands.
I still hear his voice when I feel tense around the arms and shoulders.

I've heard this before; might try raising bars slightly (I've got a 'half spacer' to play with) and not put so much pressure on my hands.

Interesting comments about core strength - I've had a back problem recently and a lack of any core strength was identified as an issue - I now have some torture exercises to do each day :evil:

70\ʹspenguin

I had a similar problem. have you tried tilting the saddle up a few degrees? I thought my saddle was perfectly level until I got it properly measured and it was actually pointing down 2 degrees. It now points up 1 degree and I haven't had a numb hand since. Just a thought

deer_dance

You need to get the weight off your Ulnar (?) nerve.

Try tilting your bars forward so they are parallel to the ground or even slightly angled downward.

This moves the pressure point to the bit of your hand between thumb and fore finger rather than lower down your hand where the nerve is.

You might well need to make other bike fit adjustments to compensate for your new hand position and to make sure you are not putting too much of your weight through your hands (something you might already be doing).

secretsam

Update on this: took my commuter flat-bar for a ride back into London at the weekend (40+ miles), and once again - numb hands - this on a bike that has most of my weight on my ar53 :oops:

So I think either I'm holding on too tight, or I'm hyper-sensitive, or [hypochondria]it's carpal tunnel syndrome[/hypochondria]

♠ChumBucket♠

SecretSam wrote:

Update on this: took my commuter flat-bar for a ride back into London at the weekend (40+ miles), and once again - numb hands - this on a bike that has most of my weight on my ar53 :oops:

So I think either I'm holding on too tight, or I'm hyper-sensitive, or [hypochondria]it's carpal tunnel syndrome[/hypochondria]

I've had carpal tunnel syndrome for years & my hands go numb on every ride- road kitted mtb too. I have to release a hand periodically & give it a good shake to get the feeling back. Had this so long it's become normal to me! Do your hands go numb with anything else?

Sutton_Rider

I've had this problem and while I totally agree with OnYourRight. I cut a bit of 4mm neoprene and slid it into my glove, worked a treat.