Originally Posted by
mdlynam
Hello;
I have what's been rated as severe carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) on one hand and moderate on the other. It's been a problem on the bikes (road & mountain) as the hands get numb and/or hurt. I've tried varying hand positions while on the bike and that gets temporary relief, but, well, long story short: still a problem.
Does anyone have similar experiences? Have you been able to ride with wrist braces or support of some sort?
I first bought a bike in 2008, a nice used Trek 520. Riding was great fun but wrist/arm pain quickly became a major issue. I'd struggled with pain from keyboard and mouse use for years. After messing with bike fit and padded gloves one 10 mile ride finally left me with a crippled right arm for two weeks. I was diagnosed with mild carpal tunnel in the right arm and ulnar nerve problems in the left - the bike was simply exacerbating the existing problems.
I considered swapping in some new handlebars for a really upright seating position, getting a pro bike fit, etc etc. After contemplating the idea of throwing money at the problem I said screw this, sold the Trek, bought a recumbent, and now ride 100% pain free. My advice to you: your problem is much worse than mine was so quit screwing around and get your weight off of your injured hands before you really screw yourself up. For absolute maximum hand comfort you can even get underseat steering setups. Highracer style 'bents are paceline compatible if that's something you're into.
If you don't want to go full recumbent there are numerous crank forward designs that will probably do the job - Trek Pure, Electra Townie, Giant Suede type bikes. Rans (
www.ransbikes.com) makes a line of crank forward bikes that are higher end than those, including their new
Alterra bike that gets you pretty close to a road bike with far less weight on your hands.