Road Cycling - Normal Pain ?

I have ridden twice with a bike that has drop bars, and both times, the back of my left thumb ACHES.

The pain seems the worst when I am on the hoods, then the pain runs in a straight line from my thumb to the base of my hand, especially though the outside of the big, meaty part at the base of my thumb.

Youch -- is this just getting used to using the hand differently, or should I be worrying ?

Darn it - its my space bar thumb too ......

most would suggest more/different padding --->

check your positioning. if you are coming over from mountain biking, the weight distribution is slightly different on a road bike. be conscious of your center of gravity - thus the amt of weight distributed on your hands/arms. the seat height might need some adjustment as well

My thoughts were along that line -- I am a pretty big guy, and with my seat being an inch or two above the bars, there is a lot of weight bearing down on my hands.

Its weird though, it starts to hurt with even minor pressure on it. Some strange unused ligament or something, perhaps.

I was thinking of jacking the the bars up more to get more weight back.

Less racy position, but that is not what I am about right now anyway.

A couple of suggestions:

Make sure that your saddle position is correct, both in terms of height and front to back. You have to take into consideration all the usual factors such as leg length and knee angle, but also in terms of your center of gravity, like the first poster said.

I read once, that a correct fit should allow the rider to be nearly balanced on the saddle--in a normal riding position (i.e. forward)--without having to put any weight on the hands. Since you say that you are big, you may have to put your saddle back further than seems reasonable.

I had to fiddle with my saddle a lot to get everything just right (often with changes of just 1-2mm at a time). Once I had it right for my legs, I realized that I had also achieved the center of gravity thing.

Make sure you ride loose. Back, shoulders, arms, hands should all be loose--even on the fastest descents. Grabbing hard on the bars will make you less stable and responsive, not more.

Change you hand position slightly every few minutes. My "on the hoods" position actually puts my hands on the bars just where they meet the hoods. I find this most comfortable.

Last, but not least, stretching and stomach/back exercises can help. In this case, the toe-touching stretch is the best one.

Good luck,
Jamie

Hi,
I liked this article..
http://www.rivendellbicycles.com/reader_articles/raisestem.htm

You might also try gel gloves. Your arms will need to get used to working as shock absorbers. One thing that might be going on, is that as they tire, the shock gets absorbed at the point of contact.

Besides the things others have mentioned it can take a while just to get use to the more bent over position of a road bike. You may need to raise the bar and work your way down as you get used to the position.

Yes, the arms act as shock absorbers. So make sure you keep a slight bend at the elbow. Otherwise, every little ripple in the pavement goes right into your shoulders.

And the stretching will help the adjustment time from MTB.

Cheers,
Jamie

Cool tips - thanks !!

The strange thing is - I expected the shoulders, back, etc.

No real problems there, just this weird pain.

What hurts is the little rod (tendon I think) that you feel moving at the base of the thumb when you rotate your thumb.

I am hoping it is just squawking at the new position.

If your saddle is positioned nose down (even slightly)
it is going to pitch your weight forward and put
alot of stress on your hands.
Are you changing hand postion when you're riding?
Death grip on the bars?
all of the above could be causing discomfort.

Marty

try just resting the palms of your hands on the hoods,dont grip.it could also be the unfamilair position & grip to operate the brakes ??

Originally posted by greywolf
try just resting the palms of your hands on the hoods,dont grip.it could also be the unfamilair position & grip to operate the brakes ??

I think so. I have been trying variations of that technique and it is much better. I think my seat is a little high, so a lot of weight bears down on my hands in the hoods position, and thus my thumb starts screaming.

Its getting better the more I ride though, and if I can get the bars up some and some of my weight shifted back some, I would prob be in better shape.