Commuting - Some glove help

After moving to a place with some really awful cratered and patched roads, I've been taking a beating. I bulked up my tires to 32s, and that's helped alot. Yet, occasionally the heel of my hand gets a little bruised, especially in the pre-dawn commute.

I decided it might be time for gloves. I bought some Pearl Izumi Gel-Lite tour gloves. The bruising has been eliminated...but it's been replaced by occasional numbness, and frequent aching in my hands.

Any recommendations are appreciated.

Cheers!

Maybe replace your stem w/one that's spring-loaded like a Softride or Ritchey? They come up all the time on e-bay @ reasonable prices. I've got one on my tourer. It really helps w/numbness in my hands.

either the gloves are too tight, or because you have them on without realizing it you are not giving your hands a break, and just holding the bars too long.

Try doing hand exersizes as you ride touch pinky to thumb rotate the wrist all the fun stuff you would do if you had carple tunnel.

Thanks Shade. I'll try that.

I'm also wondering if the padding is too thick. I wanted something to protect from the beating, but those pads are pretty darn thick and squishy.

Anyone else have a similar problem, or a favorite glove?

Thanks Shade. I'll try that.

I'm also wondering if the padding is too thick. I wanted something to protect from the beating, but those pads are pretty darn thick and squishy.

Anyone else have a similar problem, or a favorite glove?

I suffered with hand numbness for years. I have carpal tunnel syndrome in both hands and was concerned I would have to turn to a recumbent. I bought a road bike that fit, and still had numbness. I bought the Spenco Ironman gloves after wearing everything from Performance to Pearl Izumi. The Spenco gloves have a "patented channel" over the median nerve to prevent numbness. I thought it was going to be another case of a manufacturer exaggerating----but they WORK.


http://www.spencocycling.com/

I suffered with hand numbness for years. I have carpal tunnel syndrome in both hands and was concerned I would have to turn to a recumbent. I bought a road bike that fit, and still had numbness. I bought the Spenco Ironman gloves after wearing everything from Performance to Pearl Izumi. The Spenco gloves have a "patented channel" over the median nerve to prevent numbness. I thought it was going to be another case of a manufacturer exaggerating----but they WORK.


http://www.spencocycling.com/

I have an old pair of Spenco gloves that I got back in the 1980's that I still use to this day. They have something squishy in the palm - the salesman at the time called it 'snot' - he said it was the same kind of stuff that they used to made artificial skin. That might have been just a sales pitch, but the stuff really does feel like there is a slice of raw meat buried in there.

At one time I had misplaced one of the snot gloves, and bought a 2nd pair that had cotton pads in the palms. Those things sucked, and boy was I relieved when I found the other snot glove.

After moving to a place with some really awful cratered and patched roads, I've been taking a beating. I bulked up my tires to 32s, and that's helped alot. Yet, occasionally the heel of my hand gets a little bruised, especially in the pre-dawn commute.
Cheers!
Unfortunately I can't provide much advice on the gloves. However, in addition to the new gloves, you may consider investing in a brighter headlight to help you pick a less painful path through the maze of road hazards. I have a pretty bad road on my commute. One night I forgot my bar mounted light and only had my helmet mount light. I rode right into a pothole I knew was there but I couldn't see. It was quite a bump but luckily there was no serious damage to me or the bike. I haven't forgotten any of my lights since then.

Expanding on what Shade advised, pay attention to your grip on the bars. Even in rough stuff, your hands should be relaxed and the bar able to move within them.

I was on a ride last week where we ran into a half-mile of freshly milled street. Everyone else was on carbon or Ti wonderbikes, some with phat bar tape and gel gloves. I was on my eight-year-old aluminum Trek 1000 (admittedly with a Cro-Mo fork) regular bar tape and non-padded gloves (which I just plain prefer.) At the end of it, I was the only one whose hands weren't numb and tingling. All I can attribute it to is my loose, relaxed grip.

I mostly ride the hoods with my thumb and first two fingers making an "O" large enough for the hoods to "float" up and down within it. My weight is supported on the ramps by the meaty part at the base of the thumb. In the rough stuff, like the milled surface above, I sit back a bit taking most of the weight off my hands, still letting the bars float within the "O".

That could solve your issues for free. If you can do that and still have problems, then I'd start spending money on gloves and bike bits.

Edit: If you're on a flat-bar bike, it's even easier to learn this. Hook your thumbs under the bar and lightly rest your fingertips on the brake levers (without curling around them). On the bumps, the bars should still float around in your grip. Have a grip shift? That's the only time to grip the bars.

My grip-shifts excepted, the only time I grip the bars on either bike is all-out sprints and climbs. And then, it's only to control my upper body, not the bike.