Commuting - good gloves to help with CTS

So I have some minor CTS symptoms like sore wrists and hurting finger joints. What are some good gloves to help reduce the road buzz in my hands? I hear gel inserts are the best. Heres some I've found. Are they any good or are there better ones?


http://www.amazon.com/Ironman-No-Numbness-Cycling-Gloves/dp/B00063F3DK/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1205974586&sr=1-5

http://www.amazon.com/SixSixOne-Altis-Mens-Cycling-Gloves/dp/B000RY141S/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1205974586&sr=1-7

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/Profile.cfm?SKU=23429&estore_ID=1610&cm_mmc=Email-_-Direct-_-080319We-_-SpringWebSale&cm_em=pickmeifyoucan2003@yahoo.com


I have also heard of ergon grips. Heres one I was looking at. Which will do me better, or are they good together?

http://www.competitivecyclist.com/mountain-bikes/product-components/2008-ergon-gp1-grip-4233_460_TRUE.html

hey, i don't know about which kinds of grips or gloves, but your position on the bike, the shifters, the saddle, all kinds of things can contribute to this hand, wrist, arm pain. i made a thread asking for RSI help, and there's another thread on the first or second page called "sore hands" (or "sore wrists"? i forget). they both have lots of good information in them! i know that isn't what you were asking, but it could help a lot, potentially more than the "right" glove will. you'll probably have to try a few kinds of gloves before you're happy. performance, REI and LL Bean all have 100% unconditional guarantees, even on worn or used items. (at least, performance still had that the last time i was there, a year or two ago.) buy a couple pairs and find out what you like!

I only commute 6 miles round trip so I doubt ride position is a factor, besides I got fitted for my bike.

Most of my riding is on a 'bent but I did put Ergon grips on the captains's bars of our tandem and they are a big improvement over all other grips I had previously tried.

I would say change your bar setup so you avoid pressure on your hands and alter your wrist angle so it's moved to a more natural position. If this means changing to a more upright position so you remove at least some of the pressure or changing your bars to some that offer more hand and wrist positions then so be it.

All the gell in the world won't help CTS since the issue is in your wrists and forearms and not on your palm where the gel is located.

Mind you I'm not a doctor. Just someone that feels the odd twinge of CTS now and then and alters how I'm using my hands when it occurs to avoid it coming on any stronger.

I have also heard of ergon grips. Heres one I was looking at. Which will do me better, or are they good together?

http://www.competitivecyclist.com/mountain-bikes/product-components/2008-ergon-gp1-grip-4233_460_TRUE.html

+1 I have these on my MTB and they helped with my hand discomfort and numbing I was having. I would start hurting bad after just 10 miles now I can go as long as I want with out feeling discomfort.

So I have some minor CTS symptoms like sore wrists and hurting finger joints. What are some good gloves to help reduce the road buzz in my hands? I hear gel inserts are the best.

If your finger joints- your interphalangeal joints- are hurting then I suggest not changing gloves but rather just using something to fill in the circumferences of your hands. IOW get some really fat grips or just buy some (road handlebar) bar tape and double wrap the bars where you grip them. The latter option would be aesthetically unpleasing but you can make it as thick as you want to.

It sounds like you're using flat handlebars and you should note that a lot of people report that flatbars, since they place the hands parallel to the torso, aggravate their hands & wrists. They also say that switching to road bike-type drop handlebars, which places their hands perpendicular to their torsos, alleviates the problem. If you're not using bar ends then try them as a means of getting your hands more perpendicular to your torso, similar to your hand position when you let your hands fall to your sides.

I have some Pearl Izumi fingerless gel gloves that helped me quite a bit. They are designed to keep pressure off the nerve that runs up the middle of the heel of your hand (medial?). The only downside is they were about $35.

Oh, and you could try a somewhat more upright riding position to get some of the weight off your hands and wrists. On my MTB I changed to riser handlebars as well as a higher stem. Contour grips also make a difference. http://www.performancebike.com/shop/Profile.cfm?SKU=24010&item=50-6813&slitrk=search&slisearch=true .

What about those handlebars that curve up and are somewhat similar to the opposite of drop handlebars?

What about those handlebars that curve up and are somewhat similar to the opposite of drop handlebars?

Those sound like bullhorns, which would require you to use road bike brakes/shifters. I don't know what you would want to accomplish with them but if it's the up-turned portion of the bar that you're interested in, you could accomplish the same thing with a bar end on what I assume are your flat handlebars. Try this (http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/BE409A12-Dimension+Short+Forged+Bar+Ends.aspx).

What about those handlebars that curve up and are somewhat similar to the opposite of drop handlebars?


You mean these:

http://www.kalloyuno.com/uno/Handlebar/AL-069.jpg


Came stock on my Safari. Awesome. Better than drops and they use flatbar controls.