Commuting - My hands and arms are like jelly

Just got my new bike today, a trek 7.6 FX, and I had to take her for an extended ride. Five miles wound up turning into twenty and it was a blast. She handled so well that I didn't want to stop. About ten minutes after my ride my arms and hands became numb, almost like a dead arm feeling. I haven't rode in about ten years so I am not sure if this was due to working a new muscle group or if I wasn't fitted properly on the bike. I do have extension grips so I did change hand position often during the ride.

so long as you can type here, that's all that really matters :-)

congrats on the new ride, good luck getting back into it

I suspect dead arms would be from circulation not nervous system. Take an aspirin with plenty of water and some b6 and b12 if you have it and get some sleep. Maybe don't don't ride tomorrow.

Thanks for the advice, I will give it a try.

I had the same problems when I started riding again after an extended period off. I THought I was fitted wrong too. The problem will eventually go away but I would take it easy until then. Listen to your body and it will tell you when enough is enough.

Thanks for the advice, I tend to push it too hard when I am just starting out.

The usual complaint you hear from cyclists at this time of year is "I need a new seat".... even though they've already bought every seat from a Brooks B17 to the latest Selle San Marco. Eventually their butts adjust to the seat and all is good, no matter what they currently have.

Probably premature to suggest looking into recumbent bikes.:lol:

Yeah a little early to throw in the towel. Although I was amazed to see how fast people were zooming around on them today.

Thanks for the advice, I tend to push it too hard when I am just starting out.

Me too, I remember my first rides a year ago... I would be close to passing out by the time I got back to the house (6 miles), vision going all fluttery/tunnelly and heart rate super high. Glad I stuck with it though. I can FEEL the difference in my BP.

It's either a fit issue or a bar issue. Plenty of people can ride bikes with flat bars for long distances, and plenty of people can't. You could have too much weight on your hands. You could be one of the people who needs a high, wide, drop bar on your long distance bikes.

Then again it could be pressure on the nerve that runs through the palm of the hand...I forget the name. http://www.bikeisland.com has Spenco Ironman gloves for 20.00 and/or 30.00 w/no shipping. I struggled w/numbness in my hands for years until I purchased these gloves. Since then no problems even on century rides.

Just got my new bike today, a trek 7.6 FX, and I had to take her for an extended ride. Five miles wound up turning into twenty and it was a blast. She handled so well that I didn't want to stop. About ten minutes after my ride my arms and hands became numb, almost like a dead arm feeling. I haven't rode in about ten years so I am not sure if this was due to working a new muscle group or if I wasn't fitted properly on the bike. I do have extension grips so I did change hand position often during the ride.

I had this problem until I made my bars about one inch higher than the saddle. I use a drop bar and ride on the hoods plus I use old school leather cycling gloves. I couldn't ride for 5 miles when I first started and now I can ride 60 before I've had enough. Not sure what the Trek has for bars but if its a flat bar you might try one with more rise or get a stem extension to get the grip up to about level with the saddle. Many bikes shops fit riders with an eye towards a racing fit and that doesn't work for most people. You might want to read the bike fit section at www.Rivbike.com until I tried their fitting suggestions I couldn't get comfortable. :thumb::innocent:

You just rode too much for the first time dude! Good job. I wouldn't have been able to even stand after that when I first got back into riding. This is not a fit problem or equipment problem at all. You just rode a lot. Take at least one day off before you ride again. Then go. You WILL feel it in your butt when you get back on. Normal.

Thanks for all the replies guys. I went out again today and did another ten. The problem in my hands and arms is diminishing , but man my butt is screaming. Think I will take a few days off.

My butt hurt pretty bad at first too. It toned up pretty quick, though. You do use your glutes in a different way while riding. The muscle ache goes away as you ride regularly.

After a couple weeks, the discomfort should change into a more specific saddle fit problem, and you can then embark on the quest for the perfect seat to fit your butt bones.

Yur ass will get used to it.

Posture. Make sure you're not locking your elbows and placing all of your weight on your hands. I'd suggest getting some bar ends so that you can change up your hand positions as well.

It's either a fit issue or a bar issue. Plenty of people can ride bikes with flat bars for long distances, and plenty of people can't. You could have too much weight on your hands. You could be one of the people who needs a high, wide, drop bar on your long distance bikes.

He could also just have overdone it considering 10 years off a bike. That's my vote.

go to the riv bike site and read about bar height and saddle height. get your bars up, at least level with your saddle.