Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling - Arm Warmers and Hand Numbness

In the last 5 weeks my wife and I have done 90, 106 and 63 miles as our long weekend ride. I experienced no more than occassional tingling in my hands which would go away with a quick shake. I'm in a very balanced position on the tandem without a great deal of weight on my hands even when in the drops.

Rode 42 miles today wearing arm warmers and my hands would go completely numb; Very difficult to get completely normal feeling back while still on the bike. I did have some stretches in the drops, but I'm wondering if my snug arm warmers (the elastic is leaving a pretty good mark) are part of the problem?

Anyone else encountered this sort of situation?

Both hands?
Just ride with one warmer next time and see what happens.

I think it's pretty obvious that your arm warmers are too tight.

Maybe you bought a small when you should have bought the large.

Maybe you bought a small when you should have bought the large.

I didn't go quite that far! I'm sure they are "large", but may be a bit too tight around my biceps. I like 10 Wheels idea of a one arm warmer experiment. Better yet I have one larger arm warmer I can put on the other arm. I think the best evidence of the arm warmers being the cause is the overall numbness. Pressure on the nerves usually results in only part of the hand being a problem.

Do your hands turn purple? :D

I get the same thing. When my hands go numb, I just roll the warmers down for a few minutes. If I know it will be cold all day, I wear a long sleeve jersey instead. Some of my jerseys do the same thing, too - a quick snip of the elastic cures that (but would kind of ruin the arm warmers).

JB