Road Cycling - Bar Phat Pads

Has anyone tryed Specialized bar phat pads and phat wrap bar tape ( bicycle mag. May 2004, pg.85) I keep trying new gloves. and its not helping with numbness on long rides. If anyone has tryed these things let me know how they help.

Has anyone tryed Specialized bar phat pads and phat wrap bar tape ( bicycle mag. May 2004, pg.85) I keep trying new gloves. and its not helping with numbness on long rides. If anyone has tryed these things let me know how they help.

Are you riding with heavily padded gloves already? If you are, you may actually be pressing the nerves between the thumb and fofefinger with the padding...you might try a ride with no gloves...

Most numbness comes from too much weight on the hands and wrists...sometimes raising your stem less than a half an inch can make all the difference in the world...and most people, even pros, actually ride faster with their bars a tiny bit higher...opens up the chest for breathing and lets the legs produce more downward power and force when needed.

The best combo that I've found so far are bar phat gel on the handle bars and a pair of unpadded pearl izumi racing gloves. I find glove padding sometimes actually pinches the nerve in my hand too.
And lower your seat a bit so that you're riding with your body at a 45 degree angle.

Love the bar phat, and when looking at gloves consider the design and position of the padding. Some gloves have padding in wrong places that actually will increase the possibility of numbness....

Bar Phat pads/tape came stock on my Allez. So far, I've not experienced any numbness whatsoever. That being said, my longest rides so far have been in the 25 - 30 mile range, and you may be spending more time on the bike than I have. I also shift my hand position quite a bit as I tend to squeeze the hoods too much, which causes a little pain in my large thumb muscle. I've heard that some feel the Bar Phat makes the bars feel too thick, but that's not been a problem for me. I use P.I. white line gloves, which aren't too pricey, and work for me.

You know, I actually think some of my hand numbness is coming from my shoulders and not my hands. Could be wrong, but I really think there is a connection

I have bar phat on my Trek 5200...don't know if it's the smoothness of the Trek or the tape but I'm happy. I have the thinner (?4mm) of the 2 tapes and I like the somewhat thicker bars.
I wear the cheap Mountain Equip Coop gloves and am happy with the setup.

Hi,
bar padding is a good idea. So is adding spacers, or getting a stem that is angled up to get you in a more upright position. It can take a few tries to get the right position. When you do, it'll feel good.