Hybrid Bicycles - ok, pics of ergons gc3s on my utopia

Here are the ergons on the utopia. I did a short 12 miles this morning with my husband and son in the trailer and they still aren't right. my whole left arm went numb after the first 5 miles. I need to keep adjusting them i think but i am starting to get discouraged because I really didn't have any pain or discomfort with the original grips, i just wanted the bar ends and grips that would continue to be comfortable for longer trips. i guess the old saying is true "if it ain't broke don't fix it"

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b89/Two_mini_mes/P1030273.jpg

and here is one of me just because :D http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b89/Two_mini_mes/P1030262.jpg

So sorry they are not working out as planned. I'm not knowledgeable enough to offer suggestions other than keep fooling with them for awhile, and then take them off if they still don't suit you. Live and learn... Have a happy 4th!
Love your little stickers. :)

See, now I feel guilty for complaining about not seeing the pics with the grips..but it worked! It will probably take a while to get properly dialed in. Thanks for another nice Utopia pic. The LBS just put a black/silver crosstrail in their window and I've started to wavier. This will help me...or confuse me more.

I've never used ergonomic grips but yours look like they are positioned at a reasonable angle. Barends parallel to stem looks nice. I assume the grips and barends can be adjusted independently. I'd suggest tilting your brake levers downward slightly, it might help. You want to keep your wrists somewhat straight when braking. Riding gloves? Sorry to hear the Ergons aren't an immediate hit with you. Hopefully you'll get them dialed in.

The brakes were tilted down more and I moved them up. That picture is deceiving because they are now even with the bars. They might be better down just a tad but too much further and I was twisting my hand over the bar and bending my wrist the other way to reach them. The grips I think need to tilt up just a bit more. If I rest on the flared part with the heel of my hand my wrist is still bent. The bar ends are just right though.

Oh and I do usually wear gloves, just forgot them today.

Maybe no gloves was the difference? I've heard nothing but good things about the Ergon grips, except that it's easy to strip the fixing bolts by overtightening (something you should keep in mind while experimenting with position). I expect they will work out for you. :)

The grips I think need to tilt up just a bit more. If I rest on the flared part with the heel of my hand my wrist is still bent.
Just what I thought when I saw the second picture.

Try rotating the brakes down as qmsdc15 suggested, and then shorten the reach by tightening the two little screws with the blue Loctite on them. This way they should be in a much more comfortable position.

Good point, I was going to mention the reach adjustment as well.

Thanks guys! I will make those adjustments and give it another go. I will keep in mind not to over tighten too, I hadn't read that before so it is good to know.

Nice pic of the grips, thanks for sharing. I just ordered a pair of these to put on a Giant Roam 1. Will the barends rotated back, I hope? I want them to allow me to sit upright on my seat and maintain control of the bars. So I will most likely have them pointed straight up or maybe even tilted slightly back toward me.

Shabo

Nice pic of the grips, thanks for sharing. I just ordered a pair of these to put on a Giant Roam 1. Will the barends rotated back, I hope? I want them to allow me to sit upright on my seat and maintain control of the bars. So I will most likely have them pointed straight up or maybe even tilted slightly back toward me.

Shabo

Yes the do rotate and can be adjusted to the angle that you prefer.

Excellent, thanks!!

Shabo

I did a short 12 miles this morning with my husband and son in the trailer

Well there's your problem. Tell your hubby he needs to get out and ride his own d*mn bike! :)

Seriously, I'm still trying to find the best spot for my ergons. Rotating down has helped a little. I think actually my handlebars need to come up.

Well there's your problem. Tell your hubby he needs to get out and ride his own d*mn bike! :) :lol:

Hehehe. Let me rephrase, I went for a ride with my hubby who pulled our son in the trailer. I also must brag to someone that for once I was able to leave him in the dust and even stop on a particular hill, let him pass me and then catch up and pass him again before he reached the top. There is something to be said about adding 50+ pounds to the back of his dual suspension mountain bike and then making him ride on the road with me.

Nice pic of the grips, thanks for sharing. I just ordered a pair of these to put on a Giant Roam 1. Will the barends rotated back, I hope? I want them to allow me to sit upright on my seat and maintain control of the bars. So I will most likely have them pointed straight up or maybe even tilted slightly back toward me.

Shabo
Reading that made me think that either you need a new stem, try some different bars, or just plain got the wrong fit (or bike) for your preferred riding position...

Hope this all works out well for you, MJ. I picked up a small set at the LBS and was surprised at how BIG it felt in the palm of my hand. I'm used to the feel of WSD ergo grips and was wondering how these Ergons would fare over a longer stretch. Keep us posted on the adjustments!

...http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b89/Two_mini_mes/P1030262.jpg

Most important question...Did you get to bingo nite (sic) ?

The picture helps - I have a similar shaped grip on my city-hardtail but I'm not sure who made them. Suntour(?) Sun-something (?)

For what its worth, that wide grip starts to feel better as your hands get more used to gripping it, in my experience. You might get used to them after another few rides?

Just a thought: Your bars may be too wide, and the bar ends effectively increase the width of the bar. With your arms splayed out further now, there is a strong chance that you're putting more stress on your upper arm and shoulder. Numbness throughout the arm suggests the issue is with your riding position and the angle of your arms, not just with the grips themselves.

When I added GC2s to my narrower (relative to yours) 60cm flat bar, I removed almost one inch from each side to bring my arms closer to the width of my shoulders. Noticeable difference.

Hmmm, that is possible. I find that keeping my hands on the grip area of the ergon grips I am holding onto the bars slitly wider then I was otherwise and jot moving my hands to different places on the bar as I did with the original bars. I don't want to cut my bars down. To fit the grips on I already had to move my brakes and shifters in towards the stem some. If I cut down the bars I would have to move then even further and might not have room for my computer or anything else I want to put on the bars.

I am going to give a cole more rides, if I can't find the right adjustment they might go up for sale.

I had to fiddle with my Ergons and brake levers quite a bit before I found the optimum angles. Here is a picture of what mine finally was set at for me. Having the brake levers and grips at an angle that kept my wrist and arm in a straight line was what worked for me.

Good luck, don't give up.

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j220/turbocar/CIMG0059.jpg
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j220/turbocar/CIMG0064.jpg

I'll buy them if they don't work out.

My wife and I both have these grips. I was able to get mine dialed in pretty quickly. She's still tweaking hers.
I carry a bike tool with us when we go out and she makes very small adjustments during the ride. She's almost there.
Hope it works out for you!

Guilou - it looks like you actually have the winged part slightly tilted up, is that right? So your hands are on a downward slope towards the front wheel? I haven't tried that yet, might see if that works.

Scott-TN I will let you know before i put them on craigslist. So far they have only been used about 4 times on fairly short rides. I am going to give them a couple more rides with adjustments and then I'll decide.

If I cut down the bars I would have to move then even further and might not have room for my computer or anything else I want to put on the bars.
Comfort is more important than gadgets on your handlebar. And you'll still have lots of room (two inches at least on each side of the stem) even if you move the brake levers and shifters all the way to where the bar starts to bend.

I put GP-1's on my bike and fiddle with them from time to time based on other adjustments but they are soooooo much more comfortable than standard grips it's not even close. I always carry a little toolkit or Park Multi-Tool in my seat bag to make adjustments while riding.

Guilou - it looks like you actually have the winged part slightly tilted up, is that right? So your hands are on a downward slope towards the front wheel? I haven't tried that yet, might see if that works.

Scott-TN I will let you know before i put them on craigslist. So far they have only been used about 4 times on fairly short rides. I am going to give them a couple more rides with adjustments and then I'll decide.

Yes that is correct, they are angled upwards. For me that's is what worked for my wrists and keeping them inline with my arms. I hurt my left wrist in a fall I had, and until I got these grips and got the angle correct, I wasn't able to ride my bike without major discomfort. Having the brake levers in this position also helped keeping my wrists inline without major bending while braking.

Oh, I also had to make adjustments to my seat height, and moving my seat forward a little bit, and angling the nose of the seat upwards. After doing these things...Wow.

These latter adjustments along with tweaking my grips, was what finally got her dialed in.

Scott

Hmmm, that is possible. I find that keeping my hands on the grip area of the ergon grips I am holding onto the bars slitly wider then I was otherwise and jot moving my hands to different places on the bar as I did with the original bars. I don't want to cut my bars down. To fit the grips on I already had to move my brakes and shifters in towards the stem some. If I cut down the bars I would have to move then even further and might not have room for my computer or anything else I want to put on the bars.

I am going to give a cole more rides, if I can't find the right adjustment they might go up for sale.
A solution has already been invented to your perceived potential problem. (http://www.amazon.com/Topeak-TBX01-The-Bar-Extender/dp/B000FIAVN8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1310005801&sr=8-1)

I adjusted them up more but left the brakes alone for now because the brakes are harder to move and I didn't have a lot of time before my ride this morning. They were better, comfortable during the ride but a little bit of left hand tingling after the ride. I am going to slant them up a tad more and move the brakes a bit and see how it goes tomorrow. I think I am almost there and I am not giving up yet.

I can't ride without ergo grips as I have a problem with my hands. I find that on the flat bar bikes it takes a lot of tweaking to get them right - but once you have it right it makes all the difference. I've wanted to see these particular ones up close - thank you. I'd taken the bar ends off all of my bikes that had them so I could put ergos on them - I think I'll change a couple that I ride more out to these. Let us know when you get them right - and give it enough time because you will love it once it IS right.

And I LOVE the stickers! I mean, it's not JUST about exercise!