Commuting - Sore Palms After 12KM Commute

I'm riding a basically stock Kona Dr. Dew (2010) http://www.konaworld.co/bike.cfm?content=drdew
Usually I commute in the city and have lots of time to relax my grip on my handle bar at lights etc but I'm in a different location for 4 months right now with a 12km commute to work with no interruptions at all. I'm thinking about what I can do to give some relief to the palms of my hands as they are always sore after the ride.

First, I think I will get a stem that has a bit more rise in it as that will give a bit less of an aggressive stance since I'm a tall rider (6'4").
Second, I've been thinking about either swapping out the handle bar completely for a drop bar set to give more positions or getting some bar ends that would give similar extra grips. The only ones that I can find online in my Canadian online retail world are: http://www.mec.ca/AST/ShopMEC/Cycling/BikeParts/HandlebarGrip/PRD~5023-587/abr-aluminum-bar-ends.jsp

My question is whether the bar ends will work adequetly or am I just wasting my money and might as well go straight to a set of drop bars. Also, If I do go to drop bars, would I have to replace the existing shifter/brake combo unit that came with the bike?

Any advice on reducing the strain on my hands would be appreciated.

stock setup may not be a good fit, think about Stem, and perhaps Bars, swap.

Ergon grips offer a broad palm surface GR1, 2~ 5 have different, progressively longer bar ends .

integrated in with the grip.
and find some padded palm gloves.

drop bar conversions are expensive , as the controls are different.
and those +all the cables have to be replaced.

Drop bar conversions with disc brakes get even more expensive since the calipers are specific to a particular design of brake lever. A stem height extender is the first change I would make. If a height extender can't do it a new fork is needed... not practical. Next, longer cables if necessary (probably not). Next a shorter reach stem (cheap). Thats it. Anything more and it begins to be apparent that the wrong size bike was purchased and that... ... but assuming that a 6'4" cyclist knows what size bike he needs and/or the LBS he bought it from did, I have to think that all that is necessary here is a bit of adjustment to the longer commute. Bar ends might could help but Centuries can be ridden on flatbars. Motorcycles do not have handlebar extensions. What motorcycles do is have handlebars that are 6" above seat height. When bicycle handlebars are 6" above seat height the cyclists hands don't hurt. Period. OTOH motorcycles have tens (~hundred+) horsepower to shove nearly bolt upright riders through the air. A bicyclist will want some forward lean and this will mean some weight on the hands. Get some good grips and padded gloves, build some upper body strength and stop whining :p

H

One dont grip the bars so tight and two get some bike gloves. Now look at the bars, are they above the seat or lower? If lower they could be causing you to lean to far forward and making you put to much weight on your hands, now look at the bars to see if you having to reach out to far forward, that will cause the same thing as to much lean forward. That type of bike is made for a up right riding position. So I'd get a stem that can be adjusted up and down. like this. http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_174784_-1___202439

Yes, bar ends - plus the raised bar height should help. The Ergons are nice as I have them on four bikes for the family and they all exclaim about the difference between those and the round grips they had. At you height make sure you get the L version as the grip is thicker for larger hands. Then, whilst riding shift your hand position around every now and then.

There are a lot of stem options out there too.

Let us know how that goes.

It blows my mind that people will spend a couple hundred dollars on a bike but not drop a measly $60 on a bike fit. Ignore all these suggestions, as none of them actually see you ride the bike. Go to an LBS and get a fit. This is seriously not hard.

So from what I'm hearing... I should forget about the conversion to drop bars and focus on first increasing the stem angle and then better grips. I already have a set of padded cyclying gloves which I use and I'm confident that the stem does not need to move further forward or back, just up.
I'm going to travel to the next town to see what the LBS there has to offer but online I see just two products that seem good that are available in Canada.
Grips: http://www.mec.ca/AST/ShopMEC/Cycling/BikeParts/HandlebarGrip/PRD~5027-016/mec-ergo-slip-on-grip.jsp
Stem: http://www.mec.ca/AST/ShopMEC/Cycling/BikeParts/HandlebarGrip/PRD~5021-138/mec-110mm-adjustable-stem.jsp

Do you think that these would be good enough quality? Should I look around on e-bay for some better quality parts?

It blows my mind that people will spend a couple hundred dollars on a bike but not drop a measly $60 on a bike fit. Ignore all these suggestions, as none of them actually see you ride the bike. Go to an LBS and get a fit. This is seriously not hard.

You must work for an LBS. When I spend 1K or 2K on a bike $60 for a fitting may be worth it. I think I already wondered out loud if an LBS was already involved in the process and I 'assumed' the bike was correctly fit in the first place. But if LBS personnel were infallible, or their calipers and protractors, etc. we wouldn't have aftermarket stem extenders or Ergon Grips... so, to the O.P., I would pass on those grips you posted. If you are going to get ergonomic grips you may as well go for the gold standard Ergon Grips. I have a pair of the base model grips without handlebar extensions. My hands still hurt so I got this: http://www.amazon.com/Delta-Alloy-Bicycle-Stem-Raiser/dp/B000FHBED0. I didn't need to change cables and my bars now sit 2" higher. The adjustable stems like you pictured move the bars both upward and closer to you as you change the angle. The stem riser simply raises the stem height. Period.

H

It blows my mind that people will spend a couple hundred dollars on a bike but not drop a measly $60 on a bike fit. Ignore all these suggestions, as none of them actually see you ride the bike. Go to an LBS and get a fit. This is seriously not hard.

He could have proper bike fit, but simply need to raise the stem. Couple of hundred on a bike and $60 on a fit is a large increase percentage wise as well. Most shops will help you for zero if you are going to buy the part from them.

too much weight on the hands has more to do with the seat position fore/aft than it does with handlebar height. You are putting too much weight on your hands. I rode 250 miles on Saturday, and I had no hand pain or nerve issues at all. I have a very aggressive position as far as handlebar height and reach goes. This article by Peter White (http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/fitting.htm) explains the issues pretty well. Of course, if you move your seat forward or back, you need to adjust the height.

I'd suggest switching to Ergon grips before raising the stem thogh both may help. When I got my first pair of ergons, there was a little graphic showing how they work & why they releive the pressure. Since I got my first pair, I've added them to every flat bar road bike that I get & they make a world of difference. I have since raised the bar & that has been helpful to some degree, but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend ergon bar ends to anyone. I had the exact same symptoms & it completely cured them. I'm not here to push Ergons specifically, but I have had some bad experiences with knockoffs, so if you go with anoher brand, make sure you read some reviews on them before purchasing.

It blows my mind that people will spend a couple hundred dollars on a bike but not drop a measly $60 on a bike fit. Ignore all these suggestions, as none of them actually see you ride the bike. Go to an LBS and get a fit. This is seriously not hard.
I've had bike fits and they are a waste of time and money unless you are interested in racing.

OP: It might also help to lower the air pressure in your tires, as long as you can do so and still be within the recommended rangs.

too much weight on the hands has more to do with the seat position fore/aft than it does with handlebar height. You are putting too much weight on your hands. I rode 250 miles on Saturday, and I had no hand pain or nerve issues at all. I have a very aggressive position as far as handlebar height and reach goes. This article by Peter White (http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/fitting.htm) explains the issues pretty well. Of course, if you move your seat forward or back, you need to adjust the height.

+1.

It blows my mind that people will spend a couple hundred dollars on a bike but not drop a measly $60 on a bike fit. Ignore all these suggestions, as none of them actually see you ride the bike. Go to an LBS and get a fit. This is seriously not hard.

This. Your bike clearly doesn't fit you. Gloves won't help, since gloves don't really do jack except to maybe protect your skin. Even Ergon grips won't help if your fit is badly off. Conversions won't help unless you know what you're doing. You'll waste lots of money and your hands will still likely hurt simply because your position on the bike is wrong, the angles are wrong, and the weight distribution is wrong. Unless you know how to figure this out go to a good bike shop to get it fitted right.

Now... finding a good bike shop may be another challenge :(


I've had bike fits and they are a waste of time and money unless you are interested in racing.

OP: It might also help to lower the air pressure in your tires, as long as you can do so and still be within the recommended rangs.

There must some good bike shops who cater to commuters not racers. I even found one in NYC, although it's too far for me.


too much weight on the hands has more to do with the seat position fore/aft than it does with handlebar height. You are putting too much weight on your hands. I rode 250 miles on Saturday, and I had no hand pain or nerve issues at all. I have a very aggressive position as far as handlebar height and reach goes. This article by Peter White (http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/fitting.htm) explains the issues pretty well. Of course, if you move your seat forward or back, you need to adjust the height.

Good tip if you want to figure this out by yourself. If you do, then make sure first that the bike is the right size for you and that the effective top tube length is right for your body. If your bike is not the right size then moving the saddle will throw other factors off.