MattMoore

Hi all,
Now that I am doing more miles on the road, I'm noticing that my hands are hurting more. It's mainly in between my thumb and index finger, I mainly ride on the brake hoods, and this spot seems to take most of the weight.
I've changed to a shorter stem so that I'm not reaching so far, but it still aches after a ride.
Is there anything I can do to help this, a pair of gloves maybe?

Thanks

Matt

10 Wheels

I placed some Velcro strips around the hoods and it helps.
More padding wherever your hand are.

adrien

There's plenty you can do, but we'd need a little more info. It comes down to fit and fitness.

On the fit side, what's the saddle-to-bar drop?

On the fitness side, how strong is your core? Try to ride with your hands there, but no weight on them at all, then try to ease your hands off. How far can you do that? If you're new to the position, you are liekly putting more weight on your hands while your core gets up-to-strength.

To help...shift your hands around the grips, don't hold tight unless braking (think of handlebars as perches rather than grips), do the exercise above to build core strength.

And yes, gloves will help. the spot you describe is exactly where my gloves always wear through.

jesspal

If it is the palm of your hand gloves will help. I like specialized sport gloves, they are $25.00.

LarDasse74

Often the cause of hand pain while riding is the saddle! If your saddle is pointing nose-down then your hands have to counteract your weight sliding forward.

If your saddle is pointing nose down then set it level (or very slightly nose up). If setting it level is uncomfortable you might just have to adjust the height slightly, or maybe you need to find a saddle that is more suited to your particular crotchular region.

Generally, nose down is only useful on triathalon and time-trial bikes.

Neil_B

Gloves. I like the Performance Gel gloves, which can be had on sale for as low as 14 bucks.

flip18436572

Usually that means that you are not fitted to your bike properly. I still think you may need to move your hands more. I can't be in the same position forever either on my bike. Changing the seat angle may help you some also. Each person is different, so you have to do what works for you.

cyclefreaksix

Core body strength, bike fit and gloves. Buy some gloves and go from there. I see gloves as a part of my safety equipment and they have saved my hands more than once.

Jtgyk

Also, change your hand positions throughout the ride.

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/deakins/handlebars.html

I have one additional position where I use the heel of the hand on the curved transition from the flats to the hoods...taking a lot of pressure off the carpel tunnel area. (there's a similar position shown on the link's 1st picture of trekking bar positions...only with the hands open. I'll try to get a photo today.)

ryanwood

I found that changing hand positions often is enough to keep my hands from getting sore. I have also noticed that after several months of riding while moving my hands around my core has gotten stronger so I experience less soreness in my hands, I can ride my full five mile daily commute on the hoods and not feel sore when I get there.

Longfemur

A shorter stem probably was not the right solution. It might even have made things worse. You need a reasonable distribution of weight for the kind of bike riding and bike set-up you use, and then, the main thing is that you have to not ride in the same position on the bars all the time. Switch around as you ride, that's what drop bars are for. I doubt that gloves alone will solve that problem for you. Unless you make other appropriate changes, you will still get that same pressure in the same place.

petflunky

Hmm. I have a similar situation, except I was thinking of going for a taller stem. My problem is since I'm a clyde, using drop bars, the belly gets in the way, when bent over for riding. So I'm thinking a slightly longer stem, allowing me to sit slightly more upright, and allowing me to reach the bars more comfortably.

Pinyon

I like to move my hands around a lot as well. I think that it is easier for us older-school riders, because most bikes from before the late 1980s tended to have bikes with longer top-tubes and where you already had to take a hand off of the handlebars every time you needed to switch gears. That longer top-tube had most non-serious race riders spending a vast majority of their time with their hands on the back/top bar. The simple acts of shifting gears and applying the brakes necessitated moving your hands around a lot.

The habit of moving my hands never went away, though. These days, my hands stay near or on the hoods most of the time. I usually start out with my hands in the pistol-grip position, and then move my hands around a little bit at each pace transition (hills, traffic intersections, etc.). I tend to float between my hands on the pistol-grips, then where the outside blades of my hands/wrists take most of my weight on the bar directly behind the hoods, then maybe move to where I put my palms on the flat-part near the top of the brake hoods, maybe some time on the back bars with my arms bent a little more, in the drops down big hills and steep curves, etc. I also tend to place my hands under the bar and pull with my arms when stomping my way out of traffic intersections, and when standing up to climb a short but steep hill.


As others have said, I would also try tweaking your saddle. Big guys put a lot more weight on their hands than smaller people. Lots of smaller professional bike fitters never really get that.

Have fun out there!

Mr Danw

www.grabthehudz.com

baron von trail 

I know the feeling. My knees endlessly beat on my tum-tum during my century this weekend. I was going against a fierce head wind, so I really had to tuck down, and that experience just wasn't the same as last year -- before I gained this slugging 20 lbs.

petflunky

My tum-tum forces my knees outward when in the tucked position. I also have a bad back, and it just doesn't seem to like being hunkered over that far. That's why I'm thinking if I get a slightly longer stem, allowing me to be a little more upright, I will alleviate some of the problems I'm having.

badmother

Get the bike fitted for you. A lot of things can bring this problem. Mowing the saddle backwards can help becouse then you get more of the weight on your bum. Also the tilt on the seat, right height of the saddle (enough weight on the pedals).