Hennigm4

Hello,
I have a Trek 8.4 I recently purchased. Im 5'11", the bike is a 19.5 inch frame, with seat at correct height I am putting a lot of pressure on my hands and wrists, gets very uncomfortable, falls asleep etc. Seems if I raise the front bars about an inch it will help, do I need a new stem for this? is it adjustable? Not really sure where to go from here.

How do guys that have a road bike deal with all the pressure on the hands?

Thanks,

Mike

02Giant 

If it has the original equipment stem on it, you would have to replace it for one with more angle. You can get a fixed angle or an adjustable angle.

I sit up, ride no handed for a bit and shake them out.

DorkDisk

Look to see if you have any spacers on top of the stem; if you do, you can swap these under the stem for more height. If youre at max height, you can alternatively get an extension or an adjustable stem to experiment with different positions

Also try relaxing your grip and running your arms loose (dont lock your elbows). Your grip should be "dynamic" and not static. Strengthen your abs and use your back more for support instead of weighting your hands.

I have a few bikes with low bars and honestly I dont feel any excess pressure on my hands, and I have carpal tunnel syndrome on both wrists.

woodyman4916

There is a 5mm spacer above the stem that can be moved below. It may be just enough. I had the same issue and purchased Ergon GP2 grips.

ERGON BIKE ERGONOMICS

Moving to the "horns" as a default hand position helped me.

gjmen003

You can also change the handlebars if just a little more height is needed. If the 8.4 is a newer model I believe it has a 15mm riser bar. You should be able to find a 20 or 25 mm riser bar and in most cases this is cheaper than replacing the stem. gjmen