thoakes3

Hey guys, I'm tired of having numb hands. Is there anything that I can do to cure this? I have gloves already of course. Do any of you guys get this too? It's driving me crazy. I have a 2007 Specialized Rockhopper if this helps. I've had it about a month. Didn't start feeling this until I started riding this bike.

muteseh

-- Get gloves with more/better padding.

-- Get contoured/ergonomic grips.

-- Build up your core strength so you're not putting so much weight forward onto your hands.

-- Relax the ol' death grip.

DevilsGT2

Getting a longer stem/moving the seat back will take some weight off your hands.

avmanansala

bar ends for more hand positions.

BugsInMyTeeth

Hands..

Pfffft..

RIC0

put your shifter and brake levers in a comfortable position, don't have them pointing at the sky so your wrist are all cocked in a crazy position. My levers dam near point straight down.

No Mojo

+1 on relaxing the death grip.

Also you may want to try these. I ordered a set for my wife last night, hopefully it helps.

g0tink87

+2 on the death grip...i find myself holding pretty tight sometimes too, but Im getting over it.

I would lower the seat a little too, take the weight off your hands.

Breitling

+ 3 on the death grip...you might also want to try some new grips on the bike though b/c i've ridden a friend's 2005 rockhopper and the grips are horrible.

MaxBrokeAway

try riding with either 1 or 2 fingers on the break levers at all times...it lets your blood circulate normally.

Breitling

+1. I completely forgot about this. i do it as second nature now but it does help a ton.

BLIZZ

Hmmmmmmm. I suspect the bike/rider set up possitioning.
Try adjusting bar stem length, seat height and fore/aft possition, check curve of bar. Use the other bike you have as a guide line.

alumrock12

well according to recent study by the BIFFBD, the specialized hardrocks have recieved low test results in multiple categories. such problems as numb hands come from the harsh angle that the handlebar tilt puts on the inflamatory tract through the hand muscles. this can lead to swelling and even radical numbing. in addition, based on the angle of the brake lever, the aerodynamics of the bike are drastically changed, causing a higher than normal amount of wind to flow over the hand rather than through the fingers. this causes the numbing to increase.

i suggest you get rid of that hardrock immediately and buy a trek.

thoakes3

Thanks for the replies guys, I'll try all of them. I hate having just bought a bike, and slowly starting to hate to ride it.

MaxBrokeAway

if you hate riding your bike..deffinantly sell it and get one you are more comfortable with...theres no way you cant love mountain bike riding when you get a bike that agrees with you.

Raiyn

Doesn't surprise me in the slightest.

This is what most people find to be a comfortable position with the red line representing the lever towards the front of the bike.

Longfemur

It might just be that you need to point your saddle up slightly, until you're not sliding forward on the part of the saddle you actually sit on. If you tend to slide or rock forward a bit when just sitting on the bike without moving (like propped up in a training or just against a wall), you're going to have problems when you ride it. It will put a lot more pressure on your hands. Other than that, it's possible your handlebars are too low and/or too far, or that your saddle is too far forward.

scrublover

As others have said: Relax the grip, and don't have your arms locked out while riding. Shorter stem. Different/better (yeah, this is a nebulous definition) gloves or grips. Larger/squishier grips aren't always the answer, either. Smaller diameter grips may help. Play with the rotation front to back of your bars; everyone has different body ergonomics. Just because the shop has the bike setup a certain way doesn't mean it will work well. Play with the seat position as well, if needed.

Whoever said longer stem, are you on crack? That will put his weight more forward onto his hands. A shorter stem would move his weight back a bit.

mikejo

Are they just numb or do you lose color, and circulation in them as well? Does it happen when you cool down or maybe going down hill?

bongo_x

I got those as an afterthought on my new bike and I think they are the best thing on it! seriously, they made more of a difference in enjoying riding, comfort, handling, everything than any trick part I can remember buying.

you don't have to grip hard, your hand just hangs on to them easier.

bb

mcoomer

As most of the other posts have said, you need to concentrate on keeping your weight off your hands and maintaining a relaxed riding position. To do this you have to have a bike that fits properly. To resolve that issue I would take it into a shop and have a fitting done. You may need to adjust seat height and placement, bar placement, and brake lever and shifter placement. Hopefully this can be done with the stock components but don't be terribly surprised if a proper fitting shows that you need a setback seatpost or a different stem length/angle.

Once you've been fitted to the bike you need to concentrate on keeping excess weight off your hands and wrists. To do this you need to support your upper body weight with your stomach and back muscles. You may not be in good enough physical condition to do this initially but continue to focus on this as you're riding and those muscles will be build up over time. You can also help them along by doing crunches and lower back excersices. Google for exercises that you can do at home or in the gym to strengthen these muscles. Once you've built up your core you'll find it much easier to keep your weight off the bars and off your hands and wrists.

Do these things and keep this in mind. If your bike fits you correctly and if you're supporting your weight with your stomach and back muscles you should be able to flap your arms as your ride. If your shoulders, elbows, and wrists are locked in position supporting your weight you won't be able to. Also, look for some gloves that offer padding for the Ulnar nerve. This nerve runs through the heel of your hand into your wrist and it can be easily pinched against a handlebar which can causes numbness and tingling even if you aren't putting a lot of weight on it.

Good luck,
Mike

kandnhome

I'm replying with this (potential) solution only because I too had a similar problem on a Rockhopper (2006 in my case). My problem was that my fit on the bike was all wrong. I had the stem that came on the bike, I was never given a fitting by the LBS, and it was impossible to get the position in a place that didn't have too much weight on my hands (and over my front wheel).

I got a 60mm stem (replaced the 90 that came with it) and -- this was most important once I'd replaced the stem -- I moved my saddle back about 2cm. My knee is now somewhat behind the pedal spindle when the crank is at the 3 o'clock position. But this has caused me no pain in my knees, which are trashed from years of football and general abuse. And now I can ride for hours without my hands going numb.

Because Specialized's toptubes run a little longer than most, I think you need a shorter than normal stem to get a comfortable fit (if you have any upper-body mass anyway), especially as relates to the hand position.

Good luck -- it's really so much nicer when you can just ride until your legs or lungs blow up.

Reedly

Check out the Ergon Grips like noMojo mentioned earlier!! They are absolutely amazing for xc riding! Here's a complete report I did on the Ergons after switching to them right before the Dirt Sweat and Gears 12 hour race!! https://nationalmountainbike.com/boar...ighlight=ergon - There are some pics there of the grips installed. I seriously could NOT be happier. If you happen to stop by your local shop and pick a pair of these up, make sure to get the 'small' size, unless you've got unusually large hands. The larges are a bit too big for the majority of riders!

Good luck with everything! Numb hands CAN'T be any fun while riding!!

thoakes3

Man, you guys are AWESOME. I would have never known to check all of those things. I'm going to start with the simple things; crunches and back exercises, seat height adjustment, seat position, and lever position like mcoomer recommended. Then grips, stem, etc. if that doesn't work.
Thanks again for all of the replies. I'm new to this site, and I've got to say that this is the most helpful bunch of guys I've found. Thanks again fellas

RIC0

That's pretty close to what they are actually, they just look like they point straight down. Keep up the good work.