gavj

What do people generally do about hand/little finger numbness?

I've been riding solidly for around 8 months now and I haven't noticed that much improvement. I generally get it in my little fingers after a long ride. I guess this is because a nerve is being squashed in my palm. I kinda expected the inside of my hands to become harder or get tougher somehow.

Do they it?

Does anyone have any tips?

I would buy some gloves but here in South Korea it's already super hot humid, so I'm not sure I wanna wear any.

WhyFi

I find that I only have that problem when I'm tired and I'm putting too much weight on my bars - your hands should be resting pretty lightly most of the time; if they're not, it could be a combination of position and core strength (or lack thereof). FYI - I don't typically wear gloves and my bars are not heavily padded.

dorkypants

Happened to me once a long time ago. Gloves solved the problem. If it's too hot for gloves, how about bar tape with gel pads underneath? There are a few brands that sell such a setup.

Machka 

Look up information about ulnar nerve damage and cycling.

IANative

It really sucks when you're a new cyclist w/ pre-existing ulnar nerve issues.

pdedes

had that in the past. change your hand positions frequently during a ride, don't death grip. gel palm gloves worked well for me. check fit issues (too much weight on your hands?). don't ignore the issue so you don't permanently damage your ulnar nerve or have difficulty picking things up in your hands.

IANative

Agreed... for me, the cause was 30+ years of swinging a golf club and 10 years of bow hunting, which caused left-shoulder damage, which lead to the ulnar nerve issue, but I digress...

My fix on the bike was gel inserts and a double wrap of Zipp tape on top of the factory bar tape. I have large hands/long fingers so the added diameter of the grip was no issue. Next, there's a link somewhere here on the 41 discussing and illustrating proper hand positioning, which was a Godsend for me. Finally, not only do I try to keep my grip relaxed and change positions as needed, but I also "rotate" my shoulder joints periodically while riding to keep the blood flowing and prevent tension from building up.

Brian Ratliff

You are squashing a nerve. Move your hand and grip the bar differently when you start feeling some numbness. If it persists after you get off your bike, then you have some nerve damage; you should let it heal.

generalkdi

Buy gloves.

Jandro 

Gloves with padding can help but I'd recommend doing this first:

-Get a profession fit done. Mention the hand numbness to the fitter. It is highly likely you're putting too much weight on your arms/hands due to poor fit.
-Make sure you're not gripping the bars too tightly. You should be able to wiggle your fingers easily.
-Change your hand position on the bars every now and then, even if it's just a few mm.

The first point will likely make the biggest difference.

gavj

Ok, cheers everyone for the advice. I do change by hand position quite often, it's just when I'm doing like a 8 hour ride I tend to run out of changes.

What is a professional fit? Is it positioning the saddle height, angle and position to fit your body size correctly. If so, would too much weight on my hands be a result of the angle of my saddle being too sharp forward and the position of it being too far back? I'm pretty sure the height is correct. As I'm in Korea I'm not sure I could go to a bike shop and ask for a "Pro Fit", so if I can I would like to make the adjustments myself.

If it does continue I think I will just double tap my bars, gloves are really just gonna be a discomfort in this humidity. Also I've not heard of gel pads for your bars, does anyone have any links?

Again, really appreciate the advice.

droppedandlost 

Here's an example from Specialized

https://www.specialized.com/us/en/ftb...metry-bar-phat

gavj

Thanks

clausen

I find gloves designed for ulnar nerve numbness can help. Double taping and gel inserts on the bars help on rough roads if you ride heavy, but can be the cause of numbness. Learning to ride lighter / more relaxed solves both.

Wut

Changing hand positions as mentioned but also thinking about balance and weight distribution. When you ride think about trying to evenly distribute your weight across your points of contact(hands, feet, ass). Core strength and flexibility seems to factor in for me any way. But just being conscious of this should help...assuming the bike fits you.

starjag

Could you mention a couple options? Thanks!