what kind of handle bar are you rolling with? i find it absolutely necessary to have a bar with multiple hand positions (ie. drop bars, treking bars, bullhorns, etc) to prevent my hands from numbing up on me. switch hand positions early, switch 'em often.

my new hybrid with just a flat bar was giving me some real bad hand numbing issues when i first got it, so i slapped on some better grips (Ergon knock-offs) and padded bar ends from another bike, and the combination of better grips and more hand positions made a world of difference. i still wouldn't ride a century on the bike (not what it's designed to do anyway), but i can at least do my 15 mile ride into work on it without getting tingly fingers now. ultimately i hope to find some MTB-sized grip area bullhorns to put on it for maximum comfort.