DannoXYZ,

Your post is some of the best and most informative advise I have read since I restarted regular cycling a year ago - I have suffered from numb hands and popping thumb joints in the past (and I always wear cycling gloves). I recently got back from a morning ride, and while it's going to take a little re-educating to change the hand positions I have used for the past 22 years, the difference in comfort and numb-less-ness after one relatively short outing is obvious and much appreciated.