I certainly don't death grip. I barely grip at all. It is more of a resting on the base of my palms. That is why I think I am looking at the wing as a solution to the numb finger issue and the pain in the palms. It would spread the load out more. I'll mess with the bars a little more too. The saddle height seems fine. I moved it around to fix a problem I was having with my knees. The knee problem went away but the hand problem is more prevalent now.