Originally Posted by
chaadster
First, I'd say stop messing with the saddle. If you set it up right and it feels like you're positioned where you want to be on the bike and over the pedals, leave it be. I get Elcruxio's approach to this, and he may be right, but think it's best to adjust one thing at a time, so that you can understand what does what. Since the pain is in your hands, let's start there.
What you've described sounds like muscle pain, as opposed to typical, pressure induced numbness, even with the new bit of info you just introduced, that you get pain on the tops, too.
Is the pain instant or gradual onset? Does changing your grip alleviate the pain? Are you an experienced rider? Could you simply be gripping the bars too tightly? A conscious effort to relax your grip and a little conditioning may take care of things, but if you've been riding for years that explanation goes out the window.
Well, no worries...the saddle didn't move anywhere. And I don't know where the saddle fore/aft adjustment feels good. I just put it in KOPS position. I read that sliding it forward will result in more weight on the hands. I'm inclined to believe Excrucio's advice, based on his screen name and that his advice confirms Steve Hogg's opinion who seems like a very knowledgeable guy. In any case, the saddle didn't move anywhere and getting a seat post here in Korea would be a mission and a half.
So muscle pain differs from pressure pain by not being caused by unequal weight distribution? The pain sets on gradually, not instantly, but the drops feel bad after a minute. I can handle the hoods for a bit longer before the discomfort sets it. Maybe 5 minutes. I can move around on the tops like a flat bar and in the rounded corners for up to an hour, but I am changing positions to relieve pressure. A friend told me to HTFU and just work out my weak hand muscles, that they're just not used to it but that they can be trained.
I've been riding for 3 years 9000km. I've completed a 2,000 mile tour and been a bike commuter since 2010 but this has always, as long as I've had this bike, been a problem for me. I think it might be that the bars are wrong for me, the seat is too forward, or the frame is too big. I've done small fixes, like a riser stem, that seem to temporarily solve the problem but it's persistent. I just want to be able to use all the positions on my handlebar without this discomfort over long distances.