Originally Posted by
walkingCorpse
I bike intensely for exercise at 160 - 170 heart rate but I'm struggling to set the optimal ergonomics. I set the seat height to allow my knees to fully extend to unleash full pedaling power, and reduce my handle post height to the minimum to avoid back pain. I use a Schwinn noseless saddle as the narrow seats cause me butt pain after heavy exertion on the bike. With this setup there is too much slipping to the front and I have to adjust my butt position every few minutes. This is an annoying nuisance but is not the worst. I didn't used to have much hand pain when I lived in a suburban area with even and flat roads. But after moving to a different area with roads uneven and sloping, I get constant pain in the middle of the hand where the thumb joins, from all the forward pressure and having to constantly readjust my body position on the bike. This hand pain is ruining my biking experience. Has anyone faced a similar problem? Any help is much appreciated. I could not post a pic of my bike yet due to forum restrictions.
Get the seat in a position so your not sliding forward. Next, if you have flat bars, rotate them in the stem. For inside(closer to thumb) hand pain, rotate slightly forward. For outside hand pain, rotate bars slightly back. This method has worked for me when I had the same problem.