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.
It sounds like you did everything you could to induce hand pain. Start over. It sounds like you jacked your seat up too high, and put your bars too low, and perhaps your seat isn't far enough back. If you have your seat too high though, you cannot get firmly planted on the seat, which will cause you to slide forward and place more weight on your hands. That is what I believe you have going on. After you get your seat in the correct place for you, then you can tweak the bar position if necessary. If your seat placement is correct though, you really shouldn't have much weight at all on your hands as you are pedaling.
Read these. Read the first two all the way through before adjusting your seat.
https://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com...ard-can-it-be/
https://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com...d-can-it-be-2/
https://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com...or-road-bikes/