You want to know the strangest thing?? ... I used to get numbed hand while riding upright - er in my well padded hybrid. Then I built my fixed conversion with plenty padding and guess what? More numbeness.
Now is all well, since I removed the padding and I alternate my grip from wrapping my fingers around the THIN NAKED handlebars in different positions. It took me a while but I did develop a really good grip - aka the handshake of death.
Off course eventually I lean on the bars using my palms, but not for very long and never with the bar "accross" the palm. It is more like holding a tennis raquet than flattly leaning on my palms.
At least it works for me ...
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