Thanks, but I don't believe it's a fit-related issue, per se. In my 40s I developed crampy, sensitive hands. This coincided with a doctor prescribing a high dose of statins for my cholesterol which may or may not have been a contributing cause. I played softball for three summers back then and my hands were miserable hitting and catching. I padded my mitt and batting gloves as well. I eventually put pipe insulation on my bike bars and had one gel seat on my MTB and two on my 12-speed.

Then, due to some turmoil in my life I was off the statins for a year, with no improvement to my hands and butt sensitivity. I went back on statins, but a very low dose, with no worsening effects. In 2015 I bought my Charge Plug (non-electric) and tried riding it with no additional bar padding...that lasted a week.

Eight years ago, due to acid reflux and heartburn, I stopped drinking coffee and started drinking Yerba Mate. It has anti-inflammatory properties, antihistamine properties and lowers cholesterol and triglycerides. I still take a low dose of statins, although my doctor says I really don't need to. My hands and butt are less sensitive than in my 40s and now, none of my bike seats have gel covers, just light internal padding. My hands are better, and when I bought the Felt in 2022 I left the bars un-padded for a couple of weeks, but ultimately I padded them as well. The only bike I have (out of 6) without bar padding is my 20-inch Dahon Boardwalk folder with bull-bars, although the bar-tape is cushy and may be double wrapped (I forget).

My sensitive hand issue seems unaffected by tire cushiness as well.

When I acquired my 1984 Nishiki 12-speed in 2009 it was sporting 700x23 tires which I pumped up to 100psi, I spent hours adjusting the seat and bars to get the fit just right, but at the beginning I remember feeling the differences in pressure between my hands and butt with different heights and angles.

Anyhow, nowadays the extra bar-padding gets pretty compressed before I change it, unlike 15 years ago when I needed it to be really cushy. And now that I think of it, I can't remember the last time typing all day bothered my hands.

Before drinking yerba mate, I'd wake up with a stiff back and stiff knees. But hardly ever since I started with mate. I'm not diabetic, or even close, but since hitting 60 I've noticed that refined sugar makes my joints hurt. Normally, I dont feel my knees or back, but if I eat ice cream, cake or gourmet popcorn, candy, or drink a sugary soda, I will feel it in my knees, hands, feet and neck. My back rarely bothers me these days, so I am not eager to change my riding positions if I can help it.

At 63 my modus operandi is "If it doesn't hurt, don't change it."