Gloves
 

My hands go numb much too quickly.

It's worse on my Norco with northroad type bars than on my Schwinn with a more "motorcycle" type bend. Both have ergonomic grips. The Norco bar is maybe an inch lower than the Schwinn.

10 minutes and my hands are going numb on the Norco, while the Schwinn takes at least 20 minutes.

I'm afraid the ultimate answer is a different set of bars and stem for the Norco, but I was wondering what gloves y'all may be using to help with hand numbness?

I have chronic spinal and shoulder issues and what gloves I am using do not make much difference in my hands going numb, as long as they fit properly but not tightly. I have to change positions a lot to prevent/ease hand numbness. I also take one hand at a time off of the bar and drop them to the side, and shake them around. My hands seem to do better with non-padded gloves, or at least minimal padding. The changes for the way I am gripping the bar can be very subtle, in and out, foward and back, roll a bit left and right, etc. Drop bars are much better for me.

If this helps, I noticed my Pearl Izumi winter gloves have impressive palm pads

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...aaaeed20fe.jpg

Unfortunately this has more to do with where your center of gravity is on the bike in relation to its geometry and your riding style. If it’s too far forward you will be supporting yourself with your arms and hands = too much pressure in your hands. Your seat and reach should be adjusted where you are able to support yourself with your core.

I find if I leave my palms flat on the bar it will cut off the circulation, but if I roll the contact point to one side or the other I can feel the numbness going away. And I have trekking bars so that gives me lots of relief positions.

In the cold weather I wear gloves , I resolve numbness by taking one hand off the bars occasionally ..

Ergon GR 3 grips on 2 bikes , Seem better than round ones.

I'm one of those people that don't look out of shape, but my core has turned into a gelatinous marshmallow. It's all due to a surgical procedure I had in my mid-40s where my muscles were sucked out and the voids were filled with marshmallow paste. :50:

Back to reality, I'm leaning toward getting a different stem as the seat on the Norco is maxed forward. :o

this one has a 4.5cm reach and bars higher than the seat ..

https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net...4e&oe=5CDBED48

I have slightly higher stem on the way, but I sure am liking some of these gloves y'all are showing. My "winter" gloves are just too dang hot for this time of year.

Summer gloves ought to be effective for preventing road rash if nothing else. :o

My problem was mostly with my wrists hurting (I ride a hybrid). I just got summer gloves with small pads and they seem to be helping a lot. That little bit of padding on the palms really makes a difference. Might be worth a try to help with your hands.

Giro Strade Dure probably have the most/best padding.

Gloves are not going to correct a bad fit however. Numb hands usually means too much weight on the bars due to too much saddle to bar drop or bars too low.

It can also be caused by bending the wrists, locked elbows, etc,, all of which is corrected by fit.

Gloves can only do so much.

Numb hands is mostly a fit issue - too much weight on hands. Sore wrists the same. Saddle back, more reach is what one does. Besides that, there's the Numb Hands post. And wear gloves with ulnar nerve relief.

I solved my numb hands by going bare handed.

I have ulnar nerve damage in one arm.

Can you recommend a specific glove designed for this?


-Tim-

I bought a pair of these because they are a throwback to my first pair of cycling gloves I had back in the '70's (albeit with a lot more padding).

Any Bontrager padded road glove among others. Most road gloves have ulnar relief. Browse your LBS - you must know what you are looking for since you've been diagnosed. I've had my best luck adopting hand positions which don't press on that area, especially the vertical hand on hoods, thumb over the top position.

You betcha old school numb hands gloves. No ulnar relief at all. Try something that will help, instead.

Like what? 'Splain please.

My hand numbness is related to carpel tunnel issues in both hands. My thinking, for a long time, was more padding in my gloves would be better. I have since found that less pad, and a different type was better. I am now riding with Specialized Grail Gloves; https://www.specialized.com/us/en/bo...=248920-156948 The numbness isn't gone, but it takes quite a bit longer to set in.

First surgery is the end of June, the second to follow asap.

So I googled images of "cycling gloves ulnar relief" and this image came up. It happens to be of s Serfas RX glove. Note where the padding is not.


https://www.letour.com.au/assets/alt_1/JRW-BB-2.jpg

Assuming good bike fit...

I've mostly switched from relying on gloves for comfort to using bar grips and wrap to do the job -- and usually better.

On the hybrid with Nitto albatross bars I use chunky rubber grips with palm shelf supports, like a cheap version of Ergon grips, minus the locking collar. Friction fit holds fine. I was tempted to warp the bar instead of using grips, but it's so comfortable now I don't want to mess it up.

I still might wrap the albatross bar beyond the grip. I change hand positions often while riding that bike, between just ahead of the brakes, to the forward arched part of the bar to get more aero. Moving hand positions a lot helps reduce discomfort. The bare metal bar isn't bad in good weather, but I don't ride in any single position for longer than a few minutes at a time.

On my road bikes with drops I use various thick, resilient foam wraps -- Arundel and other brands. Recently I've been trying Arundel Synth Gecko wraps, which they say are 100% silicone. Very grippy and comfy, but kinda gawky and ugly.

With those, and some improvements in overall fitness (I've been in PT on and off for a year, which helps), and bike fit, I don't really need gloves at all any more. I wear thin full gloves for chilly weather, but they have little or no padding. And recently I got a pair of Giro Zero CS glove-lets with zero padding. It's just for abrasion resistance, which I may not even need. I have a nice set of Garneau gloves with ergonomically designed pads, but I don't really need them now and sometimes the pads actually bother me.

Anyway, if you haven't done so already, try better grips or wrap on the bars. That made the most difference for me.

That's what I've been doing the last few weeks, but going gloveless on the Norco seems to make things worse. :(

Interesting. Thank you.

Hmm, everyone else's issues with numbness in the hands seem to actually reside in the hands. For the last half-century or so of my riding career, my hands will go numb when I allow my neck to drop into my shoulders as I ride. If I hold my head up (the good posture my mom encouraged!) the numbness goes away.

I should have also mentioned that the guy at the bike shop didn't think that gloves with too much padding was a very good idea. I got the Bontrager Solstice gloves that aren't too padded and they helped.

He verified the fit of my new bike, so that's good to go.

He also said I could consider more ergonomic grips if the problem persists.

I guess the bottom line is that I need to strengthen my core (e.g. lose the extra weight I now carry on my upper torso, lol) and then see if that helps resolve the issue.

Not saying these are the perfect gloves for everyone but, if you have a Specialized dealer in your area, try their BG Gel gloves. Even after a Retul fitting, I was having all kinds of hand numbness, especially around my thumbs. I tried these gloves on a friends advice and haven't used any other glove since then. That was about 9 years ago and haven't had problems since.

I tried everything I could think of to relieve the pain in my hands while cruising on the Giant Roam. Even put Jones bars on. The new bars solved the numb hands, but then the problem shifted to my rear. Now there was too much weight on my saddle, that caused untold grief. Finally sold it and went to my first drop bar bike this spring and am much better off, now trying to find comfort past the two hour mark.

That Norco City Glide should be comfortable, especially with swept bars and ergonomic grips.

Check to be sure the palm shelf support is oriented to keep your wrist straight. This can feel odd at first. But it should help. Check the tips on the Ergon grip site.

Ergonomic grips look odd on my albatross bars, and some folks have asked whether it's comfortable set up as shown. It is very comfortable, but they seem skeptical because it looks odd. But after thousands of miles without pain, I know it helps me. I've tried various round grips but none were as comfortable as these bargain priced ergo grips (about $10 at the LBS, and the material feels the same as the Ergon brand, although lacking the locking collar).

I also tip the albatross bar to an angle that ensures a good forearm/wrist angle. Some folks think the grip ends of swept bars should be horizontal, like the product display photos, but I set 'em so they're comfortable for me, not to advertise a product.

But bars and adjustments depend on bike fit. My Univega Via Carisma is technically my size, but at the upper end of my size. I think it's a 58cm frame. I'm 5'11" with 33" inseam, so it's pushing the margin a bit -- 56 would be closer to my optimal size. And that Univega has a longer top tube than seat tube, 59cm, so it's a long reach. It was uncomfortable with the original flat bars, a little better with riser bars, but perfect with the albatross bars. Some folks will trim 1/2" to an inch off the ends of swept bars but I haven't needed to, even with bar end shifters.

I also tried the albatross bar flipped in the old path racer style last summer, but I was still recovering from a shoulder injury and it wasn't comfortable. I might try flipping the bar again later this year after the current round of physical therapy workouts.

With the handlebar in the conventional upright position I'm upright and comfortable using the grips, which is perfect for city riding when I need immediate access to the brakes. But I often lean forward and grip over the brake lever clamp, or even lean into the forward arc of the bars to get a bit more aero and recruit the thigh/hip adductor muscles more efficiently. Lots of hand positions so I'm rarely in one position long enough for anything to get numb or painful.

But bike adjustments may not fix everything. When I resumed cycling in 2015 I hadn't been on a bike 30 years. In 2014 I was still walking with a cane, the result of a 2001 wreck (my compact car was t-boned by a full sized SUV at highway speed). I started with a comfort hybrid and made adjustments gradually as my conditioning, strength and flexibility improved.

Frankly, it's been a long process, much slower than I'd expected. It's taken almost four years of regular PT to get back to being comfortable enough on a road bike to ride longer than an hour or around 20 miles. And there are still days when I prefer the Univega with swept bar for longer moderate paced and group rides.

If I'd just stopped with the comfort hybrid and did no physical therapy -- lots of stretching and strengthening exercises without weights, mostly using resistance or body weight -- I'd still be riding that comfort hybrid for only 3-5 miles a few times a week, huffing and puffing for breath, walking up hills instead of riding. No amount of just riding a bike was going to improve the other stuff -- neck pain, hand and elbow pain, back pain, the works.

And being hit by a car last year was a serious setback. I had to commit to routine, regular PT sessions every week, if not every day. And it's been exactly a year and I'm still not where I'd like to be. But I'm doing better.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e396c76043.jpg

Univega Via Carisma with long top tube. The albatross bar provides a comfortable reach. The angle helps align my forearms and wrists.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...05fc17b726.jpg

Current incarnation, with zero angle road bike stem rather than original angled stem. Same length, but effective length a bit longer with the horizontal stem.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...027454487f.jpg

Palm shelf rests angled slightly upward to keep my wrists better aligned. Took only a couple of rides to adapt to.

Lots of good info there Canklecat. Nice ride and set up, too. :thumb: