Hand and neck....
08-28-17 | 03:34 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Full Member
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 200
Likes: 61
From: Albany GA
Bikes: 1983 Trek 400, 2015 Cannondale Synapse, Soma Double Cross, 2021 Salsa Warbird 600
Hand and neck....
Gang,
I need your input, please.
I started riding seriously in mid-June, have done almost 700 miles since then. I had a professional fit done in mid-July and my fitter tweaked it for me about 10 days ago.
The ONLY issue I had after the initial fit is my right hand will get slight numbness after 10 or so (road) miles and after 15-20, the right side of my neck on the back side will give me some pain. My fitter said they're "definitely connected" and he tweaked the L-R and the up and down of my right brake hood, trying to keep my wrist straight.
It's still there, maybe 50% better, but just enough to nag me and aggravate me. My fitter is 75 miles away so I can't drop and run over there without making that fit into my schedule.
Yesterday I took 2 ibuprofen before I started a 40 mile ride, then took 2 more about 75 minutes into the ride. That was an experiment - and it helped - but my bike should keep me away from drugs, not add them to my regimen, so I won't be doing that again.
What tips or tweaks are going through your mind right now that may help?
TIA,
Gary
I need your input, please.
I started riding seriously in mid-June, have done almost 700 miles since then. I had a professional fit done in mid-July and my fitter tweaked it for me about 10 days ago.
The ONLY issue I had after the initial fit is my right hand will get slight numbness after 10 or so (road) miles and after 15-20, the right side of my neck on the back side will give me some pain. My fitter said they're "definitely connected" and he tweaked the L-R and the up and down of my right brake hood, trying to keep my wrist straight.
It's still there, maybe 50% better, but just enough to nag me and aggravate me. My fitter is 75 miles away so I can't drop and run over there without making that fit into my schedule.
Yesterday I took 2 ibuprofen before I started a 40 mile ride, then took 2 more about 75 minutes into the ride. That was an experiment - and it helped - but my bike should keep me away from drugs, not add them to my regimen, so I won't be doing that again.
What tips or tweaks are going through your mind right now that may help?
TIA,
Gary
08-29-17 | 02:54 PM
#2
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 15,378
Likes: 8,291
From: Seattle area
Bikes: Bikes??? Thought this was social media?!?
I'll take a few shots =
Gloves?
Gel bar tape? or anything similar.
Are you right handed?
Controlling speed with mostly rear brake?
Supporting too much upper body with that stronger right side?
Broken collar bone either side to change angle/shape of right or left shoulder?
Do you ever sit-up and 'shake it out' to relieve pressure points? 10mi seems a long time to be holding onto the hoods without a change of position.
Has this pain occurred in any other activity?
History of nerve issues?
Fitter is correct, brake hoods must be parallel and 'forward-facing' the same direction for good feeling. Unless your arms are slightly different lengths.
edit: As a new rider, learn to relax on the bike. Really relax. Like, visualize your Happy Place when you start the ride. Focus on breathing, cadence, and moving around on the saddle, bars and pedals as often as needed to relieve pressure points. Stretching on the move is a good thing for other muscles, too.
Gloves?
Gel bar tape? or anything similar.
Are you right handed?
Controlling speed with mostly rear brake?
Supporting too much upper body with that stronger right side?
Broken collar bone either side to change angle/shape of right or left shoulder?
Do you ever sit-up and 'shake it out' to relieve pressure points? 10mi seems a long time to be holding onto the hoods without a change of position.
Has this pain occurred in any other activity?
History of nerve issues?
Fitter is correct, brake hoods must be parallel and 'forward-facing' the same direction for good feeling. Unless your arms are slightly different lengths.
edit: As a new rider, learn to relax on the bike. Really relax. Like, visualize your Happy Place when you start the ride. Focus on breathing, cadence, and moving around on the saddle, bars and pedals as often as needed to relieve pressure points. Stretching on the move is a good thing for other muscles, too.
__________________
Vintage, modern, e-road. It is a big cycling universe.
Vintage, modern, e-road. It is a big cycling universe.
Last edited by Wildwood; 08-29-17 at 03:09 PM.
08-29-17 | 03:47 PM
#3
Thread Starter
Full Member
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 200
Likes: 61
From: Albany GA
Bikes: 1983 Trek 400, 2015 Cannondale Synapse, Soma Double Cross, 2021 Salsa Warbird 600
I'll take a few shots =
Gloves? ~ Yes
Gel bar tape? or anything similar. ~ 2.7mm Lizard Skin
Are you right handed? ~ Left handed!
Controlling speed with mostly rear brake? ~ No, mostly front
Supporting too much upper body with that stronger right side? ~ It feels the same to both sides
Broken collar bone either side to change angle/shape of right or left shoulder? ~ Never, thankfully
Do you ever sit-up and 'shake it out' to relieve pressure points? ~ 10mi seems a long time to be holding onto the hoods without a change of position. ~ I change positions fairly often. When I feel the tingling I sit up, let my right arm drop by my side and wiggle my hand around...
Has this pain occurred in any other activity? ~ No
History of nerve issues? ~ No
Fitter is correct, brake hoods must be parallel and 'forward-facing' the same direction for good feeling. Unless your arms are slightly different lengths.
edit: As a new rider, learn to relax on the bike. Really relax. Like, visualize your Happy Place when you start the ride. Focus on breathing, cadence, and moving around on the saddle, bars and pedals as often as needed to relieve pressure points. Stretching on the move is a good thing for other muscles, too.
Gloves? ~ Yes
Gel bar tape? or anything similar. ~ 2.7mm Lizard Skin
Are you right handed? ~ Left handed!
Controlling speed with mostly rear brake? ~ No, mostly front
Supporting too much upper body with that stronger right side? ~ It feels the same to both sides
Broken collar bone either side to change angle/shape of right or left shoulder? ~ Never, thankfully
Do you ever sit-up and 'shake it out' to relieve pressure points? ~ 10mi seems a long time to be holding onto the hoods without a change of position. ~ I change positions fairly often. When I feel the tingling I sit up, let my right arm drop by my side and wiggle my hand around...
Has this pain occurred in any other activity? ~ No
History of nerve issues? ~ No
Fitter is correct, brake hoods must be parallel and 'forward-facing' the same direction for good feeling. Unless your arms are slightly different lengths.
edit: As a new rider, learn to relax on the bike. Really relax. Like, visualize your Happy Place when you start the ride. Focus on breathing, cadence, and moving around on the saddle, bars and pedals as often as needed to relieve pressure points. Stretching on the move is a good thing for other muscles, too.
Thanks for your input - great questions! I'm starting to wonder if my right arm is slightly shorter than my left and perhaps I'm compensating for it by rolling my right shoulder forward... hence the neck pain on that side.
Will try to tweak this myself... and will have my fitter look at it again if I can't get it figure out.
Much appreciation for the input,
Gary
08-30-17 | 10:41 AM
#4
Senior Member
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 4,340
Likes: 496
From: Bristol, R. I.
Bikes: Specialized Secteur, old Peugeot
I've been tweaking my fit for a long time with success as the bike gets more comfortable for me with the changes. Not every change is a success so it is helpful to have a way to get back to a previous position. I use a white dot from a whiteout pen to, for example, mark the seat post position. A complication is that your body will change as you get stronger so that a previous position may no longer be optimum. In any case, the advice to relax is good. By relaxing as much as possible you may be able to detect where muscular tension is present that that may be a clue the root cause of discomfort.
