After 20+ miles, my hands start becoming numb. Is this common or am I gripping the bike too hard?

Do you wear padded cycling gloves??

Do you change your hands position?

You don't say what you're riding, but the two replies indicate common problems.
A good set of padded gloves will help a lot. as will continually changing your hand position. If you have a roadster with drop bars, you have a variety of choices.

Another factor is your position on the bike and weight distribution. If you're "reach" is a bit too long, you'll be putting more weight on the bars than you need to.

Yes, I do wear padded gloves and I do change hand positions. I'm using a mountain bike as a road bike. Cannondale F300. I installed bar end grips and use them frequently.

I suppose I should reevaluate my weight distribution then.

I got rid of most of my hand numbness by switching to un-padded cycling gloves. The difference was amazing.

Chip seal on the roads or trails you ride can do it too. bk

The counterintuitive converse of this is that moving your seat back will take weight off of your hands.

Also, make sure your seat is level - a common bad fix for seat problems is to tip the seat forward, which ends up putting a lot of weight on your hands.

https://peterwhitecycles.com/fitting.htm

I'm a commuter, mostly, and at every forced stop I shake my arms from finger-tips to shoulders. Helps restore circulation. At times, I have to do that while riding, too.

Oh, so you know, the cause for me is shoulder issues, not riding itself. Happens when I drive long distances, too.

hi
The ulnar nerve runs in the palm right were we put our hands I found some handle bar grips that put the pressure on your fingers more than the palm.
oddly enough you point the wing part up and grip it more like a tennis racket this keeps your palm off the bar.

quote (Specialized's BG Comfort Locking Grips (Short) are medically designed to prevent numbness and pain and built for use with twist shifters. The key contact areas feature soft-density rubber on the ulnar nerve pads, a medium-density rubber on the grip bodies, and an inner core of firm density rubber)

Thank you for the responses. I will follow through on your suggestions.

Ergon GC-2 grips, coupled with my Pearl Izumi 'Slice' gloves, cured my numbness. Like night and day.

+10 for suggesting adjusting the position of the saddle.

I have Ergon grips on my hybrid and tandem but they don't come close to:


No pressure on the hands, wrists, arms. Any ol' gloves or grips will work.

It took 13 posts for the "Recumbent" answer to show up. That is because we're too busy riding to be on the computer! We can ride for ever without hand numbness and/or hand pain issues.

JanMM is spot on though. If all else fails, recumbents are worth a try. Since I've switched I've been logging more miles than I ever dreamed would be possible, all of them pain free. My only constraint now is time.

I have a set of specialized ergo grips my LBS sold me for cheap (they came off a new bike that the new owner wanted different grips. but they trist down all the time. what can I do to keep them from twisting?

Yeah, now we just need one of the folding bike people and the thread will be complete.

You've tightened the screw on the outboard end - the one that's supposed to hold them in place?

I put in 42 miles this morning and experienced almost no hand numbness. I made it a point to avoid putting direct pressure on my ulnar nerve, instead concentrating on using a finger type grip. I rechecked all of my adjustments as recommended from the posters above and the link from [ CaptainCool ] last night and this morning. Everything seemed to be in order.

I appreciate the time everyone took to offer their input. Thank you.

there is no screw and I had to modify them, cut a hole in the end, for my bar ends.

that isn't even a real recumbent. real ones have the steering under the seat, a 700c rear wheel(or 26) and a small front wheel like a Vanguard https://ebent.wordpress.com/category/ryan-vanguard/

homemade ones are even cooler

Squirt some hair spray under the grips

From Ergon grips to Recucumbers...Hmmm......

Anywho, Ergon's have a metal-band that secures them to the handlebar. It takes a 4mm hex-wrench. Once tightened, it stays put. And they help numbness considerably - especially coupled with gloves that pad the ulnar and medial-nerves.

Recumbent bikes are defined by the seating position not by the wheels or the bars.

well hell, mine didnt come with said band. there were specialized grips from a road bike or some sort. the person who bought that bike didnt want them for one reason or another, so the LBS kept them to sell to me ().

Really??? Does that mean I for the last 12 years I haven't been riding recumbents, I've been riding... something else??? The term "recumbent" means "reclined" or "lying back." There is no requirement for wheel size or steering method.