woody66724

I bought a Trek 7.5 in March of 2012. I have put 3500 miles on it so far. I like the bike but after riding for a while I have numbness in my hands especially in my palms and thumbs until I reposition. I know its not the popular thing to do but I purchased a used set of Forte T2 aerobars at a really good price to avoid a big loss if it did not work out. I like the bars and the option of another riding position. First trip, no numbness. I have always felt like I was reaching too far to the handlebars anyway but the aerobars have confirmed that I believe. I feel stretched too far. I feel like a shorter stem with more rise on it would help put me in a more comfortable position with the aerobars and handlebars. Anyone have any experience with this to lend? Thanks in advance for any thoughts.

Planemaker

Interesting idea.

I have a Trek 7.4 and similar issues and I installed bar ends to give my hands another position. I got good results but not perfect.

1. Do you see any noticeable loss of control of the bike
2 How far apart are the bars (I had to move my grips, shifter and brakes in to make room for the bar ends and I might not have enough room

I like the idea of getting into more of an aerodynamic position when riding against the wind

FYI - my LBS rolled the handlebar forward to get my wrists into more of neutral position which has also helped.

Dunbar

I get numb hands on all flat bar bikes if I ride them for long enough (usually no later than 45 minutes.) It happens on my road bike when if I put too much weight on my hands (like when I start to tire out.) If the bars are too low that could exacerbate the problem. If you feel too stretched out you probably do need a shorter stem. That would be a good opportunity to try raising the bars with a higher rise stem. Your goal is to get your weight more evenly distributed between your butt, feet and hands. You shouldn't feel like your weight is pivoting forward like a see-saw onto your hands. Also try to consciously ride with a light touch on the grips. It's easy to grip the bars pretty hard and not realize it.

I regularly see a bike commuter who uses aerobars on his flat bar hybrid. When he's on the aerobars he's usually going pretty quick. I slowly pass him on my road bike but there's less than a 1mph difference in speed.

jcg878

Your problem is what led me to purchase a road bike. I bought a Cannondale Road Warrior 2 (now "quick", I believe) for all of a year before I decided to go to a road bike to 1) avoid this problem and 2) ride longer distances. It worked. Now I only use the Cannondale to pull the kids around in a trailer.

fietsbob

Certainly transfers, your torso and arm weight, off your hands, and onto your forearms..