ironic

I recently completed a Century.
My palms were killing me around mile 70. I was getting shots of pain up my arm.

I'm riding a fixed with bull horns, using iO golves.

I've got another large ride coming up next week and i was to have new gloves....any suggestions? Or maybe I need to set my bars differently???

thanks
Jason

CliftonGK1

Maybe it's just me, but pain shooting up your arms sounds more like a fit issue than a glove issue. Gloves should play very little into arm pain, if the bike is fitted correctly to you. Gloves will help with things like soaking up chatter from chip-seal and diamond grind, but not from a poorly fitted bike.

Barring a fit issue, I'm a fan of Pearl Izumi Gel Race gloves for the summer and PI Cyclone full finger gloves for the cold season.

skylla

Yeah, you need to get your weight off your hands. I had a long ride in June that left me with a tingly left hand and trouble gripping things with my fingers on the right for a few days. It kind of freaked me out. On the ride, I could tell that it was a problem and that I needed to get my weight off my hands, but I couldn't. I think I've solved that problem by moving my saddle a little back and down.

I also got new gloves--people seem to like the Specialized BG ones, and I liked them when I borrowed a pair from my dad, so I got a pair (the BG Sport, which still has the big old pad over the ulnar nerve). Haven't tried them yet, though. I liked the look of the Pearl Izumi Gel-Lite Tour, but after a few rides I felt like the pads broke down and pushed out of position. So not crazy about those.

But yeah, I don't think gloves will solve the problem you describe. I think of them as cutting out some road buzz and maybe adding 20% to your hands' comfort level. But gloves or no, you'll be miserable and possibly damage your body if your position is too far off.

USAZorro

Well, if the gloves are too tight, circulation will suffer, and you'll have a heck of a time finding any comfort after you reach that point. It could be just as easily a case of a poor set-up (either doomed to discomfort bar shape, or bars set a little too low), but make sure you aren't cinching your gloves too tightly.

Spookykinkajou

Fit is it, like a few said already, most likely. I ride fixed gear mostly now (did 100 miles this sunday to bear mountain) and ended up ditching the bull horn bars that came stock with my redline 925. I could not get comfortable on them and they made my palms hurt, but I never got the pain up the arm. My fit was right on, too, so I think it was just the bars did not agree with me for long distances.

Check the drop to the handle bar - perhaps it is too much. Everyone is different with drop - height, arm length, flexibility, etc they all play roles in what's an ideal drop for any given person. Me, personally, I have a 3" drop to the bars measured from the highest point of the saddle to the floor and to the top of the bar right by the stem to the floor.

Also, if your reach is too far out, saddle too far forward, saddle tilted down too much. Lots of possibilities...

For long rides hoods and drop bars are a lot better, imo.

Competitive cyclist has a fit calculator online for free that is pretty accurate if you measure properly.

What's the long ride? I live in Manhattan...

A glove that has a lot of padding is the Castelli Rosso Corsa - expensive but the best glove I've used. Lots of nice silicone padding all over the palm with mesh in between.

cw0110

If your palms give you trouble,maybe these will help:
http://www.ergon-bike.com/us/grips/index.html

mfg Christian cw0110

Six jours

One of the big advantages of drop bars with brake levers is the number of places to put your hands. Experienced cyclists tend to move their hands from place to place on the bars quite frequently. The bullhorns may be quasi-fashionable but unless you are in a time trial they don't offer nearly the functionality of traditional bars.

Hocam

+100

Sounds like a combination of fit and bad bar choice.

sch

Ditto, all of the above. In addition, where 30yrs ago a century on unpadded
leather single layer gloves with a bar wrapped with cloth tape was no biggie,
now I find that the multiposition bar (ie drop bar) double wrapped with foam
tape is a necessity or I start getting tingles in 10-15 miles. Constant shifting
of the hand position on the bars prevents any long term nerve compression
and allows the nerves to recover from short compressions.

bmike

get your fit dialed in so you do not need gloves.
i've been amazed at how comfy i can be sans 'bike' clothes and gear.

and work on your core... strengthening your abs, stomach, and back will help with how much weight is bounced around on your arms and hands.