I was just curious how bad it is as a newbie, but, I just did a 50 fun ride on my new felt f80 and I did it in 3hour and 13 minutes. Avarage of about 14.6 mph. I just started this week on a road bike. Still have numbness in my pinky. What could be the problem. Could I be sitting too far back??

Wow! That's a great ride for a newb. I was proud of myself when I first did 10 miles! Not sure what the pinky thing could be, though. Maybe try changing your hand position more often? And were you fitted on the bike at the LBS?

I'm guessing the pinky pain is from the coffee shop after the ride

I have been riding a road bike for about a couple of months (35-100km rides) and been having a bit of numbness in my pinkies/ring fingers. I have also been having some pain in my elbows. After a bit of research I think it is to do with riding with my elbows too straight. I find it tends to over stress the tendons along the inside of my lower arm near the elbow and affect the funny bone nerve that passes throught the elbow. There has been slight pain in the joint if I straighten and lock out my elbow. I now make sure I keep my elbows bent when riding and avoid putting too much weight on the handlebars. This is getting easier as my core strenght improves. Hope it helps.

Not sure about your pinky numbness, but that's a great distance and time for having just started!

Numbness in the pinky and ring finger after riding usually means handlebar palsy. Google it... it is a common ailment among cyclists. Handlebar palsy results from repeated compression of the ulnar nerve, which runs through the base of the hand and which can be damaged by road vibration transmitted to the hand via the handlebars. The ulnar nerve is the primary nerve controlling sensation in the pinky and ring finger, and also controls a lot of the muscular function in your hand. When handlebar palsy gets bad, it not only produces numbness in the pinky and, sometimes, ring finger... it also can lead to weakness and loss of coordination in the hand.

I have had some significant problems with handlebar palsy in the past, as have some other riders I know. The two things that solved it for me were (a) good padded gloves, worn every time you get on a bike, and (b) frequents shifts of hand position.

Good luck!

+1

I used to get a numb pinky, but that changed when I stopped riding with locked elbows. I also noticed that i change hand position more frequently now, as mentioned above.

You also want your handlebar to be only as wide as your shoulders. I tend to err on the smaller side. Your wrists should be straight when your hands are in the drops, not bent outward or inward. I had this 46cm bar for a long time and my pinkies went numb quite frequently. Now I have a 42 and it's fine. I also ride with my hands on the brake hoods a lot more now.