Arms going to sleep
 

I usually ride 10-12 miles at once because that's all I have time for. I keep my hands in the drops the entire time. Towards the end of my ride, my hands and forearms start to go to sleep and it is pretty uncomfortable. Is there something I can do to help avoid this?

Ride on the top of the handlebars sometimes?
Move your hands around to different spots on the handlebars?
Sit up a bit and ride one-handed while stretching the other arm?

I was afraid that was going to be the solution. I really don't care for being more upright as it slows me down. I definitely don't like riding on top of the handlebars. I may have to though...

Don't you slow down when your hands and forearms start to fall asleep?

And why don't you like riding on top of the handlebars? Is your bicycle set up correctly?

In my unprofessional opinion, it sounds like your arms/hands are bearing too much weight -- numbness is a typical indicator of this.

A good test that I got from a great fitter was to put your bike on the trainer, and ride in the drops at about 80% effort. You should be able to then remove your hands from the drops and place them behind your back, and just barely be able to maintain the same position without falling forward, and without rounding your back to hold yourself there. If you can't do that, then your saddle is too close, which means your upper body is supporting too much of your weight and you need to shift your center of gravity back some.

If you don't have a trainer, you could try tilting your saddle up slightly, or moving your saddle further back (i.e. increasing your setback) and see if that helps your arms feel like they're bearing less weight. Just understand that with most saddles, if you increase your setback, you need to lower your saddle to compensate for the increased distance from the pedals.

No, not really. I kinda ignore it the best I can. Now if my legs fell asleep that would be tougher. Hahaha...

I don't think it's setup wrong.

If you are having problems on a 10 mile ride then something is definitely not right. It could be fit, technique or conditioning. Road bars have many positions for a reason. Even in the drops there are several different positions that can be used. Use them. Also keep your elbows bent.

It slows you down? Really? How much does it slow you down? .5 mph Does it really matter? You obviously aren't racing.

I dont have a trainer, but I'll have to check this next time I ride. Just thinking about it though, I don't think there's any way in hell I'm going to hold myself up in that position.

So maybe I need to retract what I previously said about thinking my bike isn't setup wrong....

Relax your shoulders.
Bend your elbows slightly.

S

Hmm...could be that my elbows aren't bent...I don't think they are...I'll have to notice next time.

It does matter to me if I slow down...I'm trying to get faster for a race.

Sorry for the dumb questions. I've only been doing this about a month.

Try joining a group ride and ask about your positioning on the bike. You'll push yourself to get stronger much faster than just riding by yourself. You'll get comfortable riding close to others. All things you'll need for racing.

You can get almost as low on the hoods as you can on the drops. It just depends on how much elbow bend you have.

Think about this for a second - you are putting out the same effort (watts, output, etc.) whether you are in the drops on hoods. The training effect is exactly the same even though you might be slower on the hoods.

If you watch a race, nobody stays in the drops the entire time, even in a tt. Terrain changes, wind, drafting, etc. and just comfort makes you change hand positions.

your fit is way off, read how to fit a bike or even better pay for a bike fit. Ive fit riders who perfer to ride in the drops around that position in the past.

I'm no pro, but two possibilities are screaming at me here, one is bad fit (most likely), the other is you need to relax! I.G. you've got your grip too hard, arms too stiff possibly shoulders locked up (this is bad stuff). Personally I don't notice a close but bad fit until about 20 miles in.. you'll notice a wrong saddle or badly setup one too at about that point.

Well, it sounds like, on top of some technique/position stuff I didn't know, I need to look into a bike fitting. I'll wait until I get my new bike in a couple weeks. What does a bike fitting normally cost?

What's wrong with your CAAD9? What size is it and how tall are you?

Thats the the one I'm waiting for. I'm 5'10" ish and it's a 56.

Right now, I'm riding an old road bike that I got a month or so ago real cheap because I decided at the last minute (literally 3 weeks prior) that I was going to do a triathlon. I really enjoyed the race and enjoyed riding while training, but now I want to go faster and I want a nicer bike. I got a killer deal on it, but it's about 5 hrs away, so I'm having to wait a bit to get it.