Palm pressure
 

Probably. Don't ride an uncomfortable bike. Who the flying frederick cares if your stem is slammed and you are super aero, bro? If you aren't comfortable on the bike it doesn't matter what any other dipstick says it's not their bike and they don't have to ride it. Go see a fitter and see what they say about your position and component choices as far as bar, stem and saddle. Be comfortable and fk dem hateaz.

Me personally I don't mind some headset spacers especially when I can match frame colors or components or just be comfortable. If I cannot ride my bikes then what is all of this for?

An aggressive drop alone doesn't usually cause pain on your palms. Having too much weight on your hands caused palm pains. Make sure your saddle is level and is comfortable enough to put the majority of your weight on most of the time, then address handle bar drop if that doesn't fix the pain.

What kind of handlebar setup? Pics?

Personally, I'm a little sceptical about "bike fitters" as it sounds like Feng Shui to me. We all have different styles and preferences, and different body proportions. There are a few simple rules/guides and after that it's a combination of experimental adjustments and riding more until the problem goes away.

I used to have a big thing about pain in my hands and chose a bike with a frame that gave a high bar position, and I even flipped then stem. I found it was slow and that I got discomfort in other areas. I now have that bike set up with the bars as low as they'll go and prefer it. Yes, I get discomfort in the hands but I deal with that by changing my hand position between "on the tops", on the bends, on the hoods and, rarely, on the hooks.

If you're pedalling hard then the natural "equal and opposite reaction" to the pedalling action will tend to lift your upper body reducing the weight on your hands very slightly. Also, concentrate on having a bend in your elbows. It feels easier to let your elbows "lock out" so you can just flop your bodyweight onto them, but that slight bend reduces the transmission of shock to your hands and makes them less uncomfortable.

Most of all, the more you ride, the less you'll think about it.

For me, the details of how my hands sit on the bars makes a very big difference. I take any new bike out for rides with no tape on the bars and all the tools until they pass the comfort test. I ride with real weight on my hands and have for many years. I also have dropped handlebars on all my bikes, brakes and levers//hoods on all my bikes, more than half of which are fix gears. I dial my bikes in by getting the handlebar rotation right to make the drops all day comfortable (for my hands; not necessarily my back!) so if I have to go upwind for hours I can. Only then do I fuss with dialing in the lever position. Then, with several good hand positions, I can change up those positions regularly as I ride.

I am fussy about the details of the handlebar and lever shape. There are a lot of each I simply stay away from. (I've acquired the experience re: those shapes via the 5 decades of riding I've done. The flip side is that with those decades comes a body far less tolerant of so-so fits.) Ride, play with the setup and observe. Your setup will evolve. Quite likely to something not quite like anyone else's. That doesn't matter if it works for you,

Ben

One of my friends is a bike fitter and he fit me on my road bike and that made a world of difference and helped me realize things I didn't and made me more comfortable. I was already reasonably comfortable but didn't know I could have been way more comfortable as I am now.

Sure everyone is a bit different but a good fitter can realize that and make changes and suggestions based on that. You can do some trial and error stuff but a good fitter can real dial you in all over and really watch you pedaling and some can go really deep into it with computers and such.

It is way more than just some voodoo magic or just being Feng Shui as you mentioned. There is a lot of training that goes into it at least if you want to be good at your job and get certified. We are developing a fit studio at my company and our fitter has been doing it a while at other shops but has to go back and get re-certified so he is current and keeps at the top of his game. Kind of like a doctor.

The reach looks really short for that amount of drop. Could be part of your problem.

Agree.

Yes I tend to agree not sure how to set it up as wanna ride mostly in drops and having issues getting it dialed in

I'd try a longer stem first. Like a lot longer. Probably with a positive rise considering how high your saddle is, and maybe a compact drop bar if you're going to be spending a lot of time in the drops. Looking at all that seatpost, I feel like it could be the case that the frame is too small for you. This is all guess-work of course.

I usually mess with my fixed gears myself but on my road bike I had a proper fitting and it is not BS. I was totally skeptical but the guy I worked with was no joke and I love how my road bike fits. Made a big difference.

I sometimes do bike tours on rented bikes in various places and I'm always happy to get back on my own bike. The bikes I rent are nice, sometimes significantly nicer than my bike, but the fit is always approximate even if I bring my measurements off my bike at home. It does make a difference.

Regarding the OP. I've had problems with palm pressure before and a lot of times it's from being not stretched out enough. If you're too upright, your core works more and inevitably tires and you end up supporting yourself with your hands.

How about a pic of the road bike?

If drops are comfy but tops suck, then I guess I'd try getting some hoods on there and see if that position works.

Which stem are you currently using? The stubby or the longer one?

If you think that frame is the right size for you...well, have fun.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...68c4ba40b4.jpg
Jack the stem up too... so it matches the extra long seat post!

I completely agree with the longer stem. Maybe also try tilting the the nose of your saddle up slightly. I went through a similar process when I started riding again.

Get on your bike, hands on the handlebars. You should be able to remove your hands from the bars with no change in position. If not, your set up has you too far forward and/or your core strength needs improvement.

Yeah, that bike seems too small for you. That drop is ridiculous, even by boneless pro cyclists' standards.

Push the saddle back and down a bit(visualize an arc; if you move saddle back, you must also lower it to remain on the arc. As said, you could get a longer stem, too.

As others said, you can tilt the nose of the saddle up just a bit. The part that your sitbones are on should be flat and right now, it's tilted a bit forward.

Back in the day, the cool dudes all rode with their handlebars rotated back 180 degrees.
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...3cb9545bfd.jpg
It worked for Graeme Obree.

Slide saddle back, may have to lower post a tiny bit when you move back. If not the longer stem is next option.

I have some uncomfortable positions on my upper back, and sometimes hands, (However, ir may just be me because I've got m9re back issues than guns and ammo)even in risers right now, and I'm pretty sure I'm soon going to get a new fork with some spacers(I need a new fork for my new front tyre anyways) or one of those*or a new stem), but I'm not sure, because I don't really like how those things look with the extra, unnecessary part, but it's not a fashion show so I may as well when I have a bit o cash.
When buying my frame, I did pay attention to the geometry written on the site, but for my leg positions, I needed the seat higher.
Think one of these would benefit me,https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...bb16f86c53.jpg

(ignore the dragging fender, it slipps at times)


OP. Have you tried riding gloves to help with hand comfort? They seem to work wonders for me.

Because most people don't like the way the extender looks, I posted it mostly in jest. But then again if it makes riding comfortable for you, then yes, 'fashion' be damned.

I have long legs/ short upper body, and have learned to size my frames per the leg, avoiding the situation you are in now. Stems can always be swapped to adjust the reach. I have one bike now that looks like yours that I will end up selling since I can't ride it for long.

Right on, for sure, thanks for the heads up and the quick response.