nightfly

The wrist pain isn't going away. I think it started with riding my beautiful, bare, Cinelli Criteriums. I switched to some flop and chop bullhorns (chopped Nitto 115's) hoping it would go away, but no dice. Then I got some cheap risers and though my hand wasn't twisting as much, the pain was still there. Brakeless probably didn't help much. Pain goes away by not riding so it's definetely the bike.

So after searching around the forum, it seems like I've got to succumb to regular or "ergo" road drops and dummy hoods or (gasp!), a real brake (oh the humanity). Anyone have any suggestions for something that's comfy, inexpensive hopefully and silver or chrome (maybe one of the first few in the Nashbar road bars sort by price ascending list)? Where do you procure those lovely dummy hoods? Can I buy a set of Tektro levers and just remove one of the levers or do you need actual dummy hoods?

My wrists thank you.

genericbikedude

Just give up and get a recumbent.

Ceya

show us a pic of you setup. i have my cinelli crits with cinelli road stem. i have campy levers on them. i have used this since 1988 as a messenger.

S/F,
CEYA!

dutret

cane creek levers(they make dummy levers too if you want to be fancy). Which drops is pretty personal and very price dependant though like saddles.

powers2b

Between this thread and the pick me a shoe thread this place is staring to look like an infomercial.

marqueemoon

I too dig the Cane Creek levers. I have large hands and they feel great. I found Specialized Body Geometry gloves help my hand pain/numbness too.

Mxu

Yeah, but infomercials rock.

genericbikedude

There is NO WAY that I'm going to get any work done today.

schnee

Nitto Noodle? Picture
Silver, nice swept back on the top, can come in huge widths.

I'd also recommend Cane Creek hoods. They're the Campy imitations, and are nice and comfy.

Also, don't be afraid of gel pads under the tape. Fizik make an awesome tape/gel combo that makes the handlebar feel like an old-school tennis racket handle.

pigmode

Great bars, I have them on my fixed, and they work well with brake levers if you like the hoods to ramp off the tops. The one problem is hitting the wrists when standing on the pedals, while fully in the drops.

mihlbach

Sounds to me like you may need to see doctor. Perhaps the problem is with your wrist, not the bars. It sounds to me like you experimented with enough hand positions to realize that your wrists are going to hurt no matter what sort of bars you are riding with.

nightfly

Actually my dad is a retired orthopedist who used to specialize in sports medicine and after looking at my bars, he basically told me that my wrists are in a bad position and the angle where I'm gripping (around the curves of the horns) is causing some greek or latin word for a sore tendon due to the way my radius or ulna or something is rotating. So I'm looking for something that gives me a more neutral position. Drops with hoods seem to be pretty much what I'm looking for. You can rest a bit more than on bullhorns where you tend to grip.

And from my less than expert medical background, not riding=no pain, riding=pain. Doesn't effect other activities which I use my wrist for (insert ************ jokes here).

I'll look into the Noodles and those Cane Creek levers. Some of Salsa's bars look interesting, maybe the Poco's and the Bontrager Flat Tops as well. Think they only come in black but I guess style got my wrist pain.

B10Cycle

You're going to need a big beard, also, if you go this route. Just a heads up.

buro9

nightfly: Are you sure this is a drops 'n' hoods thing? To me this sounds like a stem thing, reach being wrong, strain on shoulders and wrists... have you considered shortening the stem or moving the saddle forward on the rails? Give it a try and let us know whether this adjustment in position changes the wrist pain, you might be surprised and it will save you changing stuff that isn't causing the problem.

carleton

Have you tried a straight (or slightly curved) bar?

Maybe get a stem a few mm longer and try a straight bar which would make your grip different by 90 degrees.

nightfly

The stem is actually pretty short right now (90mm for bullhorns and 85mm for the Criteriums) and I recently got a frame with a shorter top tube. I don't like the feel of a stem much shorter than that. They are both 75 degree classic quill stems (an SR and a Cinelli 2A or 1A whatever the road one is) so they are about even with the top tube or a slight drop.

I have one of those adjustable rise stems coming so I can play with having a positive rise. I think this will help. It's mainly when I'm commuting using a backpack with my computer in it which I've been doing alot lately. I did a century with the bullhorns and no backpack and didn't have the pain but now that I have it, it's pretty sensitive so I know when I'm tweaking my hands at the wrong angles.

I've tried risers with a about a 2 inch rise and a bit of sweep but that doesn't really help much. It seems to put a lot of pressure on the heel of my hands. Just sitting on my wife's bike with a higher stem relative to the saddle and regular road bars with brakes and hoods felt a lot better than any of my current bar/stem combos.

I think when I get it healed, I will be able to handle different bars but I was looking for something for now as I'm riding around a lot with the computer. I know the pain comes from the combo of riding bare bars brakeless with caused me to grip a lot and put a lot of pressure on my wrist from stopping. I'm sure when I'm better simply taping up the Cinelli's will work. A front brake would probably help too.

For now though some road drops, brakes and hoods and a stem with some rise seem to be the best solution.

flipflop

I'm fighting the same stuff...

I keep bringing the stem up and toward me (Bought an adjustable.) I'm about out of room... thinking about a stem riser!

I havent found a setup that gives a natural position.

The LT

get a jones h-bar

Ceya

Here is a pic of my set up on the Alma Pura.

S/F,
CEYA!

schnee

I actually ride with the Salsa Bell Lap, which rocks. I have it ape-ishly wide (46cm), and it flares out even wider than that, so when I'm on the hoods I have approximately the same hand width of most MTB straight bars. They also leave plenty of room for standing in the drops, since the drop is moved back compared to most bars. The ergo bump is also awesome.

I didn't recommend it because you wanted silver.

Also, the noodles have a great hand position when you're riding on the tops... the backwards bend is like a mini MTB riser bar. I figured every bit counted for the ergo stuff.

ZachS

you also might want to consider something like promenades or north road bars...

Falkon 

Get refit to your bike. If you have too much pressure on those hands, you will have these problems. You should be able to shake hands while riding the bike and not go flying off the road. You should not have tons of pressure on those bars.

eyefloater

Tektro brake levers ... you can get them in the same shape as Shimano STI levers. They're great. Combine them w/ a Problem Solvers cable joiner (two brake levers functioning on one brake) and you're set.

henry_lee

bingo.

I had the same problem as the OP a month or so ago on a new build.

I swapped some stems and bars to relieve pressure on the wrists, which was a great start.
then I eventually had a basic fit done at a shop and the difference is night and day.
especially if it's a pro doing the fit for you. might be cheaper than randomly
buying and swapping gear too.

Black Shuck

I just installed a pair of Tektro R200 brakehandles on my bike, removed one of the levers(easy!) and I'm really pleased with the way they work and feel. They replaced my old, beat up Shimano 105 handles wich were too small for me. The quick-release function is nice, and the ease of removing the superfluous lever surprised me.

Of course, I only replied to this so I could post a pic of my setup when done ;-)