Numb hands
 

This is not a tandem-specific problem but since all of the smart people hang out on this forum, I thought I'd ask here.

My hands go numb on even fairly short rides. I notice this on the tandem and my single bike as well. This used to be a problem for me only on much longer rides. Now they start to go numb even after 15 miles.

I never used to wear gloves but I have tried them recently. This seems to make no difference. I'm fairly certain that this is likely another aspect of aging (I'm 60). I've never had a bike fit. I looked into a fitting and they run about $250. Is that in the ballpark? Have others found that a bike fit really solves problems? I have tried different stem lengths & rises. This does seem to make the bike more comfortable but hasn't solved the numbness.

Suggestions?

Thanks.

Couple of questions...

1) Are you able to lift your hands even briefly without falling forward while pedaling normally?
2) Do you generally keep somewhat of a bend in the elbows while in a normal riding position?
3) When you put your hands down and are resting some weight on them, are you resting the weight on the pad on the thumb side or the pinky side?

1 and 2 could indicate that a bike fit could help.
3 is just better weight placement not compressing a nerve in the hand which would cause the hands to tingle/go numb.

Of course this all forgoes some crazy bend in the wrist from some super extreme angle...but I mean you've been a member here since 2006, so I'm assuming you know a good bit about what you're doing on a bike.

Not to scare you. My wife had the same issue. Eventually her arms gave out when she hit a bump and she crashed head first into the ground. Instant quadriplegic. Unknown to her she was actually suffering from spinal stenosis(narrowing of the channel for the spinal cord not sure if I spelled correctly).

Go to a doctor. They are the only ones who can tell you what is wrong or find out what is wrong.

There is a happy ending my wife had emergency surgery to release the pressure and after 7 years has recovered to about 75% mobility. But this is why we ride a tandem now.

Thanks for the replies. Deapee - I've been riding a long time but I haven't analyzed my riding positions. I can start that soon. With regard to questions 1 & 2 I think the answer is yes. On #3, I think I place most of my weight on the pinky side (or centered on my palm).

Team Fab - I have my annual physical scheduled shortly. I will bring this up with my doctor.

Could be you are putting pressure on the ulnar nerve.
Give raising your bars a bit a try . . . it's easy and may help.

Gotcha...your answer to #3 is good. Try out one and two and see what you come back with for sure. Too much weight on the bars (with a weird twist at the wrist) can do it...whether you're a candidate for raising the bars or a candidate for a different length stem, a little saddle tilt up possible 1-2 degrees, or some other minor tweak would be better left to at least a person with good knowledge that can get there in person with you.

I've noticed that if I spend a lot of time cruising, I can get a bit lazy and both of my hands tingling within 5 miles or so. When I'm jamming along and my weight in the saddle is being pushed up and back, I can lift my hands off my bars and stay right where I am. Normally if my hands do tingle, i'll exaggerate the bend in my elbows for a minute or sit up straight and stretch my arms for 30 seconds or so (the cyclist group-ride stop signal position helps for some reason, especially if you aren't comfortable riding completely hands-free), then pay a bit more attention to my form.

I have noticed that if you have bad form, gloves can exacerbate that bad form...I don't think gloves will solve tingly hands -- but I do think they will help protect the delicate internals (soft tissues) of the hand from all the vibrations they face on a ride.

Good luck.

I'd say your suffering from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome plenty of info posted on web sites good luck.

My hands went just slightly numb and I got tired of taking them off the bars (one at a time) and shaking them. My ultimate solution was a slightly longer stem, which I am assuming too some weight and pressure off my hands. I also noticed that the longer stem didn't force me to curl my wrists either.
Maybe a bike fit, or try a longer stem, they are cheap enough.

There are two main nerves at the wrist and base of the palm which can cause numbness, the ulnar N on the small finger side
of the hand which will cause numbness in the small and ring fingers and the median N which is in the middle of the palmar
side of the wrist and gives sensation to the index/middle and maybe half of the ring finger. The thumb is covered by a third
nerve which comes in from on top of the wrist and is never affected. Most riders will notice median N numbness, some will
put pressure on the small finger side of the base of the palm and get ulnar N paresthesias. Carpal tunnel is a chronic pressure
to the median N unrelated to biking, most commonly symptomatic at nite. Hand position on the bar: top/ side of the curve /
on the brifters will determine where the pressure hits and which nerve is affected. If the numbness can be stopped by
taking the hand off the bar and shaking it a bit and it resolves in a few minutes then it is due to pressure on the nerve from
hand on bar, usually helped by moving the hands around. Myself: I have this in the R hand in the first hour or so of riding
and then it goes away, ie after 30 miles it doesn't seem to develop.

Any numbness that persists for hours or after the ride is over suggests more going on than just hand position on the bar.
Carpal tunnel symptoms are daily, worse at nite, tend to be related to occupations with a lot of hand work, and if present
may be worsened by certain hand positions on the bar on rides. Nerve compression can also occur at the elbow (funny bone
areas) or where the nerves pass between muscles and the first rib as well as in the spine at the neural foramina (usually a
disc but osteogenic hypertrophy for us oldsters also) and can relate to pressure on the cord as in the spinal stenosis
scenario mentioned above, but that is rare compared to the others discussed.

For me, I have switched to a flat top dropbar, gel inserts on the bar and a double wrap with foam bar tape in order to improve hand comfort
but it doesn't prevent some numbness. It is a lot more comfortable though. But my numbness on lasts 30 -6 seconds after I move
my hand to another position on the bar.

The numbness lasts only while I'm on the bike - never at night. I notice that when I take my hand off the bar & shake it, this seems to help temporarily. My hands are fine once I am off the bike for 2 minutes or so. We used to ride centuries (some time ago). Now the numbness comes on after 15 miles or so. I think that it is unlikely that I could ride 50 miles without serious discomfort. I will try: 1) tilting my saddle back a bit, 2) a shorter, higher angle stem and maybe 3) a bike fit.

So far no one here has enthusiastically endorsed a bike fit. Seems like some bikers swear by them. Also, even if I had a bike fit say 10 years ago, aging may require a tweak.

A competent bike fitter should be able to correct any issues related to fit. If you have never had a fitting and have comfort issues, it is worth the money but find someone that comes highly recommended.

Also, consider trying gel padded gloves. Unpadded offer little relief to pressure and vibration.

Bike fitting fits the bike to you in the fitters opinion. Whether this 'solves any problem' or not is a shot in the dark on their
part and a leap of faith on yours. An hour or so on the fitter machine may or may not translate to something at 40-50 miles
down the road on the bike.

There is some truth in this, however, there seems to be many more people who have had a positive outcome than those that did not. A qualified fitter will fit you based on body geometry and your issues, not on opinion. With a good fitter, if your problems are related to fit, you have a better chance of resolving your issue than not.

Oldacura
You are 10 miles from one of the world experts in bike fitting. Andy Pruitt whom founded the Boulder center for sports Medicine is considered one of the best in the world. We have had the privilege of riding with Andy a few times. I am a bit older then you and had a bike fitting locally a number of years ago when I raced and as I have aged I was also having hand issues. Jump forward those number of years and had a new fit done and significantly altered the bike with great results. I am not as flexible and nor as strong in the core as I aged and needed to get more upright to keep my hands from going numb. I am a dentist and need to use my hands so this was important to me. The bike fit was done on my single and also my wife did the same and then transferred the info to the tandem and it has made a world of difference. I only have numbness issues after a very long sustained climb and this may be caused by just the exertion. When we had a new tandem frame built I had them put a head tube extension added so I did not have to have a butt ugly rising stem. Mind you we still ride a fairly aggressive position but not 5-6cm lower then the seats any longer. My guess is you will benefit from a good bike fit expert.

The Numb Hands post is here:
http://www.bikeforums.net/road-cycli...l#post12953035

A video showing proper balance on the bike as mentioned above is here:

I like Bontrager Gel gloves because they're kind to my ulnar nerve.

AK -- which head tube extension are you using? I have a short adjustable stem cranked all the way up on my Cannondale RT2 to get the height and stem length I needed; it was way too aggressive stock. And it is a butt ugly look...

Like this? https://www.amazon.com/Delta-Alloy-B.../dp/B000FHBED0

akexpress / Carbonfiberboy -

Thanks for the info. Our tandem is new and my single bike is new-to-me. Both are setup quite differently from their predecessors (and from each other). I did a quick measurement of my single and the top of the saddle is about 2" higher than the top of the bars. Not sure on the tandem. I really don't want an "aggressive" riding position - I'd rather be comfortable. Our tandem does have a head tube extension (not sure how much).

I've thought more about a bike fit. Boulder Center For Sports Medicine has a clinic only 2 miles from my house in Lafayette. Another LBS near where I work in Golden was highly recommended (Peak Cycles). I think I might schedule a fit on my single & then transfer the geometry to the tandem.

Thanks again for all of the experience.

For me, the last 3 fingers on my right hand go numb if I don't maintain a good spinal posture. If I raise my head up to look forward while my upper back is curled down is the best way I can describe the situation. As soon as I try to keep my head, neck and back in what's considered "neutral spinal position" the numbness goes away.

If you've got access to someone like Andy Pruitt, I'd say go for the bike fit. You will most likely learn some interesting things. You can also try Steve Hogg's website for good information to try to self-diagnosis your fit.

Good luck and I hope you feel better soon:)

Been riding tandem fo 42+ plus years and even longer on single bikes.
Positioning on the tandem for me is different than on my single.
I have a bit more aggressive riding style/positioning on my single than on our twicer.

you need to see a doctor about your numbness with your neck bent. Yes a bike fit may help but it could be hiding an underlying problem with your spine. It is not normal to go numb from bending your neck. See my earlier response for what can happen if an issue is ignored. We tried gloves, and position changes before the unthinkable accident happened.

What some would call an aggressive riding position can be more comfortable for long distance than a more upright position. This is because the more horizontal is your spine, the less road shocks affect it, plus the further your hands are from your butt, the less force they have to exert to generate the same torque to support your upper body and the less they are affected by road shock. Have another look at the photos in the Numb Hands post.

2" below saddle is not particularly aggressive. I run a -17° (level) slammed stem on all my bikes. This is very comfortable for me for 10-20 hour rides. Up to a point, more reach is beneficial. With elbows bent, your upper arms should make a right angle with your torso when in the drops or on the hoods.

IMO I think $250 for a fit is a bit high . It's around $150 in my area for a quality fit .

Sounds like a positioning problem to me.
Colby Pearce is nearby and has been trained by Steve Hogg https://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com.../colby-pearce/
Colby charges more than $250 but he does know what he's doing and gives a money back guarantee
A place to start would be https://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com/faq/

I did set up a bike fit. I checked with Boulder Center For Sports Medicine. They have since been bought out by the University of Colorado. I don't know if Andy Pruitt is still with them but I seriously doubt that he would be doing my fit. Likely one of his apprentices. They now charge $300 for a fit plus doctor charges if I want a "medical fit". I guess that the doc charges will be submitted to my insurance but I don't know how beneficial this will be. I decided to go with a fitter at a Golden, Co. bike shop who was recommended by several people.

With regard to gloves: I only recently tried wearing gloves. I tried some Specialized "Grail" gloves. They have padding in the middle of the palm with the idea that the load can be distributed better. The gloves don't seem to help. Just now when I was riding I note that I spend most of my time with my thumbs & forefingers wrapped around the brake levers and most of the load on the "heel" of my palm - between the pads for my thumb & pinky. In an area with very little meat. I now think that if gloves would do any good, I would need to find some with padding in the center of the heel.

Short numbness article.

How to Prevent Numbness on Bike Rides | Bicycling