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Author Topic: Hand Numbness  (Read 261 times)

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CarbonCavy

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Hand Numbness
« on: August 16, 2009, 08:56:45 AM »
Anyone out there have any advice on how to reduce (better yet, eliminate) hand numbness while riding? I'm not sure if I've just developed bad habits or there's something else going on. I'm finding this happens on short (10 Miles) and long rides (20+)...really doesn't matter. I ride with Oury Grips and have recently switched from Fox Digit gloves to Pearl Izumi elite fingerless with gel pads...Still have this issue. More annoying than debilitating.  :-\
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Scott

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Re: Hand Numbness
« Reply #1 on: August 16, 2009, 09:04:43 AM »
Check out the Ergon line of grips, they worked for me. Their shape and the angle you lock them on the bars at aligns your wrist with your upper arm.
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Darrinw2001

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Re: Hand Numbness
« Reply #2 on: August 16, 2009, 09:07:25 AM »
Ergons do really help....
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Coach

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Re: Hand Numbness
« Reply #3 on: August 16, 2009, 09:27:46 AM »
More important than your grips is your position on the bike.  If your wrists are at a bad angle in your "neutral" riding position, it will easily cause numbness.  Try adjusting your cockpit slightly to see if it helps.  If you adjust your set-up and position and still find it an issue, then I would suggest the Ergon's.  The GX1's are a nice set and about the same weight as the Oury lock-on's.  Good luck.
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luckynumber9

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Re: Hand Numbness
« Reply #4 on: August 16, 2009, 12:14:12 PM »
I'm sorting through this issue myself. I've gone from a 40mm stem to a 90mm.  from hi rise bars with 9* sweep to lower rise bars with 3* sweep.  And got some gel gloves.  It helped but didnt eliminate the problem.  Ibelieve I may have an inflamed ulna since thats where the pain is occuring and its running down through my pinky.  I'm going to try some ergon grips on my next ride.
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Coach

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Re: Hand Numbness
« Reply #5 on: August 16, 2009, 01:02:05 PM »
Especially check your brake levers position.  If you ride with your fingers covering the brakes and your levers are too high, that will contribute.  Subtle changes can make a BIG difference.
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steve

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Re: Hand Numbness
« Reply #6 on: August 16, 2009, 01:36:39 PM »
Get fit at your LBS makes a difference on comfort and should make you ride better
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Scott

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Re: Hand Numbness
« Reply #7 on: August 16, 2009, 03:18:43 PM »
+1 on what Steve said, then check out those Ergon GX1's. I pulled mine off last week and installed some of the ubber lite foamies in an attempt to shave a 1/4 pound off the Anthem, one lap around the drive way and put the Ergons back on. Once you get these things dialed in there is no going back, I have heard of complaints of loss of grip in tech terrain but have not experienced that with the GX1's as they are thin enough at the thumb area to allow for a typical grip with the added support of the wing at the outer part of the grip.
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CarbonCavy

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Re: Hand Numbness
« Reply #8 on: August 16, 2009, 03:36:40 PM »
Thanks everyone! I'll give all suggestions a try. Looking forward to eliminating this problem!
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Gregg

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Re: Hand Numbness
« Reply #9 on: August 16, 2009, 03:45:15 PM »
Yup! Fit first, then grips if needed... The fit will address other issues too. Like sore back and neck etc...
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anonymous

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Re: Hand Numbness
« Reply #10 on: August 16, 2009, 07:37:48 PM »
Bike shops love fits.  It's their time to pressure you into buying all kinds of crap while they have you cornered in their "fit studio".

I work for a bike shop and am a fitter and I don't like the way most shops (including the one I work for) utilize the fit time as their chance to sell "fit enhancing products" (gloves, shoes, pedals, carbon handlebars, etc).  the shop I work for rarel schedules me to do fits  because I refuse to go along with the "suckem for every penny we can while we have them 1 on 1" concept.  I'd like to elaborate but for fear of blowing my cover I'll shut up.  For those of you who didn't feel pressured into buying who knows what during your fit please post up the name of the shop.

WIth that said a fit will get you fitted on the bike.   theres not much secret knowledge to bike fitting (the only secret knowledge going through my shops $350 elite fit is pitch book lines), mostly experice. Most of it though can be done yourself through simple trial and error, and trying other peoples parts.   This can be a problem if your cycling network is not large though. 

Also make sure the person doing your fit has experience with FS bikes.  A lot of times (and this happens a lot here in FL)  the person doing your fit has all the fit certifications out there and a degree in some form of biomechanics or another but has never done much more than take a fs mtb for a lap around the parking lot.

I'll end the rant
« Last Edit: August 16, 2009, 07:40:00 PM by anonymous »
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Coach

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Re: Hand Numbness
« Reply #11 on: August 16, 2009, 08:07:58 PM »
"For those of you who didn't feel pressured into buying who knows what during your fit please post up the name of the shop."AJ's!  ...and it came with the bike.  I know they do them for $50 if you didn't buy there.  The only thing I've been pressured to do there was have a cup of "FREE" coffee, or had Casey offer me some God awful 7-11 breakfast Danish.
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Skinman

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Re: Hand Numbness
« Reply #12 on: August 16, 2009, 09:11:23 PM »
I am going through this problem. When my seat is high to where my knees like it, my hands go numb. When my seat is low my hands dont go numb, but my knee kills me. Not sure of the fix.
i bought my bike at AJ's so they will do the fit for me. The bike is the right size, I think seat, handlebar or stem needs an adjustment, or just how I sit on the bike. I have had good experience w/AJ's...no hard sell, so they have earned my trust. They have never tried to sell me something I didnt request or need.

I plan setting up the appointment tomorrow...I'll let you know how it goes.
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Re: Hand Numbness
« Reply #13 on: August 16, 2009, 10:30:02 PM »
Quote from: anonymous on August 16, 2009, 07:37:48 PM
Bike shops love fits.  It's their time to pressure you into buying all kinds of crap while they have you cornered in their "fit studio".

I work for a bike shop and am a fitter and I don't like the way most shops (including the one I work for) utilize the fit time as their chance to sell "fit enhancing products" (gloves, shoes, pedals, carbon handlebars, etc).  the shop I work for rarel schedules me to do fits  because I refuse to go along with the "suckem for every penny we can while we have them 1 on 1" concept.  I'd like to elaborate but for fear of blowing my cover I'll shut up.  For those of you who didn't feel pressured into buying who knows what during your fit please post up the name of the shop.

WIth that said a fit will get you fitted on the bike.   theres not much secret knowledge to bike fitting (the only secret knowledge going through my shops $350 elite fit is pitch book lines), mostly experice. Most of it though can be done yourself through simple trial and error, and trying other peoples parts.   This can be a problem if your cycling network is not large though. 

Also make sure the person doing your fit has experience with FS bikes.  A lot of times (and this happens a lot here in FL)  the person doing your fit has all the fit certifications out there and a degree in some form of biomechanics or another but has never done much more than take a fs mtb for a lap around the parking lot.

I'll end the rant

My shop didn't charge me a penny for my fit. I bought the bike from them. The one part that they did sell me (a longer stem), cost me less than it would have because I was given credit for the brand new stem that was removed.
 
I am sure that there are shops that do employ this tactic,
there  are crooks in any business, just as there are honest shop owners.
 
I would find a shop that a. charges you a reasonable amount for the fitting, and b, will credit you that amount towards any parts that you do buy to make the bike fit properly.
 
Thanks for the heads up.
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Dan

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Re: Hand Numbness
« Reply #14 on: August 16, 2009, 10:58:18 PM »
I recently raised my seat a bit after being fitted at AJ's by Alan there, to get better efficiency out of my pedaling. It was today that I realized my hands started to get that numb/tingling feeling going on since I raised the seat, but my knees no longer were sore. I just raised my handle bars up a little tonight to match the seat adjustment and hope to have this cured, but only time will tell.

About being pressured to buy anything while being fitted there, I gotta say that never happened in the least. I think I was offered some coffee tho. Funny thing too was, when I was shopping for a bike and asking all the annoying rookie rider questions to Darrin, he even remarked that he "Hates to sound like a salesman", but he had some very good opinions that need to be shared.

I hope you get your hand numbness eliminated, I will let you know if this helped for me.
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