I just started cycling 'bout a month ago due to the Covid pandemic, I ride to and from work everyday, and this video came out just in time! Great one! Cheers! Also, any thoughts for sore elbows? Hehe 😅
Regarding the 5th piece of advice in the video, rather than buying wider tires you may be able to just let out some of the air in whatever tires you have to get a similar effect.
I’ve been cycling for about 3 months now, and never really had any issues with my hands apart from the occasional numbness, but after my last 3 hour ride I’ve lost strength in my left hand. It doesn’t hurt or anything but I can barely tie my shoelaces. Anyone know how this could be caused? Thanks!
I get pins/needles and numbness even with varying my grip regularly. It is always down to a lack of core engagement as I tend to relax my core on longer rides (lack of strength/stamina). I might try changing the height of the bars though...
Saddle angle is also a huge part of hand comfort. I used to ride with my saddle tilted downward to take pressure off my sensitive bits, but a saddle with a center relief channel is a much better way to solve that problem. Then you can level it off and not feel like you're sliding forward all the time onto the handlebars.
Saddle setback is crucial is taking excess weight off the hands. The further back the saddle the less weight will be borne by the hands as your centre of mass is taken further behind the bottom bracket. Of course with all fit parameters there is a compromise set back to be reached as too far back can cause other problems but I would look at saddle set back before looking at handlebar height.
Thank you for this video. I was suffering with my hands even on 30km rides. So I watched this and tried one of the tips. I dropped the ego and raised my bars. Only by a 10mm spacer but it made all the difference. My hands were not sure and - amazingly - I discovered my drops. Before I had struggled to stay in the drops for more than a couple of km but today I did a 50km ride with a load of time tucked in! Thanks for the tips.
If you feel numbness and tingling in your hand and fingers, especially the ring finger and pinky, it may not be caused by pressure on your hands. It could be that your nerves coming from the cervical region of your spine (C3 & C4) to your hands are being pinched by tense neck muscles. This certainly could be related to bike fit rather than muscle tension under stress. Check reach and bar height (body angle and neck position). Hank said relax your shoulders, and that's good advice. I say drop your shoulders to open up the neck region. To relieve the numbness and tingling should it occur, take the affected hand and reach behind your back, as if you were removing something from the jersey pocket on the opposite side, and hold it there for 20-30s. This move stretches the whole length of the nerve path coming from your neck. I find it more effective than lowering your arm and shaking your hand, i.e. trying to "shake-it-out".
I changed my handlebar angle by a couple of degrees and it made a huge difference. Gloves with gel pads have also helped, I can now ride for several hours without any numbness whatsoever.
IMO, numb hands (as opposed to sore hands) is usually caused by pressure (weight distribution) and even more by wrist angle. Blood flow can be constricted and nerves can be pinched. When bending elbows/engaging the core, focus more on doing this to change your position in a way that straightens up your wrists. Secondly, think of a light touch on the bars. All the padding and shock absorption in the world won't get you very far if your upper body weight is resting solely on the pads of your palms. put as little weight as possible on your hands - barely touching the bars at all. Lastly, and this will seem counterintuitive, ride without gloves, or get gloves with NO gel padding. They can be hard to find for road bikes, but many mountain bike gloves are pad free. Without the gel padding, you'll be more likely to change position more frequently and much less likely to rest all your weight on your hands.
I have huge problems with numb hands and I think your tips are spot on. Initially I tried large diameter bars with lots of padding. But actually, less padding makes normal soreness more prevalent and that means more position changes which results in less chronic numbness.
your last remark is interesting. last week i did a 5 hours ride with gloves with very little padding. it went very good. this week i made the same 100km with gloves with quite a lot padding and i got numb fingers. its very well possible in hindsight, that i did not change hand positions for quite some time due to the gloves.
Definitely rotate hand positions on a long ride. I failed to do so and wound up temporarily paralyzing my hand. It's called ulnar neuropathy which is a muscular palsy caused by gripping your bars too hard in the same position for too long. Mostly it is due to putting too much weight on your hands/wrists. Hank is absolutely correct; rely more on your core. If you are getting sore hands, it is likely because you are getting whole-body tired and are falling back on bracing yourself through your arms onto your bars. Take a break. Or at least shift hand position for awhile. And for godssake stop leaning on your bars! It took me 3 weeks to regain full functioning of my hand.
All great advice.. in additions have seen on several other video on bike fit and tried myself was the the BIGGEST FACTOR for me was adjusting fore-aft saddle position... my hand numbness problem is virtually completely gone! Can do the trick that Hank did lifting hands above bars while pedalling at about threshold.. if you are balanced (combo of pushing on pedals, core and not too much weight cantilevered) you will be able to hold yourself up and not fall towards your bars (fall forward if seat too far forward).. and as a consequence you can test that you aren't supporting too much weight with your hands as a result. Was surprised at how well this actually worked. After getting yourself balanced then you might need to adjust for reach... so stem length, handlebar reach.. and width (if width wider than your shoulders, your hands go sideways instead of straight forward) will all contribute to reach. Going through this exercise has almost completely eliminated my hand numbness and saddle soreness as well!
Totally agree. I forward tilted my saddle a bit too much so I could slam the stem and still get in the drops without numbing my manhood! Pressure on the hands was unbearable until I somewhat flattened the saddle. Solved!
I'm surprised this vid didn't say anything about seat position, if it's wrong you could be over balancing and in turn putting to much pressure on your bars through your hands to compensate. I'm a relatively novice rider, but from what i learned you're meant to be able to ride with very little pressure on your bars/hands, i'm still working on that balance myself :) .
Great (finger) tips, thank you :) Could we see some pointers for riding safely in traffic? Great to see lots of newbies on the roads but they look a little nervous and unpredictable
As for me, I cut a rubber sheet shaped for my grip and laid it under the bar tape where I mostly place my hand. It's a commuter bike so the comfort brought by it being ergonomic easily outweighed the style losses.
On an MTB bike I suffered from numb thumbs too. Bought a pair of cycling gloves and problem solved. Cusion the ride and spreads the pressure over a larger surface. My wife suffers too (on a city E bike) she rides in the country. But she is anxious and grips the handle bars too firm. You start your video with that, so I will show it to her as she needs a neutral person to convince her from not doing that. Thanks for showing that.
I do suffer from numb hands after like 1,5 hours and I think it's caused by tilted saddle. I tilted my saddle a little bit because it felt better on drops, but now more weight is carried by my arms.
I have found that the main cause of numbness in hand is pressure on the medial nerve that enters the palm area via the valley between short abductor muscle of the thumb and the abductor muscle of the little finger. Twisting your hands slightly so your bar does not compress this area and so that the pressure is on either of the afore mentioned muscles instead helps. Also, hang your hands from your thumbs on the outside of the hoods is a nice variation on hand position.
A good cue as well as keeping you elbows bent/relaxed is to think about tuckin your elbows in towards your body. This has/should have the effect of engaging your pec muscles and relaxing your shoulders. It should then also trigger you external obliques to engage which means your core is engaged and supporting you. Activated external obliques also mean that your erector muscles in your spine can relax which should help deal with any lower back pain you might be experiencing. Its all about engaging the internal rotators to generate internal tourque in the body.
.... I know from personal experience this is a problem w/ multiple solutions. I had this problem on my roadbike and MTB/Hybrid bikes. After adjusting my road-bike ... stem height/length and angle of the drops ... but the final solution was "Buzz-kill" Harmonic Balancers in the ends of my "drops" as I ride on a lot of "tar/chip" roads that send lots of vibration up the front stem tube ( .... and I do ride a Domani 5.2 ...). For the MTB /Hybrid it was the "grips" ... they have "palm pads" ... what is important here is your wrist angle ... the grips need to be orientated so the the "palm pad" is the same as your fore-arm angle to the handle-bars. This means the "palm pads" are angled up by (20-30*) to take the pressure off of your wrists ... this means you can use a "soft" grip and just "push" the handle-bars ... gently ... try it out, but everyone is different ...
Gloves, hoods position are worth mentioning as well. If double wrapping is too thick then just use little extra pieces of bar tape under the pressure points before you wrap them.
I got some silicone padding, I think it was made by Trek especially for handle bars. This was about 15 year ago. Wrapped in bar tape it is the bees knees, still as good today.
Until 2 months ago or so i still rode with 20c tyres, the only difference for me with 25c tyres is the confidence and a more wide contact with the ground.
@@maartends6051 "Only difference?" Aren't you running much lower pressure though, which the 25c will allow you to do versus 20c? Giving much comfier ride over anything other than perfect road.
That's a good point - gloves don't really treat the cause of the problem though in many cases, they can extend the duration you can ride without soreness - but you were going to get sore hands without gloves you probably still will with them! Gloves can be great for preventing nasty cuts to your palms in crashes or for adding a little extra cushioning though, just be careful not to do them up too tightly or you'll find that causes sore hands too!
Get tips, I have been fighting with numb hands... I recently changed my grips to a wide flat grip and complimented this with a new pair of padded gloves with gel padding really makes a difference that takes pressure away from the critical area of carpal tunnel nerves... but also confess that my core still needs work...
Hi Hank Ken here . Switching from clinchers to tubeless no more numb hands or sore elbows or shoulders . I practice yoga everyday so my core is just fine thanyouverymuch .
I have a reconstructed hand from a previous accident. I find that gel under the bars plus padded gloves work well. Re riding MTB those of us old enough and wise enough to remember and still use bar ends have two hand positions to choose from.😉 Agree on wider tyres with lower pressure. My winter bike is a Specialized Roubaix on 28 mm tyres and has a super comfortable ride. Moving hand positions is also a good way to limit numbness/ pain as mentioned.
For multi-day endurance rides clip on aerobars/TT bars make a massive difference. They allow most of your weight to go via the arm supports rather than the hands, which largely solves the numb palms issue.
Love cylcling videos just what I need to get it going the blood I love it. I always watch these before I go out and get my body moving. I always watch one of these, and then put up my heavy playlist like Delta Parole, Three Days Grace, System and then I just go haaaaard!!!! Tactic hasnt let me down yet.
Bars being just slightly to wide can also be a problem putting pressure on the nerves body being out of good alignment. That was my issue. Plus MTB gloves helped as well. Loose at the wrist or it's all for naught.
Excellent tips GCN. Core is key I think, for me anyway, that and bars at the right height - I prefer the Gravel to Road posture, using the drops on straight sections where it feels safer to use them, occasionally shifting hands around on the hoods, and occasionally taking one hand off the bars. Like the GCN Crew, I tend not to wear gloves.
Gloves or mitts. For several reasons: Protection in the event of a crash. Sweat/snot removal. Some vibration protection, especially if you really need a gel layer. Your bar tape doesn’t get greasy and grotty nearly as quickly. (This one is close to the heart of anyone with white bar tape!) Not cool, maybe, but nor is losing all the skin off your hands when some white van muppet sends you down the road.
In 2016 I was suffering badly with pins and needles in my hands. Tried to fix as you discuss. Unfortunately I discovered that I had a circulation issue that required emergency surgery. All fixed by a RCA stent
My left hand and wrist were always a problem. Switched from Shimano to SRAM and it is now fine. Possibly because hand was always stationary with Shimano and now it is actively used for shifting.
I suffer from numb hands every so often. Bars are not too low, change hand positions and my padded mits help a little. Good excuse to get those aero flat bars and maybe that new carbon railed saddle ...
I only get pain/discomfort in the "web" area between my finger and thumb, when descending. I've tilted the bars up, so my arm and wrist are more aligned and I also wear mitts. Which has helped a lot, but it's still not perfect. Also, I always use the hoods. I'm not flexible enough yet, to use the drops.
Gary GB I think the wider saddle, shorter nose as well as seating position, saddle angle too pressure off of my hands/wrists that used to lead to numb hands. Thanks GCN for another great how to.
Exactly bro. It’s amazing how a proper fit and equipment besides the handlebars can make a huge difference. Saddles can change your posture that definitely plays a role in how much weight is on your wrists and hands.
I kept getting thicker gloves with more padding to solve this and it wasn’t working. One day I forgot my gloves and went out and it helped a ton, now I ride with no padding gloves and it helped a lot.
Rev Grips has the new (and expensive) Pro Series Ergonomic Grip System. They supposedly absorb more vibration. There's a gap between the main sleeve and the bar that causes a kind of floaty feeling. They're the next set of grips I buy for either my road or mountain bike. They are advertised at $121, but I have seen them online for $89.95. Might be worth a try. More than my palms go numb. Sometimes numb fingers make it hard to hold onto the handlebars, which can be dangerous.
The double wrapping has helped me a lot along with a good pair of gel padded gloves but I still get numb hands after about 2 hrs of riding. my hands get so numb that I can't shift the gears.
i think pressure on the hands is unavoidable when riding slowly on a road bike. Because the geometery is designed for when you push hard on the pedals so that your legs pushing down effectively reduces load on your hands by rotating you backwards a bit. This wont be the case if you arent ride hard ;)
Wearing gloves with gel padding really makes a difference. Doubling the bar tape becomes useless. Choose gloves in the right size: you should be able to remove them effortlessly. Otherwise they can cut off the blood circulation at the fingertips.
saddle setback is also somethn to look at....if too far will cause u to reach and put your hands in a the wrong position causing pain in hands and nuts
Take care of your hands! I managed to compress the ulnaris nerve in my middle hand, so I'm dealing with a (probably temporary) partial paralysis of the 4th and 5th finger. It will take between a couple weeks and some months to recover. This is a significant hindrance in every day life. Make sure you spare yourself from that.
Aim to move hands every 30 seconds. You prolly won’t adjust that much, but it’ll get you adjusting more than you normally do. Also, adjust your hoods so you can find an area on them where your wrists are straight.
Do all of these things, and then add the Pearl Izumi Attack Gloves to your kit. Changed my life! Not joking! One of the few gloves that address the MAIN problem with hand pain which is the nerve and tendon bundles BETWEEN the pads in your palm. Most cycling gloves put padding where you already have padding and muscle. These gloves put the padding in the middle.
Because of my job I split my time between two cities. A couple of years ago I bought two Specialized Roubaix bikes. One is in one city and the other in the second city. I have had a bike fit and both bikes are set up exactly the same. My Black Roubaix has a Tiagra group set and my Red Roubaix has a 105. For some reason my hands go numb on long rides on the Black Roubaix but I never have the problem on my Red Roubaix. I have noticed the 105 hoods are thicker than the Tiagra hoods. I also wear Giro gloves on the Tiagra and Specialized gloves on the 105. Which might also be a variable. My suspicion is the thickness of the hoods is the culprit. Thoughts?
... have you ever heard of "Buzz Kills" ??? They are an ol' trick ... they are a harmonic balancer that is inserted in the ends of the drop down handlebars. Go for the brass ones (20G's?) ... I think I payed $20.00 6-7 years ago when I purchased my Domani, new. A lot cheaper then buying a set of carbon fiber drop bars. And go tubeless so you can run the tires at lowwer pressures too ... added benefit ... NO flats ... I'm currently running Bontrager R2's (really nice tire, tracks well in the wet too), through I do want to upgrade to R3's when I wear these out, and save another 45g's per tire, remember that is "spinning" weight so it actual feels like more at speed ...
On my first long ride of 44km I didn't show any symptoms of numbness in my hands , but on my second long ride of 90km I did have numbness in my pinky and the one next to it, even two weeks on. unfortunately when i bought my flat bar on road /off road adventure bike they didn't do a bike fit. If I didn't intermittently use my own little palm up technique I think it would of been worse
A long time ago, my coach told me to keep my baby fingers out slightly when riding on the hoods. This actually works to keep the hands relaxed. Try it!
I used to wear gloves and I’ve experienced numb hands. I’ve tried all kinds of gloves with padding in the palms. Nothing seemed to work. Recently I misplaced a glove and have been riding without them and have not experienced any more hand numbness.
My fingers tingle and start to go numb and just associated it with carpal tunnel syndrome.I also used to get it when gripping steering wheel in the car and even pushing the kids in their pushchairs when they were younger.
Normally, switching positions and relaxing the grip prevents any issues, but going full gas in the drops in a aero position I tend to grip the bars harder than I should, and that's uncomfortable after about 45 minutes or so.
On the drops id let my wrist drop in toward stem and kind of lock out the joint which cut off circulation and gave me pins and needles. I make sure i keep wrists neutral like a fist now and problem solved
Do you suffer with sore hands? Let us know in the comments 👇
I just started cycling 'bout a month ago due to the Covid pandemic, I ride to and from work everyday, and this video came out just in time! Great one! Cheers!
Also, any thoughts for sore elbows? Hehe 😅
Regarding the 5th piece of advice in the video, rather than buying wider tires you may be able to just let out some of the air in whatever tires you have to get a similar effect.
Kyle Lajot bend a bit in your elbows. That’ll help your elbows and neck.
I’ve been cycling for about 3 months now, and never really had any issues with my hands apart from the occasional numbness, but after my last 3 hour ride I’ve lost strength in my left hand. It doesn’t hurt or anything but I can barely tie my shoelaces. Anyone know how this could be caused? Thanks!
I get pins/needles and numbness even with varying my grip regularly. It is always down to a lack of core engagement as I tend to relax my core on longer rides (lack of strength/stamina). I might try changing the height of the bars though...
Saddle angle is also a huge part of hand comfort. I used to ride with my saddle tilted downward to take pressure off my sensitive bits, but a saddle with a center relief channel is a much better way to solve that problem. Then you can level it off and not feel like you're sliding forward all the time onto the handlebars.
Nice nails Hank :D
Seriosuly, that was some great editing there. Well played. (and thanks Manon.)
Saddle setback is crucial is taking excess weight off the hands. The further back the saddle the less weight will be borne by the hands as your centre of mass is taken further behind the bottom bracket. Of course with all fit parameters there is a compromise set back to be reached as too far back can cause other problems but I would look at saddle set back before looking at handlebar height.
Thank you for this video. I was suffering with my hands even on 30km rides. So I watched this and tried one of the tips. I dropped the ego and raised my bars. Only by a 10mm spacer but it made all the difference. My hands were not sure and - amazingly - I discovered my drops. Before I had struggled to stay in the drops for more than a couple of km but today I did a 50km ride with a load of time tucked in!
Thanks for the tips.
If you feel numbness and tingling in your hand and fingers, especially the ring finger and pinky, it may not be caused by pressure on your
hands. It could be that your nerves coming from the cervical region of your spine (C3 & C4) to your hands are being pinched by tense neck
muscles. This certainly could be related to bike fit rather than muscle tension under stress. Check reach and bar height (body angle and
neck position). Hank said relax your shoulders, and that's good advice. I say drop your shoulders to open up the neck region. To relieve the
numbness and tingling should it occur, take the affected hand and reach behind your back, as if you were removing something from the jersey
pocket on the opposite side, and hold it there for 20-30s. This move stretches the whole length of the nerve path coming from your neck. I
find it more effective than lowering your arm and shaking your hand, i.e. trying to "shake-it-out".
Gloves, handlebar/hoods angle to match your wrists/hands natural position.
The tricky part is that you can feel less comfortable right after the adjustment even if you set the saddle and the bar correctly.
Good tips for sure!
I changed my handlebar angle by a couple of degrees and it made a huge difference. Gloves with gel pads have also helped, I can now ride for several hours without any numbness whatsoever.
IMO, numb hands (as opposed to sore hands) is usually caused by pressure (weight distribution) and even more by wrist angle. Blood flow can be constricted and nerves can be pinched. When bending elbows/engaging the core, focus more on doing this to change your position in a way that straightens up your wrists. Secondly, think of a light touch on the bars. All the padding and shock absorption in the world won't get you very far if your upper body weight is resting solely on the pads of your palms. put as little weight as possible on your hands - barely touching the bars at all. Lastly, and this will seem counterintuitive, ride without gloves, or get gloves with NO gel padding. They can be hard to find for road bikes, but many mountain bike gloves are pad free. Without the gel padding, you'll be more likely to change position more frequently and much less likely to rest all your weight on your hands.
I have huge problems with numb hands and I think your tips are spot on.
Initially I tried large diameter bars with lots of padding. But actually, less padding makes normal soreness more prevalent and that means more position changes which results in less chronic numbness.
your last remark is interesting. last week i did a 5 hours ride with gloves with very little padding. it went very good. this week i made the same 100km with gloves with quite a lot padding and i got numb fingers. its very well possible in hindsight, that i did not change hand positions for quite some time due to the gloves.
"Sore hands is my "Stop for a beer indicator!"
Definitely rotate hand positions on a long ride. I failed to do so and wound up temporarily paralyzing my hand. It's called ulnar neuropathy which is a muscular palsy caused by gripping your bars too hard in the same position for too long. Mostly it is due to putting too much weight on your hands/wrists. Hank is absolutely correct; rely more on your core. If you are getting sore hands, it is likely because you are getting whole-body tired and are falling back on bracing yourself through your arms onto your bars. Take a break. Or at least shift hand position for awhile. And for godssake stop leaning on your bars! It took me 3 weeks to regain full functioning of my hand.
Hope your hands are recovered :)
All great advice.. in additions have seen on several other video on bike fit and tried myself was the the BIGGEST FACTOR for me was adjusting fore-aft saddle position... my hand numbness problem is virtually completely gone!
Can do the trick that Hank did lifting hands above bars while pedalling at about threshold.. if you are balanced (combo of pushing on pedals, core and not too much weight cantilevered) you will be able to hold yourself up and not fall towards your bars (fall forward if seat too far forward).. and as a consequence you can test that you aren't supporting too much weight with your hands as a result. Was surprised at how well this actually worked. After getting yourself balanced then you might need to adjust for reach... so stem length, handlebar reach.. and width (if width wider than your shoulders, your hands go sideways instead of straight forward) will all contribute to reach. Going through this exercise has almost completely eliminated my hand numbness and saddle soreness as well!
Did you see Hank's hands in the intro?! So well groomed, so delicate, ...
don't forget saddle angle, too far forward will put more pressure on your hands
Totally agree. I forward tilted my saddle a bit too much so I could slam the stem and still get in the drops without numbing my manhood! Pressure on the hands was unbearable until I somewhat flattened the saddle. Solved!
These tips really do sound very useful. Will definitely try working on my core and double wrapping. Thanks!
No problem, glad you liked them!
I'm surprised this vid didn't say anything about seat position, if it's wrong you could be over balancing and in turn putting to much pressure on your bars through your hands to compensate. I'm a relatively novice rider, but from what i learned you're meant to be able to ride with very little pressure on your bars/hands, i'm still working on that balance myself :) .
Yesterday my left hand was numb for so long that I almost got an appointment with my orthopedist today... Thanks for this, guys
Red nails should go really well with the GCN's skinsuit 🧐
Along with bike fit, a shorter stem will help people who are between sizes like I am. Love y’alls videos!
Correct tilt of the saddle can make a big difference too, pointing down too much = more pressure on hands = more pain
A video on the best gloves to wear to prevent hand numbness would be great as well. Loved the advise in this video. Thanks!
Thanks for the idea craig, glad that this has helped you :)
I really like Hanks nail polish. It really matches the GCN kit.
it does match very nicely
Great (finger) tips, thank you :)
Could we see some pointers for riding safely in traffic? Great to see lots of newbies on the roads but they look a little nervous and unpredictable
Maxed out my frames tire clearance with a pair of WTB exposure 32c. Best decision ever.
This Orbea is so beautiful!
Search anything bike-related and always end up here on GCN channel. :) Great tips. Thanks.
Glad to help!
As for me, I cut a rubber sheet shaped for my grip and laid it under the bar tape where I mostly place my hand. It's a commuter bike so the comfort brought by it being ergonomic easily outweighed the style losses.
On an MTB bike I suffered from numb thumbs too. Bought a pair of cycling gloves and problem solved. Cusion the ride and spreads the pressure over a larger surface. My wife suffers too (on a city E bike) she rides in the country. But she is anxious and grips the handle bars too firm. You start your video with that, so I will show it to her as she needs a neutral person to convince her from not doing that. Thanks for showing that.
I do suffer from numb hands after like 1,5 hours and I think it's caused by tilted saddle. I tilted my saddle a little bit because it felt better on drops, but now more weight is carried by my arms.
I have found that the main cause of numbness in hand is pressure on the medial nerve that enters the palm area via the valley between short abductor muscle of the thumb and the abductor muscle of the little finger. Twisting your hands slightly so your bar does not compress this area and so that the pressure is on either of the afore mentioned muscles instead helps. Also, hang your hands from your thumbs on the outside of the hoods is a nice variation on hand position.
Tubeless tyres, double wrapping and a redshift stem made a huge difference in damping out road buzz for me. The stem was the biggest game changer.
All good advice
A good cue as well as keeping you elbows bent/relaxed is to think about tuckin your elbows in towards your body. This has/should have the effect of engaging your pec muscles and relaxing your shoulders. It should then also trigger you external obliques to engage which means your core is engaged and supporting you. Activated external obliques also mean that your erector muscles in your spine can relax which should help deal with any lower back pain you might be experiencing. Its all about engaging the internal rotators to generate internal tourque in the body.
.... I know from personal experience this is a problem w/ multiple solutions. I had this problem on my roadbike and MTB/Hybrid bikes. After adjusting my road-bike ... stem height/length and angle of the drops ... but the final solution was "Buzz-kill" Harmonic Balancers in the ends of my "drops" as I ride on a lot of "tar/chip" roads that send lots of vibration up the front stem tube ( .... and I do ride a Domani 5.2 ...). For the MTB /Hybrid it was the "grips" ... they have "palm pads" ... what is important here is your wrist angle ... the grips need to be orientated so the the "palm pad" is the same as your fore-arm angle to the handle-bars. This means the "palm pads" are angled up by (20-30*) to take the pressure off of your wrists ... this means you can use a "soft" grip and just "push" the handle-bars ... gently ... try it out, but everyone is different ...
Thanks. You just gave me another reason to get those aero bars.
Gloves, hoods position are worth mentioning as well. If double wrapping is too thick then just use little extra pieces of bar tape under the pressure points before you wrap them.
Yes this is my problem on longer rides this summer. Tired palms even with double wrapped bars.
I might get those slick aero-bars!
I got some silicone padding, I think it was made by Trek especially for handle bars. This was about 15 year ago. Wrapped in bar tape it is the bees knees, still as good today.
It's not a GCN video without the mention of "25c" tyres
Until 2 months ago or so i still rode with 20c tyres, the only difference for me with 25c tyres is the confidence and a more wide contact with the ground.
Or 28mm😁
@@maartends6051 "Only difference?" Aren't you running much lower pressure though, which the 25c will allow you to do versus 20c? Giving much comfier ride over anything other than perfect road.
@@shanegeary only difference i find between 23 and 25 is the difference in grip when breaking
I love 25 c tires and now more bikes are coming with it as a default spec
No mention of gloves?
That's a good point - gloves don't really treat the cause of the problem though in many cases, they can extend the duration you can ride without soreness - but you were going to get sore hands without gloves you probably still will with them! Gloves can be great for preventing nasty cuts to your palms in crashes or for adding a little extra cushioning though, just be careful not to do them up too tightly or you'll find that causes sore hands too!
Global Cycling Network I don’t know. I think that gel gloves (like the ones from endura) do help against soreness compared to other gloves
I agree, Mark. Gel gloves are a much simpler option than changing your handlebars and double wrapping bars.
@@JosephLycett04 Of course they will help, but it's part of a bigger picture, at least in our experience - thanks for the suggestion!
@@Outsideville They just don't like the tan lines on their hands!
Get tips, I have been fighting with numb hands... I recently changed my grips to a wide flat grip and complimented this with a new pair of padded gloves with gel padding really makes a difference that takes pressure away from the critical area of carpal tunnel nerves... but also confess that my core still needs work...
Hi Hank Ken here . Switching from clinchers to tubeless no more numb hands or sore elbows or shoulders . I practice yoga everyday so my core is just fine thanyouverymuch .
I have a reconstructed hand from a previous accident. I find that gel under the bars plus padded gloves work well. Re riding MTB those of us old enough and wise enough to remember and still use bar ends have two hand positions to choose from.😉 Agree on wider tyres with lower pressure. My winter bike is a Specialized Roubaix on 28 mm tyres and has a super comfortable ride. Moving hand positions is also a good way to limit numbness/ pain as mentioned.
Thanks Hank. I do get one sore hand so will try one of your tips. Thanks mate.
Thanks Mike, glad we can help you out, hope they work for you
For multi-day endurance rides clip on aerobars/TT bars make a massive difference. They allow most of your weight to go via the arm supports rather than the hands, which largely solves the numb palms issue.
Love cylcling videos just what I need to get it going the blood I love it. I always watch these before I go out and get my body moving. I always watch one of these, and then put up my heavy playlist like Delta Parole, Three Days Grace, System and then I just go haaaaard!!!! Tactic hasnt let me down yet.
Bars being just slightly to wide can also be a problem putting pressure on the nerves body being out of good alignment. That was my issue. Plus MTB gloves helped as well. Loose at the wrist or it's all for naught.
Loving the red fingernail polish, Hank. Great match for the GCN kit!
Excellent tips GCN. Core is key I think, for me anyway, that and bars at the right height - I prefer the Gravel to Road posture, using the drops on straight sections where it feels safer to use them, occasionally shifting hands around on the hoods, and occasionally taking one hand off the bars. Like the GCN Crew, I tend not to wear gloves.
Gloves or mitts. For several reasons: Protection in the event of a crash. Sweat/snot removal. Some vibration protection, especially if you really need a gel layer. Your bar tape doesn’t get greasy and grotty nearly as quickly. (This one is close to the heart of anyone with white bar tape!) Not cool, maybe, but nor is losing all the skin off your hands when some white van muppet sends you down the road.
In 2016 I was suffering badly with pins and needles in my hands. Tried to fix as you discuss. Unfortunately I discovered that I had a circulation issue that required emergency surgery. All fixed by a RCA stent
My left hand and wrist were always a problem. Switched from Shimano to SRAM and it is now fine. Possibly because hand was always stationary with Shimano and now it is actively used for shifting.
I recently went to 25C tires makes a big difference.
I suffer from numb hands every so often. Bars are not too low, change hand positions and my padded mits help a little. Good excuse to get those aero flat bars and maybe that new carbon railed saddle ...
Yep.. loving the nails mate.. is it GCN Castelli red? Guess Si's hasn't been delivered yet!
yeah, we are waiting for Si's lost bet.
Hank's painting his nails these days. Quarantine stir crazy.
First thing i noticed too! Haha
Maybe hank isn't shy to show us his feminine side?
pretty sure thats mannon
I only get pain/discomfort in the "web" area between my finger and thumb, when descending.
I've tilted the bars up, so my arm and wrist are more aligned and I also wear mitts.
Which has helped a lot, but it's still not perfect.
Also, I always use the hoods. I'm not flexible enough yet, to use the drops.
Thanks GCN
My numb hands were solved by changing my saddle funnily enough.
Maybe the new saddle is more cushioned so lower or it's changed seating position i.e. closure to bars so less pressure on hands?
Interesting!
Global Cycling Network I was pretty chuffed!
Gary GB I think the wider saddle, shorter nose as well as seating position, saddle angle too pressure off of my hands/wrists that used to lead to numb hands. Thanks GCN for another great how to.
Exactly bro. It’s amazing how a proper fit and equipment besides the handlebars can make a huge difference. Saddles can change your posture that definitely plays a role in how much weight is on your wrists and hands.
I kept getting thicker gloves with more padding to solve this and it wasn’t working. One day I forgot my gloves and went out and it helped a ton, now I ride with no padding gloves and it helped a lot.
I trained for a fondo without gloves and a slammed stem. For the fondo I raised the stem 1cm and wore gloves. It was like riding a Cadillac.
Rev Grips has the new (and expensive) Pro Series Ergonomic Grip System. They supposedly absorb more vibration. There's a gap between the main sleeve and the bar that causes a kind of floaty feeling. They're the next set of grips I buy for either my road or mountain bike. They are advertised at $121, but I have seen them online for $89.95. Might be worth a try. More than my palms go numb. Sometimes numb fingers make it hard to hold onto the handlebars, which can be dangerous.
Damn Hank's nails were done so well in the beginning of this video, spot on! 💅
The double wrapping has helped me a lot along with a good pair of gel padded gloves but I still get numb hands after about 2 hrs of riding. my hands get so numb that I can't shift the gears.
i think pressure on the hands is unavoidable when riding slowly on a road bike. Because the geometery is designed for when you push hard on the pedals so that your legs pushing down effectively reduces load on your hands by rotating you backwards a bit. This wont be the case if you arent ride hard ;)
that slo mo grip in the beginning did it for me
I’m new to cycling and finding it hell - particularly the hand issue. If anyone has any additional tips, please get in touch.
Why doesn't the video talk about moving the saddle backwards in order to reduce pressure on the hands?
Aero bar extensions, as weird as it might sound it works.
Wearing gloves with gel padding really makes a difference. Doubling the bar tape becomes useless.
Choose gloves in the right size: you should be able to remove them effortlessly. Otherwise they can cut off the blood circulation at the fingertips.
I gripped so hard that I sprained my hand, so I went up a 5% hill for a minute in high gear because it was so numb that I couldn't change
Ouch!
@@gcn what abt tire pressure 🤔
We can set them at low so that it absorbs the bumps .
saddle setback is also somethn to look at....if too far will cause u to reach and put your hands in a the wrong position causing pain in hands and nuts
Take care of your hands!
I managed to compress the ulnaris nerve in my middle hand, so I'm dealing with a (probably temporary) partial paralysis of the 4th and 5th finger. It will take between a couple weeks and some months to recover.
This is a significant hindrance in every day life.
Make sure you spare yourself from that.
Hi!!I have the same numbness...and not strength in my 4th finger.
Are you better now?
@@musicmusic7209 yeah. After 2 months of watching my hand position, and anti-inflammatory drugs (Diclofenac) my hand is fine again
Red really suits those petit fingers 😁
If you run flatbar, try to put your brake levers more parallel to the ground. It puts more weight on your pedals than bars.
Strange the no word is said about positioning the saddle more to the back. This will definitely unload the hands.
Aim to move hands every 30 seconds. You prolly won’t adjust that much, but it’ll get you adjusting more than you normally do. Also, adjust your hoods so you can find an area on them where your wrists are straight.
Good strategy
Do all of these things, and then add the Pearl Izumi Attack Gloves to your kit. Changed my life! Not joking! One of the few gloves that address the MAIN problem with hand pain which is the nerve and tendon bundles BETWEEN the pads in your palm. Most cycling gloves put padding where you already have padding and muscle. These gloves put the padding in the middle.
Because of my job I split my time between two cities. A couple of years ago I bought two Specialized Roubaix bikes. One is in one city and the other in the second city. I have had a bike fit and both bikes are set up exactly the same. My Black Roubaix has a Tiagra group set and my Red Roubaix has a 105. For some reason my hands go numb on long rides on the Black Roubaix but I never have the problem on my Red Roubaix. I have noticed the 105 hoods are thicker than the Tiagra hoods. I also wear Giro gloves on the Tiagra and Specialized gloves on the 105. Which might also be a variable. My suspicion is the thickness of the hoods is the culprit. Thoughts?
You can swap the shifters without replacing the rest of the group probably.
... have you ever heard of "Buzz Kills" ??? They are an ol' trick ... they are a harmonic balancer that is inserted in the ends of the drop down handlebars. Go for the brass ones (20G's?) ... I think I payed $20.00 6-7 years ago when I purchased my Domani, new. A lot cheaper then buying a set of carbon fiber drop bars. And go tubeless so you can run the tires at lowwer pressures too ... added benefit ... NO flats ... I'm currently running Bontrager R2's (really nice tire, tracks well in the wet too), through I do want to upgrade to R3's when I wear these out, and save another 45g's per tire, remember that is "spinning" weight so it actual feels like more at speed ...
I use clip-on aero bars for rides of 100km and more. Takes all the pressure off my hands and is more aero.
Please do one for sore forefeet during long rides
Nice nail polish Hank. Matching the gcn kit and the bike! XD
I liked the colour Hanks fingernail polish.
Hankie Says Relax!!!! Nice! Now we need a video of "Hankie Goes to Hollywood"
Love the nails, do they help?
10 watts at least!
#1 Tip for sore hands : Bright Red Nail Job
lmao
If you have aluminium fork can upgrade to carbon fork as it has some bump absorption properties .
все доходчиво и просто
On my first long ride of 44km I didn't show any symptoms of numbness in my hands , but on my second long ride of 90km I did have numbness in my pinky and the one next to it, even two weeks on. unfortunately when i bought my flat bar on road /off road adventure bike they didn't do a bike fit. If I didn't intermittently use my own little palm up technique I think it would of been worse
A long time ago, my coach told me to keep my baby fingers out slightly when riding on the hoods. This actually works to keep the hands relaxed. Try it!
and wich fingers are baby fingers? - im not from uk
@@yooz3R Baby fingers are the smallest ones. This true all over the world :-).
Hi there. Thank you for your comment. Could you expand on your comment? Not sure I quite understand what you mean, but really want to.
As you are gripping the hoods, stick out your smallest fingers. Use only your thumbs and first three fingers to grip. @@variations3
Mountain bikers have bar ends so they can change position too. You could also install some triathlon bars.
what is the lowest PSI 25mm tyres can safely go?
You guys saved me.
Great tips on this video. Please do one for elbow pain as well, pretty please?!
We'll see what we can do Lily, hope you can sort yours out if you're experiencing it
I used to wear gloves and I’ve experienced numb hands. I’ve tried all kinds of gloves with padding in the palms. Nothing seemed to work. Recently I misplaced a glove and have been riding without them and have not experienced any more hand numbness.
Very good !
My fingers tingle and start to go numb and just associated it with carpal tunnel syndrome.I also used to get it when gripping steering wheel in the car and even pushing the kids in their pushchairs when they were younger.
Normally, switching positions and relaxing the grip prevents any issues, but going full gas in the drops in a aero position I tend to grip the bars harder than I should, and that's uncomfortable after about 45 minutes or so.
Dropping 10psi in the front wheel erased the problem for me.
Gloves?????? A must!
On the drops id let my wrist drop in toward stem and kind of lock out the joint which cut off circulation and gave me pins and needles. I make sure i keep wrists neutral like a fist now and problem solved