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Conference noted::bicycle

Title: Bicycling
Notice:Bicycling for Fun
Moderator:JAMIN::WASSER
Created:Mon Apr 14 1986
Last Modified:Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:3214
Total number of notes:31946

1335.0. "Hands ar killing me!" by NWD002::OBRIENKE () Tue Oct 10 1989 20:25

    I can't seem to get my hands comfortable on the handlebars.  My
    fingers get numb and I generally just have an uncomfortable feeling.
    I have Spenco grips.
    
    Is there anything in my bike setup that my be causing this?  I'd
    like to try a few things before I:  1) give up biking 2) see a doctor
    or 3) see a psychiatrist (maybe this is all in my head not hands).
    
                                       
    ...Kevin
T.RTitleUserPersonal
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1335.1Gloves AND grips work for me!NCPROG::PEREZJust one of the 4 samurai!Wed Oct 11 1989 02:3223
    I had the same problem.  When I rode more than about 8-10 miles my
    hands bothered me a lot.  Tingling fingers, numbness, whole hand felt
    like it was asleep.  I couldn't hold a pencil for a long while after
    finishing a ride.
    
    I had the SPENCO grips too, but when the folks at the shop checked out
    my position then found a couple things:  1.  I had the seat too far
    back so I was carrying too much weight on my hands (and coincidentally
    not positioned properly over the pedals), 2.  my handlebars were
    considerably too narrow.  Correcting these two things helped a lot. 
    
    But, I found as I started riding farther I still ran into problems. 
    So, I bought a pair of the Spenco gloves.  Using these with the Spenco
    grips I have ridden 40+ miles several times with NO hand
    problems.  It is like night and day.  
    
    The only problem I can see with this setup is that with the bulky grips
    and the bulky padded gloves, you need LARGE hands to get around the brake
    levers.  I haven't had any problem, but if your hands are small you
    might.
    
    good luck
    Dave P.
1335.2go for the glovesLEVERS::LANDRYWed Oct 11 1989 11:4211
>    
>    The only problem I can see with this setup is that with the bulky grips
>    and the bulky padded gloves, you need LARGE hands to get around the brake
>    levers.  I haven't had any problem, but if your hands are small you
>    might.
>    

	If you have to pick one - get the gloves!  They're expensive but
	they really do the job.  They completely fixed my numbness problem
	even with normal bars with non-padded tape.

1335.3See Note #129 - NUMB NOVICEGSFSWS::JSMITHSupport Bike Helmets for KidsWed Oct 11 1989 12:071
    	
1335.4TRY AERO BARSSAGE::MCDONNELLMon Oct 16 1989 17:3816
    This may be way off base for your type pf riding, but until this
    summer I'd always used regular drop bars, like most of the rest
    of you, I imagine. But then I bought a new bike and had Scott aero
    bars installed. With the Scotts, or any other aero, NO weight falls
    on your hands. It's all on your forearms just below your elbows.
    In fact, your hands are completely loose. But the tradeoff -- isn't
    there always a tradeoff -- is that now I feel more stress on the
    back of my neck, because the aero bars place your upper body more
    parallel to the road. Still, it's not as bad a numb hands. And there
    is little pain to your forearms, even on long rides, because the
    bars come with substantial padding where it counts. And the control
    is surprisingly stable, considering the fact that both hands and
    arms are MUCH closer to the stem than where most riders grip drop
    bars.
    
    Ken