# Sore wrists



## Capt. Jon (24 Feb 2008)

I've just started road riding (to improve my off-road fitness and to ride the Northern Rock Cyclone in June) and notice i get sore wrists. Is this something that will fade as i ride more and my muscles/joints get stronger? Or should i look to do something about it (new gloves... extra tape... specific exercises...)?


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## stevenb (24 Feb 2008)

Capt. Jon said:


> I've just started road riding (to improve my off-road fitness and to ride the Northern Rock Cyclone in June) and notice i get sore wrists. Is this something that will fade as i ride more and my muscles/joints get stronger? Or should i look to do something about it (new gloves... extra tape... specific exercises...)?



I got sore wrists when I came back to cycling in September.
I had been off road a few times prior to this (around August time when I got my MTB) and suffered sore wrists them.
They will get stronger. Also frequent changing of hand positions on the bars will help. You also learn to judge bumps and rough road surfaces so you can brace yourself better (if you cant avoid it).
I thought I'd fractured one of my wrist bones a while back but it was just sore tendons and not allowing enough time to recover.
Now they are much stronger.


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## Capt. Jon (24 Feb 2008)

Thanks. That is pretty much what i figured. Never had a problem when mountain biking, but i guess it'll take some time to get used to the different bars etc.


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## stevenb (24 Feb 2008)

Its surprising just how much of a battering your wrists take on the road.
I think some nice paded gloves (Specialized Body Grrove ones are very good) will certainly help improve comfort too.


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## Steve Austin (24 Feb 2008)

Don't wrestle the bars. MTBers are all the same, Roadbikes need treating with care and don't need manhandling like MTB's


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## fossyant (24 Feb 2008)

My right wrist has been suffering for a fair while - thought it might be MTB STI trigger finger using the MTB for commuting..but that's recovered and it's moved on to lack of hand mobility without pain first thing in the morning.

It's not bad on the bike, just a dull ache (road or MTB) but gets painful if not 'moved' for a while - i.e. when sleeping - it's on the 'top' of my wrist which is odd. Might try cod liver oil and some ibuleve gel and put up with it.


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## Tynan (24 Feb 2008)

as a man with a crocked wrist from a football injury a long long time ago, look after your wrists


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## Capt. Jon (24 Feb 2008)

Steve Austin said:


> Don't wrestle the bars. MTBers are all the same, Roadbikes need treating with care and don't need manhandling like MTB's



Easy with the stereotypes there


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## fossyant (24 Feb 2008)

With road bikes - you actually put very little weight on the bars, I think it's my MTB causing the issues with me, but as the traffic has been heavy, I've not been using the bar ends as often. Two sets of new winter gloves (MTB style and road style) from Decathlon at less than half price today....I'm happy- hope the wrist is too (lighter weight ones than my Altura Night Visions), as my light weight gloves have given up.


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## Tynan (25 Feb 2008)

I use a neoprene wrist sock, keeps it warm, increases blood flow, relieves the sore, comes with an elastic strap that supports the wrist when wanted

even if you only wear it at night it really works

vulcan is a good make, ditto ankles


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## Fab Foodie (25 Feb 2008)

Welcome Capt.

Try a bit of saddle position adjustment. Move it rearwards a bit, hopefully you will become a bit better 'balanced'. The position on a road-bike is a bit more extreme than an MTB, your lower back needs to support your torso more, but you should not have a lot of weight on your wrists. You should almost be able to ride by finger-tips on the bars. The exception is TT bikes where a pitched-forward position is more usual.


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## Over The Hill (26 Feb 2008)

I had really bad wrist problems while riding my MTB on the road. I think that the way it is set up you are pushed over the bars a bit more and so are always hanging on to them tightly. 

I got a racing bike with drop bars and had in mind that if I really had more problems I would get a tri-bar setup on it to rest my wrists on and give me lots of arm positions but I have found that all the pains has gone away and I am fine just with drop bars. 

This does seem a bit odd as you would think with a racing bike you are more on the handlebars as you are bent over more, but as others have said you are on a much lighter touch with the road bike.


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## ColinJ (26 Feb 2008)

I use Campagnolo shifters and find them uncomfortable when set up 'classically' i.e. with bottom of drops parallel to the ground and levers perpendicular to the ground (straight edge along bottom of drops just touches ends of levers). This results in the flat part on top of the shifter hoods also being parallel to the ground. When I look at my wrists when seated in the saddle and riding with my hands on the hoods set up this way, I can see that my hands are not in a straight line with my forearms - my hands have rotated forwards slightly. I find my wrists uncomfortable in this position on long rides.

After a year or two putting up with sore wrists, I noticed that a lot of pro riders seemed to have abandoned the 'classical' Campag hood setup and had their shifters positioned higher up the bars. This has the effect of tilting the tops of the hoods back so that the hands can rest on the hoods more comfortably without putting so much pressure on the wrists. I adjusted my bike setup that way and it has made a big difference to my comfort on the bike. It also effectively raises the hands slightly and I find that position on the bike produces less strain on my back.

I don't know if you use Campag or Shimano? I think Shimano shifters are less prone to the problem because their hood design is more comfortable (it has a more upright section at the front). Having said that, it might still be worth experimenting with your shifter positions even if you use Shimano.


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## ASC1951 (27 Feb 2008)

As others have pointed out, the road bike position isn't the same as MTBs. The wrong position will hurt a lot more, too, because you're generally on the bike for longer and don't stand up or move about as much as off-road.

As to specific exercises, here's one from my physio which cured my sore forearms a couple of years ago. Sit in a chair with an arm rest and position your arm so that the wrist bones are just beyond the end of it. Hold a 16oz tin of beans/whatever lengthways between your thumb and little finger. Keeping your arm flat, steadily lift and lower the hand to full extension and keep repeating it until you get bored with what's on the telly.

After three weeks of building up to 50 reps on each wrist before it hurt, my sore forearms were back to normal and I've never had the problem since.


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