Hand/wrist pain: Is it the handlebars?

[kingrollo]

Might a bit of healing taking its time. Even though your position is correct right now - there might be a tad of inflammation hanging about from when the position wasn't suiting.

 

[slowmotion]

Try some mitts with gel pads. They reduce "road buzz" which can affect nerves in the hand/wrist.

 

[presta]

It used to have 120mm stem and it was much worse then, it's now 60 or 70mm that has helped a bit.

That's a strong hint that you may be supporting too much weight on your arms.

 

[Mburton1993]

That's a strong hint that you may be supporting too much weight on your arms.

Yes, I thought the same, the seat also used to be tilted far forward. So the stem was swapped and the seat was tilted back, but it can only be tilted so it so far back before back pain starts.

 

[a.twiddler]

How many miles in a day were you used to before your Chester trips? I wonder if it could be simply the sudden increase in mileage that is causing the discomfort rather than any positioning issues. How many miles would you do before you started noticing discomfort? If it was more than the daily mileage you had in mind for your Summer trip, perhaps it would be manageable.

 

[Mburton1993]

How many miles in a day were you used to before your Chester trips? I wonder if it could be simply the sudden increase in mileage that is causing the discomfort rather than any positioning issues. How many miles would you do before you started noticing discomfort? If it was more than the daily mileage you had in mind for your Summer trip, perhaps it would be manageable.

Not alot admittedly, week days about 8 miles but not every week day then between 20 and 30 miles at weekends. However I used to ride further during the week on another bike with bullhorns and experienced similar discomfort.

On the last ride I reckon I was about 26 miles in approaching Great Budworth, where the roads are 90% potholes.

 

[cougie uk]

I think if you jump the distance up like that then you can expect some aches and pains.

What PSI do you have in the 28mm tyres ?

 

[Mburton1993]

I think if you jump the distance up like that then you can expect some aches and pains.

What PSI do you have in the 28mm tyres ?

80/85 front, 85/90 rear.

 

[a.twiddler]

Over the years I developed numbness or tingling in the hands and I tried various things but never completely eradicated it. I used foam tape covered with handlebar tape and padded or gel mitts which gave the best (or least worst) results with shallow drop bars. The latest variety of bars I'd used were Nitto Randonneur bars though probably there is more choice of bars now with gravel bike bars in the mix. The thing about the randonneur bars for me that they had a slight upsweep from the stem clamp which gave another comfortable hand position. There's no magic bullet. Oddly, due to me developing neck pain more recently I found myself having to raise the bars, which also helped with the hand problem, but led to me needing to change my saddle as it then carried more weight. Perhaps a stem raiser or adjustable stem might work as an experiment rather than having to change your bars in the short term? A change at one end often affects fit somewhere else, though.

My most drastic change in the last few years was to take up riding recumbents which is a bit of an extreme solution when in all likelihood it will be a small change in position, or maybe just conditioning and more riding, that would make your problem less of an issue. I hope that's some help.

 

[Mburton1993]

Over the years I developed numbness or tingling in the hands and I tried various things but never completely eradicated it. I used foam tape covered with handlebar tape and padded or gel mitts which gave the best (or least worst) results with shallow drop bars. The latest variety of bars I'd used were Nitto Randonneur bars though probably there is more choice of bars now with gravel bike bars in the mix. The thing about the randonneur bars for me that they had a slight upsweep from the stem clamp which gave another comfortable hand position. There's no magic bullet. Oddly, due to me developing neck pain more recently I found myself having to raise the bars, which also helped with the hand problem, but led to me needing to change my saddle as it then carried more weight. Perhaps a stem raiser or adjustable stem might work as an experiment rather than having to change your bars in the short term? A change at one end often affects fit somewhere else, though.

My most drastic change in the last few years was to take up riding recumbents which is a bit of a drastic solution when in all likelihood it will be a small change in position, or maybe just conditioning and more riding, that would make your problem less of an issue. I hope that's some help.

For some reason only my right hand is effected (alot) by numbness. Both wrists ache over time due to what feels impact absorption and there's fiction on the base of each palm so they get pretty raw.

I too have tried a fare few different tapes, foams and gloves. But I've gotten a few more things to try out now from here, raiser or adjustable stem for one, cheers. Also maybe some new gel gloves, and maybe less but better quality padding.

 

[presta]

Yes, I thought the same, the seat also used to be tilted far forward. So the stem was swapped and the seat was tilted back, but it can only be tilted so it so far back before back pain starts.

See here.

What many don't seem to realise is that when you pick a riding position, and by that I mean pick a bike that dictates your riding position, you're also committing to the power output determined by that position, which is fine if you have the fitness to back it up, but if you don't it can be a recipe for hand problems as you support the excess weight on them.

You see a lot of advice along the lines of "You need to do this, because that's what the pro's do, and they're the experts", but the pro's are a lot fitter than most of us (and me in particular). I rode racing bikes for years, not because I was a racing cyclist, or even as fit as one, but because they were the fashion at the time when I started cycling. When I got my Horizon I was beginning to cotton on to the root of the problem, but I still hadn't looked at it in sufficient detail to enable me to get a more appropriate bike.

 

[cougie uk]

80/85 front, 85/90 rear.

I'd take about 10psi out of the front and see if that makes any difference.

 

[Mburton1993]

I'd take about 10psi out of the front and see if that makes any difference.

Will do.

 

[wafter]

Might be an illusion due to the shape of the bars, but to me the reach (at least to the section with the brake levers) seems far too much - this would be supported by your experience with reduced stem length. Typically the saddle should be flat, if possible move it backwards to decrease weight on the hands and if you can bring the bars back at the same time to reduce reach (which I appreciate might be difficult).

Anecdotally you should be able to ride with your hands "hovering" over the bars; i.e. in your normal riding position but without touching the bars - suggesting how little load should be supported by your hands during normal riding. Poor core strength might be another issue increasing load on the hands.

All that said 100 miles is a bloody long way and I'd expect such an amount of time in the saddle to really lay bare and exacerbate any otherwise insignificant issues. I've spent a lot of time setting my bikes up (typically to reduce reach with shorter stems / bars) and generally don't have any problems with my hands... but I don't cover the sort of distances you are.

Finally, given the limited choices for shortening the reach of your existing ride, might it be worth looking at a different bike completely? A lot of used stuff is dirt cheap currently..

 

[All uphill]

there's fiction on the base of each palm so they get pretty raw.

This stands out to me.

For your palms to get raw there must be a fair bit of movement and friction between your hands and the bars; that's a problem.

When you are in a comfortable position your hands should not be rubbing, they should just gently sit where you place them.

We haven't seen a picture of you on the bike but I guess that the reach to the ends of the bars is far too much for your core to comfortably support.

As others have said the possible solutions are;

Change bike
Change bars

Increasing your core strength might also work, but you probably can't achieve that on this bike.