Just changed to drops... and it hurts

[Bigsharn]

Bit of a weird one, I've just started to use drops (from flat bars), I *think* I've adjusted them fine, but my hands tend to hurt throughout any ride. I rest my hands on the bit above the brake levers (no idea of the name, it's green on the skillful paint diagram below) and my thumbknuckle down to my wrist is always in agony.

I can reach the brakes fine from this position so I stick to it where possible but it tends to hurt, and more often than not I find myself going back to the flat bits perpendicular to the stem (blue bits on the skillful paint diagram).

I would use the drops but I can't actually reach my brakes when I do, so save them for more rural rides.

Will this get any better or have I cocked up the fitting?



And, completely unrelated... What's the max weight you would consider putting on a front high-rider pannier? I like to carry as much water (in recycled bottles) as possible when out. Not only is it good for rehydration but it's good for adding weight and upping my own fitness level

 

[Sittingduck]

May I say, lovely graphics there

The green bits are called the hoods. Sounds strange that your hands are hurting, when you're on the hoods. This should be pretty comfortable. Do you have a pic of your bike so we can perhaps see the bars and position of them in relation to the saddle etc. and the general geometry of the bike?

 

[Maz]

Like sittingduck says, a picture would really help to get an idea of the bike's geomtery. e.g. maybe the seat's too high, which pushes your bodyweight over the hoods causing your hands to hurt. Is the bike the right size for you, etc.

 

[HLaB]

Bigsharn, if the diagram is accurate, what led you to site the hoods so far up your bar the lever are at an extreme angle? The guides I have seen suggest that the bottom of your levers should be inline with the bottom of your bars; then ajust from there. (i.e the green hoods should be further down the bars) taking them down a bit might stretch you out and make your hands more comfortable, itl'll also assist with reaching the levers when in the drops; the change of hand positions will help too. Ultiminately though if this is the first time you've tried them it take your hands and body time to get use to the new position.

 

[buggi]

my hands hurt when i got my first road bike. i found that they were fine on the bike but when off the bike, if i picked anything heavy up, i could feel the pull between my thumb and forefinger and it hurt quite a lot. (when i say heavy, i mean something about the size and weight of a medium size book about the size and weight of a standard bible which isn't really that heavy) i put it down to being a newbie and sure enough my hands are fine now. i "ride the hoods" most of the time and it is easier to brake from that position i find.

as said a side on photo would help so people could see exactly where your brakes are positioned, you don't want them too high or too low and, although your picture is entertaining, it's probably not exact.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Welcome!
First take a look at this regarding bike positioning and set-up:

http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/fitting.htm

Photos of your bike, or you on it would be even better.

It does take time to get properly set-up and get your body used to the strange position, your core and back muscles should hold your body up if you're properly balanced, the weight should not be on your hands.
Padded gloves also required in any case.
Cheers
FF

 

[GrasB]

Sounds like the pain I have with Shimano STIs. No amount of adjustment will let me get a comfortable hood position with them. I discussed this problem with my physiotherapist & they recommended me a place to get a bike fit. After going through a basic body geometry fit my hands were in pain, at which point they put on SRAM leavers on the 'bars. Problem solved, no pain even though we worked through the fit to a more aggressive body position.

There's no fundamental reason you should need padded gloves, you might prefer to use them to help reduce road buzz but if the bike fit is right there shouldn't be a problem riding without padded gloves.

 

[Bigsharn]

Sorry it's taken so long, I've only just got back from work

That's the bike, it's a 21.5" and I should be riding a 23", but I guess the two inches won't make all that much difference.

A better look at the drops:

Which the brake lever tips are very close to being perpendicular the bottom of the drops, as HLaB said. I did actually buy this bike from a fellow CCer, it's just I'm used to a flat bar bike so sorry if there's any confusion there


And a photo of my saddle

I'm guessing this isn't set up properly, but this stops me sliding down the saddle and it's comfortable.


I can't get one of myself on the bike as there's nobody to take one (and leaving my phone propped up on a self-timer on a gatepost is just asking for it to go walkies)

 

[Crackle]

Do your hands 'feel' twisted. Personally my hoods face in as this is more natural to my hands. Perhaps twisting them in or out, whichever feels natural will help.

Also, as FF says, do you have padded gloves. If you don't a proper pair of cycling gloves might help.

Finally, if it still hurts off the bike get some Ibuprofen gel to rub onto the muscle and help it settle down. It may be a case of getting used to it as well.

 

[brockers]

My 2 cents. Your hood position looks perfect to me. (I have mine level to the ground and have no idea where the bottom of the brake levers are with respect to the drops - some others have them tilted at an angle as in your diagram, which looks plain ugly to me, and suggests that the stem is too long, which isn't the case with your set-up). As your body-weight shifts forward when using drops and hoods compared to flat bars, more weight does get thrown forward onto your wrists, so I'm thinking that you might just be bringing muscles and tendons into play that have not really been stressed before. Slightly o/t, but whenever I used to switch from upright trail-type motorbikes to more race oriented ones, my wrists would ache for a couple of weeks until my muscles/tendons adapted.

Your frame size looks about right with that amount of seat-post showing too - unless you have it too low. As a rough guide, multiply your inside leg (crotch to floor - not trouser size) by 0.65 to get a rough frame size. So for a 23'' (58cm) frame (measured from the centre of the bottom bracket axle to the middle of the top tube along the line of the seat tube) your inside leg would be about 88cm.

On further inspection, your frame looks like it's about a 23''. Are you sure it's a 21.5''?

 

[Fab Foodie]

On further inspection, your frame looks like it's about a 23''. Are you sure it's a 21.5''?

I'm glad you said that because I thought exactly the same.
The quill stem is alo at max height for safety I'd say too
The other thing is that they look like very big drop bars, maybe investing in something more compact may be beneficial.
I'd also look at moving the saddle rearwards a bit and see how that goes, you may not slide quite so far forward then (putting weight on your arms and hands) and could start to level it out a bit. Brooks saddles are often OK like that though!

 

[Zoiders]

There is nothing wrong with wider drops such as 42's, 44's or even 46's. I ride 44s on a 56 cm frame and there is no way on earth I would be comfortable on set of the weeny 36/38/40s that I see some people continuing to use these days.

 

[brockers]

Not sure if your post is in response to FabFoodie's, Zoiders, but by compact bars FF means these. Irrespective of drop size (measured from the flats at the top to the hooks at the bottom), I ride 40cm bars, as I have a very narrow aerodynamic physique, and being somewhat short-arsed, use a 53 cm frame. BigSharn's Galaxy appears to have relatively big old-skool 150+mm drops. 135mm is now the baseline normal drop, and compacts are usually 125mm.

 

[Tynan]

them handlebars llok very tipped forward compared to what I have, that would chime with OP having to reach and slide forward surely?

adjusting the saddle to prevent that is a warning sign surely that either the reach or angle is all wrong?

 

[Fab Foodie]

Not sure if your post is in response to FabFoodie's, Zoiders, but by compact bars FF means these. Irrespective of drop size (measured from the flats at the top to the hooks at the bottom), I ride 40cm bars, as I have a very narrow aerodynamic physique, and being somewhat short-arsed, use a 53 cm frame. BigSharn's Galaxy appears to have relatively big old-skool 150+mm drops. 135mm is now the baseline normal drop, and compacts are usually 125mm.

Correct!



And Tynan (Hi, long time no see!), I'd also agree with your thought too.