i have recently started mountain biking again after a few years off and am discovering that after about 60 mins my left hand and left side of my left foot is going numb......i have tried moving my hand and foot but to no avail .. i have tried loosening my trainers and gloves but still to no avail .........does anyone have any idea what may be causing this ( i must add that this has never happened before)and any possible solutions.......thanks in advance for any assistance
numbness when cycling
- Thread starter pepsi666
- Start date
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Manonabike
Über Member
I hear and read this a lot and it's always the left side. My guess is that it's something to do with your saddle, maybe its position.
Sleeping Menace
New Member
- Location
- UK
Ok.. left hand and left foot would be two different sources for the problems
Hand first:
Is the shifter and brake lever on the left side (both sides for that matter) positioned correctly? within easy reach? without having to contort your hand to change gears, or apply the brakes?
Assuming your UK based with the rear brake on the left, are you using the rear brake dominantly and possibly keeping your left hand in a bit different positon where it's easier to apply the brakes (ie: leaving a finger or two on the lever?)
Next time you go out.. take a serious look at the positions of your hands.. are they about equal? are shifters and brake levers equally spaced and positioned on each side?
If you're having no problems with your right hand.. Id' suggest it's an ergonomic issue.. For the sake of it..try taking a ride without gloves.. simply to eliminate the glove as being part of the problem.
As far as the numbness on the side of your foot - you've loosened the trainers,, have you tried riding with different ones? completely different shoes? See if for any reason that particular pair is putting pressure somewhere on your foot.
When you're riding .. look down.. are you keeping your feet in relatively the same position in relation to the crank? Or are they different? ie: one foot slightly toed in, the other toed out? It could also be possible that your saddle is a bit high..and if you, like many people, have one leg slightly shorter than the other.. this could be causing you to stretch your foot out a bit, or keep it in a different position than is ideal.
Next ride, try without gloves, and with a different pair of trainers, see if this helps one or both of the conditions.. and try to start narrowing down from there..
Good luck
........................
http://anotherdooratthe.endoftheinternet.org
Cycle related blog entries, including a few 5 minute reviews:
http://anotherdooratthe.endoftheinternet.org/category/cycling/
Hand first:
Is the shifter and brake lever on the left side (both sides for that matter) positioned correctly? within easy reach? without having to contort your hand to change gears, or apply the brakes?
Assuming your UK based with the rear brake on the left, are you using the rear brake dominantly and possibly keeping your left hand in a bit different positon where it's easier to apply the brakes (ie: leaving a finger or two on the lever?)
Next time you go out.. take a serious look at the positions of your hands.. are they about equal? are shifters and brake levers equally spaced and positioned on each side?
If you're having no problems with your right hand.. Id' suggest it's an ergonomic issue.. For the sake of it..try taking a ride without gloves.. simply to eliminate the glove as being part of the problem.
As far as the numbness on the side of your foot - you've loosened the trainers,, have you tried riding with different ones? completely different shoes? See if for any reason that particular pair is putting pressure somewhere on your foot.
When you're riding .. look down.. are you keeping your feet in relatively the same position in relation to the crank? Or are they different? ie: one foot slightly toed in, the other toed out? It could also be possible that your saddle is a bit high..and if you, like many people, have one leg slightly shorter than the other.. this could be causing you to stretch your foot out a bit, or keep it in a different position than is ideal.
Next ride, try without gloves, and with a different pair of trainers, see if this helps one or both of the conditions.. and try to start narrowing down from there..
Good luck
........................
http://anotherdooratthe.endoftheinternet.org
Cycle related blog entries, including a few 5 minute reviews:
http://anotherdooratthe.endoftheinternet.org/category/cycling/