Painful hands...

[mickle]

One of the most common causes of wrist pain is a maladjusted saddle. Your saddle is designed to support the greater proportion of your body weight. It can only do this effectively if it's absolutely level. If it's nose up every push on the pedals will push you backwards off it and you'll struggle to put any power down. Nose down causes your arse to creep off the front of the saddle and the only way to resist this is by pushing back off the bars. This obviously adds to the weight of your upper body which is already being transferred through your wrists. If your saddle isn't comfortable when it's absolutely flat then either you're on the wrong saddle, or it's the wrong height or your cycling shorts aren't doing their job. (Or .. your arse just needs a few more miles to toughen up).

It might also be that your bars are in need of adjustment, whether height, reach, angle or placement of the brake levers on the bar. As a novice our tendency is to simply adapt to the bike's original set-up, because we don't have a clear idea of what it's supposed to feel like. When you have a few more miles under your wheels you'll have a much better picture of what the bike should feel like. Don't accept the shape of the bike as a given, be prepared to make tweaks until you're 100% happy - even if that takes several months, and maybe even changing one or more components. Adjust your position on the bars regularly whilst riding. Invest in some gloves. (Or .. maybe your wrists need a few more miles to toughen up).

 

[ADarkDraconis]

I am in agreement with the majority here, fuss about with your stem and handlebar setup and the general fit of the bike. It sounds like you are most likely putting too much of your weight on your hands. Believe it or not even small changes can make a big difference! I got a new saddle and in tweaking it and raising it I found I also needed to raise my handlebars just a bit because I had some unwanted pressure and could feel that it would be a major pain if endured daily.

When you are on the bike, do you feel yourself sliding or falling forward? Are you feeling pressure on your wrists or your palms? Is your discomfort an ache or tender or more like a numbness? Do you feel overextended when you sit on the bike?

It's all good and well to look pro or want to have the setup and image of a 'proper' cyclist, but people, even cyclists, come in all shapes and sizes. Don't sacrifice comfort because you feel that is what riding a bike is supposed to be like!

 

[mickle]

Also, it's important that the relative positions of the contact points allows you to maintain a slight bend at the elbow, comfortably for long periods of time. Straight arms transfer more shock impact through the joints. Think of it as allowing the bike to buck wildly around under you whilst your upper body remains relaxed and steady. Release your death grip of the bars and loosen up a bit.

 

[vickster]

Are your handlebars the correct width and the hoods correctly positioned so your wrists are in a natural position when on the hoods (probably most of your riding time)

 

[Marazzi Mick]

I had that a lot when I first started. You’re too close to the handle bars. Get fitted to your bike it’s well worth it. Also make sure you shake your hands out every now and then that helps a lot too. Saddle soreness will go in a few weeks never to return again.

Thanks for the tips and pointers....

 

[Marazzi Mick]

What sort of tyres and pressures are you running and how heavy are you + the bike? If you've got the front tyre pumped up rock hard in relation to the load the wheel is carrying you can expect a hell of a lot of vibration to be transmitted up from the road surface, and that soon becomes pretty unpleasant. On a regular bike with normal weight distribution, the front tyre needs to be run at a good bit lower pressure than the rear.

I’m running at 100psi front and rear and weigh just under 14 stones. I’m going to drop the front to 85psi and see if that helps? Thanks for the advice...

 

[Marazzi Mick]

I too had pins and needles in both hands . What I done to help it was swap my 100mm stem which was slammed to an 80mm stem turned up .the bikes a tad twitchy with the 80mm stem but the pins and needles is gone. I still give plenty of hand movement so there is no constant pressure on them

Hi Trigger,

I’m going to try a reduced tyre pressure on the front first and then experiment with the stem and riding position. It seems to be painful from the inside of my wrists to the thumb area. I’m probably not used to being in the same position for the best part of 2 hours.

Thanks

 

[Marazzi Mick]

Used to get painful hands whilst riding, but not afterwards.
Sometimes just a little pins & needles, that would so turn into pain and often a numb sensation. Shofting my hands around didn't seewm to help too much for me.

I did do three things though that helped a lot (even if just phscyologically)...
1) Bought better padded gloves (fingerless and full length depending upon time of year)
2) Reduced the PSI in front tire a little
3) Learnt to notice when the uncomfortable feeling was starting and conciously reduced the force & weight I was applying through my arms and hands. Suppose that means engaging my core more. Admittedly I don't have much strength there, but even a little helped.

Number three helped me the most I think... but I'm still working on getting better at it.

Thanks - all really sensible tips which I am going to try on my next jaunt.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

I’m running at 100psi front and rear and weigh just under 14 stones. I’m going to drop the front to 85psi and see if that helps? Thanks for the advice...

You haven't said what width tyres you are running or if you are including the weight of the bike as well as you, but 100 psi even in the rear seems a bit high.
I've got a 23 year old flat-bar Raleigh Pioneer running Schwalbe Delta Cruiser+ in 700 x 35C size, and the combined riding weight of me + clothing + bike is about 230 lbs or 16 stone 6 lbs. I run them with around 75 psi in the rear and 60 psi in the front, assuming a 40/60 front/rear weight distribution. Theoretically I should run the front slightly lower, but I want to keep the tyre hard enough not to deform too much if I bump up a kerb or hit a pothole.

 

[MichaelW2]

First step is to analyse your overall fit and position, the location of your points of contact (pedal, saddle and bars). There are loads of guides, advice and professional fitters to help. Don't assume that you need a racing position. Many tourists cover long distances in a position intermediate between an aerodynamic racer and an upright city rider.
Second step is to look at the shape of your bars, their width and angle. Your wrists should be a neutral position with no twist in the arms. Your hands should be supported by a large area of grip in the palm of your hand, not the edge or bottom of your hands.
Third step is is pick gloves or mitts that work for you. This will not solve any issues with 1 or 2 but will add comfort.

 

[GuyBoden]

Handlebars being too low usually causes this complaint.

 

[gilespargiter]

Lot of good points made above. I find still after years I tweak and twiddle things a little according to what shoes I'am wearing and how I feel like riding at the time.
Of course none of us have actually seen your position - but can only go from your description of symptoms, I also note you say "don't even mention the saddle".

As a general observation, I have noticed that the current fashion is for very aggressive racing positions and it seems difficult to even persuade bike shops not to do this. These positions have the handlebars far to low for comfortable general riding and far to stretched out - especially for beginners. As mentioned above you need your arms slightly bent - this takes a good deal of shock from your shoulders and neck and helps you stay relaxed.

To try and alleviate your difficulties here are a few suggestions;

Firstly the saddle - always get this right first, then adjust the rest to fit this. As above for the reasons mentioned- level. If you move it back a little this will cause you to support your torso better and roll your hips back a little as you push the pedals. You should have no appreciable weight on any of your soft sensitive bits - this also applies to female riders -you should sit on your sit bones - this will take some pressure off your hands.
Raise the bars. I suggest even if you wish to ride hard/aggressively as a beginner at the most have them slightly lower than the saddle - this will help take weight off your hands. As you become a stronger rider and push harder you will support your torso better and can thus lower the bars a little more.
Then the reach. Suggest you start by adjusting the reach so that if you have the back of your elbow on the saddle peak your outstretched fingers just reach the top of the bars (your arms are within small limits of variation [approx S.D. 15 when mean is 100} in proportion to the distance between your shoulder and your hip), this will help you to be able to have a slight bend in your arms. This will help take shock out of your hands and shoulders and avoid neck pain.
Although it is true that different frame geometrys, particularly fork trail do make a difference to this, a whole heap of B.S. is talked about altering stem length - so long as the stem is in front of the steerer tube it doesn't make such a heap of difference how long it is, to the steering - much, much more important your reach is right. Having the reach right will give you extra control of steering in any event. Of course with the crude scaffold clamps usually used nowadays the ease and amount of adjustment possible is far less and often more expensive than when the headsets were properly made and had quill stems in the steerer tubes. It is possible to fit a quill stem to increase the possible adjustment if you need to.

Of course having fiddled about like this for a while as you accumulate knowledge of yourself and the riding you find most pleasing you will develop an idea of the exact type of frame geometry and size you would find ideal. I think most of us have more than one bike after a while.

I hope that gives you some specific information that will help you.

 

[Alan O]

There's plenty of wise advice there, but here's a thought...

If you were suffering saddle soreness, perhaps that made you put too much weight on your hands to take some off your bum? I suggest fixing one thing at a time - maybe have a few more rides until the saddle soreness wears off (which it can do remarkably quickly), and then see how your hands are going?

One thing I would definitely not recommend is changing multiple variables at the same time.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

There's plenty of wise advice there, but here's a thought...

If you were suffering saddle soreness, perhaps that made you put too much weight on your hands to take some off your bum? I suggest fixing one thing at a time - maybe have a few more rides until the saddle soreness wears off (which it can do remarkably quickly), and then see how your hands are going?

One thing I would definitely not recommend is changing multiple variables at the same time.

Take particular note of the last sentence. Changing multiple things randomly can easily introduce new problems, the source of which may not be obvious, leading to further fruitless changes in an attempt to rectify them..
A few months ago, I started regularly dong 1-2 hour rides on my old Apollo hack MTB, which is a rigid with a very stiff feeling hi-tensile frame. After about an hour I was getting shoulder and arm discomfort. First I raised the bars to the safety limit of adjustment, which helped a bit, but wasn't a total cure. Then I tilted the nose of the saddle up by the absolute minimum amount the basic adjuster would allow (no micro adjust on an Apollo!), as I figured the saddle was causing me to slide forward a little, and resisting this was putting more load on my arms. That made another small incremental improvement, no discomfort for maybe 1 1/2 hours rides afterwards. The final element was tyre pressure. I had been running 2" knobbly tyres @ 55 psi rear/45 psi front. I've tweaked these gradually, and I've now found that running 50 psi rear/40 psi front gives me less road vibration, especially up my arms through the bars, without any detectable increase in rolling resistance. This bike is never going to be a perfect fit for me, as I'd rather have a slightly bigger frame with a taller head tube, but I can now manage 2 hour rides before discomfort kicks in, which is good enough for a local beater that only owes me a Tenner anyway.

 

[gilespargiter]

I think it is quite right to say that randomly changing multiple variables is not much use. However ensuring that one marks/measures starting points is important. It is true that one can alter saddle height or handlebar height, then suck it and see. However if one, for example, moves the saddle back or forward without (in most cases) also changing stem reach - then it will be fairly pointless.
It is because of this twiddling that I particularly mentioned quill stems above. With an adjustable "riser" stem one can mess with bar position easily, both for reach and height. Once one has settled on the most ideal position, then aquire a fixed stem with the desired dimensions.