Hand pain, tried the usual, nothing helps. Can you?

bryanska · Apr 14, 2005

I have hand pain. This has been a problem since I bought my rig last
year, and approx. 100 miles hasn't acclimated me to it. I'm a
newbie to road cycling. It's a real problem and I don't think I can
ride the 150-miler I have scheduled in June.

It is not tingly or numb pain. My carpal nerve is never irritated.
Rather, it feels like I'm being pushed from behind when I'm on any
part of my road handlebars. Too much weight?

On the brake hoods, the webs of my hands feel "jammed" toward me and my
thumb & forefinger feel split. In the drops it feels like I'm pushing
horizontal poles into a wall. On the straights (top part of the bars) I
get some relief, but not much. I can't stay in any position for more
than a mile. Two miles in one position has me shaking the pressure out
of my hands. When I move my butt back and hang off the rear of the
seat, I get some relief. Only constant spinning brings lasting relief.
I keep my elbows bent. I suppose my back could be more arched.

I have good gloves. Double-padding the bar helped a little but not
much. I used an online fit calculator and it seems my bike is within a
couple cm of the right dimensions.

My rig is a 1992 Schwinn Tempo I bought last year with less than 50
miles. The bars are standard non-ergo drops, narrower than modern ones,
but I have narrow shoulders. The stem is a Cinelli 1A expansion-style,
not quill. The brakes are original Shimano 150s with rubber hoods that
aren't as long as modern bikes, so I can barely wrap the first two
fingers underneath. I have clip pedals and a correct leg bend.

I've tried the usual remedies. Suggestions are appreciated. I wonder
if the top tube is too short? The fit calculators don't think so.
Maybe higher handlebars? They're currently level with the seat (I'm
a shorter guy, 5'8").

I've sunk enough money ($450) into just trying roading, to see if I
want to buy a serious bike and clothing in a year or so. I don't
think I can buy a new bike right now but don't want to sit out the
season.

Thanks to this awesome group. You've already convinced me to give
this sport a shot.

Martian Biker · Apr 14, 2005

http://sheldonbrown.com/pain.html

Seems like an issue about upper body posture?

bryanska · Apr 14, 2005

Thanks for replying - I've seen that article. I adhere to most of it,
but I should ask all of you -

Are you constantly pulling up with your back when you ride? If so, can
people really ride 80+ miles/day like that?

If that's the case, it seems that's the only posture aspect I'm not
doing right.

bentbrian · Apr 14, 2005

Martian Biker said:
http://sheldonbrown.com/pain.html

Seems like an issue about upper body posture?

If all else fails get a recumbent. No pain, more fun.

jhas · Apr 14, 2005

As I recall, Peter White has a good article on fit, including some sage
advice on moving th e saddle back to relieve hand pressure

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

jj · Apr 14, 2005

On 14 Apr 2005 10:43:51 -0700, "bryanska" <[email protected]> wrote:

>Thanks for replying - I've seen that article. I adhere to most of it,
>but I should ask all of you -
>
>Are you constantly pulling up with your back when you ride? If so, can
>people really ride 80+ miles/day like that?
>
>If that's the case, it seems that's the only posture aspect I'm not
>doing right.

When riding on the hoods, riding briskly, you pass another cyclist going
the other direction. You raise your left hand to wave. What happens to your
line?

jj

maxo · Apr 14, 2005

On Thu, 14 Apr 2005 14:27:43 -0400, jj wrote:

> When riding on the hoods, riding briskly, you pass another cyclist going
> the other direction. You raise your left hand to wave. What happens to
> your line?
>
> jj

Well, if she's really cute, I can't remember it.

X-)

badoomtisch.

Dane Jackson · Apr 14, 2005

bryanska <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> On the brake hoods, the webs of my hands feel "jammed" toward me and my
> thumb & forefinger feel split. In the drops it feels like I'm pushing
> horizontal poles into a wall. On the straights (top part of the bars) I
> get some relief, but not much. I can't stay in any position for more
> than a mile. Two miles in one position has me shaking the pressure out
> of my hands. When I move my butt back and hang off the rear of the
> seat, I get some relief. Only constant spinning brings lasting relief.
> I keep my elbows bent. I suppose my back could be more arched.

I had this exact same problem when I moved to my most recent bike. It
was a little less severe, but your description is spot on.

Your brake hoods are most likely too far forward.

Try loosening the clamp on your bar and tilting it up some. If that
helps (as I suspect), try moving the brakes levers/brifters further up
the bar. Alternatively you might try a shorter stem.

--
Dane Jackson - z u v e m b i @ u n i x b i g o t s . o r g
Cats are smarter than dogs.
You can't make eight cats pull a sled through the snow.

jj · Apr 14, 2005

On Thu, 14 Apr 2005 18:57:14 GMT, maxo <[email protected]> wrote:

>On Thu, 14 Apr 2005 14:27:43 -0400, jj wrote:
>
>> When riding on the hoods, riding briskly, you pass another cyclist going
>> the other direction. You raise your left hand to wave. What happens to
>> your line?
>>
>> jj
>
>Well, if she's really cute, I can't remember it.
>
>
>X-)
>
>badoomtisch.

We'll be here all week. Please tip your waitresses.

jj

David L. Johnson · Apr 14, 2005

On Thu, 14 Apr 2005 10:43:51 -0700, bryanska wrote:

> Thanks for replying - I've seen that article. I adhere to most of it,
> but I should ask all of you -
>
> Are you constantly pulling up with your back when you ride?

No, of course not.

> If that's the case, it seems that's the only posture aspect I'm not
> doing right.

I still bet on saddle angle.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | Some people used to claim that, if enough monkeys sat in front
_`\(,_ | of enough typewriters and typed long enough, eventually one of
(_)/ (_) | them would reproduce the collected works of Shakespeare. The
internet has proven this not to be the case.

Gooserider · Apr 14, 2005

Raise the bars, raise the bars, raise the bars. Getting your bars higher and
closer to you will help get the weight off, which will help you a bunch. I
don't know exactly what type of stem you need, but a taller one with a
shorter reach is a good idea.

Gooserider · Apr 14, 2005

"Dane Jackson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> bryanska <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> > On the brake hoods, the webs of my hands feel "jammed" toward me and my
> > thumb & forefinger feel split. In the drops it feels like I'm pushing
> > horizontal poles into a wall. On the straights (top part of the bars) I
> > get some relief, but not much. I can't stay in any position for more
> > than a mile. Two miles in one position has me shaking the pressure out
> > of my hands. When I move my butt back and hang off the rear of the
> > seat, I get some relief. Only constant spinning brings lasting relief.
> > I keep my elbows bent. I suppose my back could be more arched.
>
> I had this exact same problem when I moved to my most recent bike. It
> was a little less severe, but your description is spot on.
>
> Your brake hoods are most likely too far forward.
>
> Try loosening the clamp on your bar and tilting it up some. If that
> helps (as I suspect), try moving the brakes levers/brifters further up
> the bar. Alternatively you might try a shorter stem.

You mean shorter reach, I assume. I think if the OP gets his bars close to
even with his saddle height he'll notice a big difference.

Dane Jackson · Apr 14, 2005

Gooserider <[email protected]> wrote:
> "Dane Jackson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>>
>> Try loosening the clamp on your bar and tilting it up some. If that
>> helps (as I suspect), try moving the brakes levers/brifters further up
>> the bar. Alternatively you might try a shorter stem.
>
> You mean shorter reach, I assume. I think if the OP gets his bars close to
> even with his saddle height he'll notice a big difference.

You are correct. I should have been more specific that I meant a laterally
shorter stem, not raising it higher. Though that might help also if he has
too far a drop. I had no problem hanging out in the drops or the top of the
bar, but I had problems anytime I was on the hoods.

--
Dane Jackson - z u v e m b i @ u n i x b i g o t s . o r g
"I'll carry your books, I'll carry a tune, I'll carry on, carry over,
carry forward, Cary Grant, cash & carry, Carry Me Back To Old Virginia,
I'll even Hara Kari if you show me how, but I will *not* carry a gun."
-- Hawkeye, M*A*S*H

Mike Jacoubowsky · Apr 14, 2005

> I still bet on saddle angle.

I second that. I get people bringing in bikes for repair all the time with
saddles nose down. I ask them if they don't feel a bit of tension in their
shoulders when they ride. They'll often get a bit defensive and say yes, why
would I know that? Then I explain how a downward-tilting saddle is shoving
them into the bars, so they're spending the entire ride pushing back with
their arms & shoulders to maintain position.

--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA

"David L. Johnson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news

[email protected]...
> On Thu, 14 Apr 2005 10:43:51 -0700, bryanska wrote:
>
>> Thanks for replying - I've seen that article. I adhere to most of it,
>> but I should ask all of you -
>>
>> Are you constantly pulling up with your back when you ride?
>
> No, of course not.
>
>> If that's the case, it seems that's the only posture aspect I'm not
>> doing right.
>
> I still bet on saddle angle.
>
> --
>
> David L. Johnson
>
> __o | Some people used to claim that, if enough monkeys sat in front
> _`\(,_ | of enough typewriters and typed long enough, eventually one of
> (_)/ (_) | them would reproduce the collected works of Shakespeare. The
> internet has proven this not to be the case.
>

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Hand pain, tried the usual, nothing helps. Can you?

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