Sore hands

[Hawkeye_NZ]

Hi all,

I've just moved from Mountain Biking to Road and I expected there to be a difference in the type of vibration you get through the handle bars. But I'm finding with my road bike that I'm getting sore hands after riding for no more than 15mins, on stone chipped roads. I'm using an old pair of Scott gloves I was using on my MTB and the discomfort goes away shortly after I stop riding but does this sound right and it's something you get used to after a while or is there something wrong with my setup or do I need new gloves?

I'm totally new to the road bike side of things so any advice would be great!

 

[Jeff D.]

My dad had the same problem. He bought gloves that were much thicker and you could go to your local bike shop to buy a pair of dampeners that can be placed in the bars and they look like bar ends. My dad is about 230 and both of these things have helped him greatly. If this does not reduce the pain than you should go see a doctor.

Have you ever had a wrist injury or surgery.

Jeff

 

[vascdoc]

Hi all,

I've just moved from Mountain Biking to Road and I expected there to be a difference in the type of vibration you get through the handle bars. But I'm finding with my road bike that I'm getting sore hands after riding for no more than 15mins, on stone chipped roads. I'm using an old pair of Scott gloves I was using on my MTB and the discomfort goes away shortly after I stop riding but does this sound right and it's something you get used to after a while or is there something wrong with my setup or do I need new gloves?

I'm totally new to the road bike side of things so any advice would be great!

Try the K-wing handle bars by FSA.

 

[lugger]

Try raising your stem, but not beyond the maximum line. That will put more weight on your saddle (so try a Brooks saddle with springs) and less weight on your hands. If you need a very high stem, you can get a great one made by Nitto from Harris Cyclery, http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/stems/index.html. I use it.

My drop handlebars are about even with my saddle. If I need better aerodynamics, like when riding into the wind, I just go into the drops.

I doubt any gloves will help much. They all have very thin padding, even though they make fantastic claims about their gel padding. I wish they made gloves with thick dense padding and thick, hard real leather palms and cotton backs.

 

[MY02_STi]

Maybe you're grippingthe bars too hard . Try and relax and change hand positions frequently

 

[John M]

Hi all,

I've just moved from Mountain Biking to Road and I expected there to be a difference in the type of vibration you get through the handle bars. But I'm finding with my road bike that I'm getting sore hands after riding for no more than 15mins, on stone chipped roads. I'm using an old pair of Scott gloves I was using on my MTB and the discomfort goes away shortly after I stop riding but does this sound right and it's something you get used to after a while or is there something wrong with my setup or do I need new gloves?

I'm totally new to the road bike side of things so any advice would be great!

I don't think that it is just the gloves, but rather what you call the setup. I'd take a look at your body position on the bike. It may that you are positioned such that there is too much weight on your hands. Maybe moving the bars up higher or a shorter stem is needed. Maybe also that the saddle needs to be moved back to get your weight more over the rear wheel. It is hard to know without actually seeing you on the bike. Try getting someone with experience (local shop, bike club, buddy, etc...) to help take a look.

 

[Adam-from-SLO]

Maybe you're grippingthe bars too hard . Try and relax and change hand positions frequently

Thats what I was thinking ........ should not be choking the chicken out on the roads More hand positions is great/very useful to have.. especially over longer rides. I recommend Cinelli Spinacci's to everyone for this very reason... plus the increased aero position will help on decents- better the just having aero wheels advantage it gives the rider.

Also, as mentioned before.. your position on the bike might be the ticket. Is your saddle height high (like on a MTB) ?? Your saddle height should be about 2-3 inches higher then the top part of your stem - usually.

Also ... also, sure Gel gloves might help, but some Cinelli Cork Tape on the handlebars does wonders

What kind of frame/fork are you useing ?? Does it fit you properly ??

 

[mgagnonlv]

Thats what I was thinking ........ should not be choking the chicken out on the roads More hand positions is great/very useful to have.. especially over longer rides. I recommend Cinelli Spinacci's to everyone for this very reason... plus the increased aero position will help on decents- better the just having aero wheels advantage it gives the rider.

Also, as mentioned before.. your position on the bike might be the ticket. Is your saddle height high (like on a MTB) ?? Your saddle height should be about 2-3 inches higher then the top part of your stem - usually.

Also ... also, sure Gel gloves might help, but some Cinelli Cork Tape on the handlebars does wonders

What kind of frame/fork are you useing ?? Does it fit you properly ??

As others said, raising the bars or using a shorter stem (maybe at a steeper angle) to get the bars closer to you should help. Other solutions include :

– changing very slightly the angle of the bars, so the drops are more or less inclined;
– getting better gloves... it's not as much the amount of padding as the position of the stitches that makes a real difference;
– in more extreme cases, changing the bars, either for wider or narrower bars (depending on the position of your wrists), or for bars that flare out.

 

[alienator]

Follow what John M. said. Get to a fitter to make sure you're position on the bike is about where it should be. Raising stems, getting new gloves, or getting a new handlebar is mostly pointless if seat is too far forward. Making sure you're positioned correctly on the bike will not only make you more comfortable, but it will also improve your efficiency.

 

[neil0502]

Follow what John M. said. Get to a fitter to make sure you're position on the bike is about where it should be. Raising stems, getting new gloves, or getting a new handlebar is mostly pointless if seat is too far forward. Making sure you're positioned correctly on the bike will not only make you more comfortable, but it will also improve your efficiency.

Maybe I'm thinking about this wrong (please feel free to advise), but if the saddle is moved farther back, don't you put more weight on your hands?

IME, moving the saddle forward a bit (and, often, adjustments to tilt) puts you in a more upright position, tending to take weight off the hands.

In either case: to the OP: yes, you should get to a good fitter. Makes all the difference in the world.

 

[Dieseldan]

Try tipping the nose of your saddle up 1 to 2 degrees. This moves your weight distrubution to your backside from your shoulders and hands. There are also gel padding that goes under the bar tape that can help a great deal.

 

[alienator]

Maybe I'm thinking about this wrong (please feel free to advise), but if the saddle is moved farther back, don't you put more weight on your hands?

IME, moving the saddle forward a bit (and, often, adjustments to tilt) puts you in a more upright position, tending to take weight off the hands.

In either case: to the OP: yes, you should get to a good fitter. Makes all the difference in the world.

You're thinkin' about it wrong. If your body is too far forward, your arms support more of the weight. As you move the saddle back, you unload your arms. Do a little experiment: slide as far forward on your saddle as you can and see how much weight you feel on your hands, then slide back as far as you can and see the difference.

 

[Alpha]

Hi all,

I've just moved from Mountain Biking to Road and I expected there to be a difference in the type of vibration you get through the handle bars. But I'm finding with my road bike that I'm getting sore hands after riding for no more than 15mins, on stone chipped roads. I'm using an old pair of Scott gloves I was using on my MTB and the discomfort goes away shortly after I stop riding but does this sound right and it's something you get used to after a while or is there something wrong with my setup or do I need new gloves?

I'm totally new to the road bike side of things so any advice would be great!

Add some padding to the bars. You can get padding made for road bikes at your LBS.

 

[artemidorus]

Maybe I'm thinking about this wrong (please feel free to advise), but if the saddle is moved farther back, don't you put more weight on your hands?

IME, moving the saddle forward a bit (and, often, adjustments to tilt) puts you in a more upright position, tending to take weight off the hands.

In either case: to the OP: yes, you should get to a good fitter. Makes all the difference in the world.

Moving your saddle forward puts more weight on your hands and less on saddle and pedals.

 

[neil0502]

Moving your saddle forward puts more weight on your hands and less on saddle and pedals.

Hm. Ok. I stand corrected.

(Unless I dredge up that whole "Well, not in the Southern Hemisphere" bit )

 

[Hawkeye_NZ]

Hm. Ok. I stand corrected.

(Unless I dredge up that whole "Well, not in the Southern Hemisphere" bit )

Hey all,

Thanks for all the advice!

I've tried moving the seat back and thats helped quite a bit but I think I need to get the handle bars rasied too so will head down to a LBS and get that sorted and also a better fit all round this weekend.

Cheers all!