Tingling hands- Are my bars too low ??



RAF_Groundcrew

New Member
Jun 4, 2006
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I have recently returned to cycling after a long absence, and now have a Carrera (Halfords store brand I think, UK brand) hybrid, 20" frame, 26" wheels with road tyres, and 14 gears.

I'm 6'2", 200 lb with 34" inside leg.

I quickly decided to change the saddle for one that has more padding, big improvement, I have Endura Humvee shorts, with padded seat, another improvement, and I have gloves with some padding on the palms, but my hands still get a numb tingling feeling, after only half an hour riding.

I think my bars might need raising, but am not sure, and the bars on my bike appear to need spacers to raise the height. My saddle is quite high, in my opinion, ball of foot on ground etc, and my knees and back are not troubled at all.

It seems to me that I might be putting too much pressure on my hands, has anyone else some input on this matter? I have raised the bars a little on the adjustable head, but my hands still go numb.
 
The problem may be position on the bike:
Bum on seat pads, do not sink into the middle of the saddle. Is it far enough back and the seat heigh enough?
Hands on bars, wrists straight, place a ruler over the back of the forearm to the first joint of the fingers, this should remain a straight line when griipping the bars. Do not "sink" into the bars, keep the wrists straight. (carpal tunnel problems)

Yes raising the bars may help, but more with the lower back. Buy your next bike from a good bike shop and save on medical bills.. :)
 
RAF_Groundcrew said:
I think my bars might need raising, but am not sure, and the bars on my bike appear to need spacers to raise the height. My saddle is quite high, in my opinion, ball of foot on ground etc, and my knees and back are not troubled at all.

It seems to me that I might be putting too much pressure on my hands, has anyone else some input on this matter? I have raised the bars a little on the adjustable head, but my hands still go numb.
Anyone got a linik of raising the steering head? I need to raise mine slightly on my Specialized Hardrock, and lower them some on my girlfriends Specialized Crossroads.
 
nomotornozen said:
Anyone got a linik of raising the steering head? I need to raise mine slightly on my Specialized Hardrock, and lower them some on my girlfriends Specialized Crossroads.
I do not know about the Hardrock, but the Crossroads is easy. It uses a standard quill stem. On the top of the stem, pry off the plastic cover. IIRC, it takes an 8 mm hex key to loosen the quill. Position the bar where you want it, tighten the quill, and replace the plastic cover. In this case, you cannot beat the old technology.
 
I was fit by my LBS when I got my new bike, and it made a noticable difference. I had been sitting too high, and too far back. Correcting these issues eleviated some of the numbness in both my hands and privates, although it's not totally resolved.
 
RickF said:
I do not know about the Hardrock, but the Crossroads is easy. It uses a standard quill stem. On the top of the stem, pry off the plastic cover. IIRC, it takes an 8 mm hex key to loosen the quill. Position the bar where you want it, tighten the quill, and replace the plastic cover. In this case, you cannot beat the old technology.
That sounds so easy, thanks for the advice,:) I'll try it over the weekend!
 
nomotornozen said:
And when I do, how tight should I torque the bolt?
First, I was wrong about the hex wrench size - it should be 6 mm.

According to Nashbar, the torque should be 85 inch pounds: http://www.nashbar.com/tech/pdf_files/ATBCOMFQ.PDF

According to Performance, the torque should be 100 inch pounds: https://www.performancebike.com/help/pdf_files/50-1501%20Forte%20Classic%20Quill%20Road%20Stem.pdf

According to Park Tools, it should be 144 to 260 inch pounds: http://www.parktool.com/repair/howtos/torque.pdf

According to bike-manual.com it should be 175 to 260 inch bounds: http://www.bike-manual.com/om/kleinbikes/road/torque_specifications.htm#Stem

Bottom line is that it should be tight enough that you cannot turn the bar while you are holding the front wheel between your knees, but not so tight as to strip the threads or warp the head tube. That is one place where I have never used a torque wrench.