Newbie

Koyunbaba said:

Hand numbness

First step - get some fingerless cycling mitts with padded palms.
Next step - try Specialized Bar Phat or Marsas.
These are gel pads which are fitted below the handlebar tape.
I am assuming here you have dropped bars.
If you have straight bars, do you have bar ends so you can vary
the hand position?

Koyunbaba wrote:
..............

Quoted message said:

However I do have a few questions about.
Hand numbness

Experiment with different riding positions, altering both height and
forwards reach to the bars if you can. You should eventually find
something that works. Maybe forget the trainer and stick to real cycling
on the roads. That naturally provides much more variety (and enjoyment),
so you'll switch hand positions more.

Also try gel mitts and different/more bar tape (if drop bars).

Quoted message said:

Saddle comfort/ numb genitals

Saddle might be too high or just unsuitable for you. Definitely worth
trying several different saddles. Again, real cycling is bound to help,
as there are plenty of occasions on the road where you can ease up
pedalling a bit, which in turns decreases pressure on the saddle.

Quoted message said:

Pedalling in circles

Clipless pedals (where shoe is attached to pedal via a "cleat"😉 will help
a lot. Correct saddle height is crucial in any case.

Quoted message said:

/ pulsing sound on the trainer

?

- - -
Best of luck with whatever cycling you do. Sounds like you've made a good
restart.

~PB

On 26/9/04 4:09 pm, in article [email hidden],

Koyunbaba said:

Hi I'm a newbie to the group, I used to commute on my bike about 18miles a
day but that was some years ago. Over the years I put a lot of weight on,
and as part of a change in my health regime I decided to get the bike out
again. First I lost 5 stones, then when I wasn't paranoid about my heart
and weight I got on the bike. Which was quite an experience. I completely
blew up after trying to do one of my old rides struggled to get home and was
dizzy getting off the bike. Not surprisingly having overdone it I didn't
ride again for a while. Then I found a bit of grit and decided that not
being a spring chicken anymore [I'm 34] I would have to train a little more
sensibly. I went out again, this time taking it really easy and I managed
my ride. That was it I had the bug again. I bought a tacx flow turbo
trainer and began training in a sensible way, monitoring cadence and heart
rate.

I am a year older than you and did a similar sort of thing over last year.
Decided that a BMI approaching stratospheric was not good and wasn't feeling
brilliant so I have lost 15 kilo (2.5 stone) and got fit enough to do a sub
30 min 10, and a century this year.

Quoted message said:

Now I'm really enjoying the daily ride on the trainer.
However I do have a few questions about.
Hand numbness
Saddle comfort/ numb genitals
Pedalling in circles/ pulsing sound on the trainer

Now, I never used to experience hand numbness or numb genitals. But I'm
experiencing them at the moment. I must admit that the situation is
improving daily. Is this just a case of getting used to the bike and riding
position again after a few years lay off?

It may also be a question of additional weight. If you are still much larger
than when you used to ride then weight distribution will be different. I
find that I get tingling in my hands after many hours and have to keep
moving them around. Never suffered numb nuts.. A sore bum, yes, but never
numbness.

Quoted message said:

Does anyone have advice about pedalling smooth circles and eliminating the
pulsing sound when you mash the pedals on the Turbo trainer.

easier gear, faster cadence. You will always get some unevenness in the
pedal stroke. Quite marked when you hear the guys on the disk wheels coming
past with the whoommph whoomph sound.. Easier gear, faster cadence for the
same speed.

Quoted message said:

I've never riden competitively but as part of my goal setting process I am
thinking about doing some 10 mile Time trails next years, nothing too
serious I just want to challenge myself in a sporting way and I think time
trailing is ideal.

Great idea. Best thing to prepare is to 1) ride lots in the 20-30 mile mark
where you are pushing reasonably hard.
2) try some short stints (3-4 miles) of 'race pace' according to the
HRM/speedo to get used to the constant high power output.
3) Do it. Don't worry about the time, it is about pacing and yourself, how
you do.

The first one or two will be educational. You'll learn a lot about the
distance and the pacing. After the second or third you'll really be looking
forward to getting it 'nailed' and getting the best you can do over that
distance. And it works really well for improving the fitness.

Enjoy!

...d

In news:[email hidden],

Koyunbaba said:

Hand numbness

Does anyone have any advice for a newbie?

Koy

My hybrid with straight bars and bar ends gives me pins & needles within 15
minutes. None of my drop-bar bikes (including a tandem) do this, despite
having minimal tape on the bars.
With the hybrid, I find that lowering the bars helps, but other people have
told me the opposite, so just experiment.
--

Martin Bulmer

In news:[email hidden],

Koyunbaba said:

Now, I never used to experience hand numbness or numb genitals. But
I'm experiencing them at the moment.

Rub the latter with the former.
QED
Oh, you were doing?
--
Morton Burner

Firstly - congrats about the weight loss. 5 stones is a lot to lose. You
haven't lost it too quickly have you?

Quoted message said:

Hand numbness

Wear gloves/mitts with gel inserts in the palms as they reduce the vibrations
which can cause numbness. Another thing is to regularly change hand positions
on the bars.

Quoted message said:

Saddle comfort/ numb genitals

If you aren't wearing proper cycling shorts/longs with padded bottom bits - get
some. They do make a difference.

Saddle - change the saddle. Saddles are a very individual thing - what is sheer
heavenly comfort for one is nether-region slicing agony for another.

Being out on a real bike is much more interesting than a turbo. If you can do
more real cycling and keep the turbo for the nasty weather days.

Cheers, helen s

--This is an invalid email address to avoid spam--
to get correct one remove fame & fortune
h*$el*$$e*nd**$o$ts**i*$*$m*m$o*n*s@$*a$o*l.c**$om$

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"Koyunbaba" <[email hidden]> of ntl Cablemodem News

Service said:

Now, I never used to experience hand numbness or numb genitals. But I'm
experiencing them at the moment. I must admit that the situation is
improving daily. Is this just a case of getting used to the bike and riding
position again after a few years lay off?

You've already had lots of suggestions about how to alleviate the usual
causes of hand numbness. However there is another possible, but rarer
cause, which is problems in the neck. Rather than slipped discs, I have
some that are 'slightly chewed' in my neck. These are very prone to putting
pressure on the nerves to my fingers and thumbs if I put my spine anything
other than bolt upright for any length of time. It's particularly
noticeable lying in bed. Riding my bike does give me pins and needles and
numbness in the digits, but for me the instant cure is simply to roll my
head around once clockwise and once anticlockwise, which moves the discs
around and releases the pressure. Worth a try to see if this is your
problem.
--
Black holes happened when God divided by zero
Steph Peters delete invalid from [email hidden]
Tatting, lace & stitching page <http://www.sandbenders.demon.co.uk/index.htm>

Steph Peters said:

You've already had lots of suggestions about how to alleviate the usual
causes of hand numbness. However there is another possible, but rarer
cause, which is problems in the neck.

I had this - numb tingling in some fingers, which was cured by a
course of massage on teh back of my neck by a physiotherapist. (It
was great - once a week, stagger out of bed, round teh corner
to teh hospital, and snooze on teh comfy couch while young lady
massages my neck - it was almost disapointing when I was cured)

regards, Ian SMith
--
|\ /| no .sig
|o o|
|/ \|

Ian Smith said:

I had this - numb tingling in some fingers, which was cured by a
course of massage on teh back of my neck by a physiotherapist. (It
was great - once a week, stagger out of bed, round teh corner
to teh hospital, and snooze on teh comfy couch while young lady
massages my neck - it was almost disapointing when I was cured)

Cured? Are you sure? Can't you feel the tingling again now? I'm
sure you've got a relapse coming on. Better book in again to be on
the safe side ;-)

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University

Ian Smith of home in Surrey said:

Steph Peters said:

You've already had lots of suggestions about how to alleviate the usual
causes of hand numbness. However there is another possible, but rarer
cause, which is problems in the neck.

I had this - numb tingling in some fingers, which was cured by a
course of massage on teh back of my neck by a physiotherapist. (It
was great - once a week, stagger out of bed, round teh corner
to teh hospital, and snooze on teh comfy couch while young lady
massages my neck - it was almost disapointing when I was cured)

You lucky sod. I got sent to a physiotherapist, and she proceeded to put me
on the rack aka traction. I grew an inch and a half, but the neck problems
were only temporarily alleviated.
--
Every time I lose weight, it finds me again!
Steph Peters delete invalid from [email hidden]
Tatting, lace & stitching page <http://www.sandbenders.demon.co.uk/index.htm>