Options for wrist issues

Andrew Woodroffe said:

I am about to finally admit defeat over tendonitis issues with my wrists and
forearms and am looking into the alternatives to my standard cycle with
drops as I cannot take the body weight through my arms anymore. One option
would seem to be a 'bent as that would put the whole weight through the seat
similar to driving my car which I am ok with. I wondered if anyone had
switched before because of this reason and did it work out?

It wasn't the reason I changed, but before I did my maximum
effective range was about 100 km because after that my arms, wrists
and neck were bothering me too much, even though my legs could
carry on. Since switching to a 'bent, I can go as far as my legs
can manage. So IME it definitely helps if wrists and/or arms are
a limiting factor.

Quoted message said:

I am also not
sure which steering option would be easier on my wrists and any advice on
that would also be gratefully received.

With either one you've not got any weight actually leaning on them,
so I doubt if it really matters. Personally I prefer underseat as
I find it more relaxed, but overseat steering is no more taxinng on
hands and arms than a steering wheel in a car.

Another alternative is rather than lie back, sit up /really/
straight, with a classic Dutch-style roadster. No weight on your
arms with one of those either, easier to come by and cheaper to
buy. But the aerodynamics are pretty shocking, of course, so not
so good for a long trip and/or any sort of speed. For general
getting about though, a very good option.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

In alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent on Sun, 10 Jun 2007 19:16:25 GMT

Andrew Woodroffe said:

would seem to be a 'bent as that would put the whole weight through the seat
similar to driving my car which I am ok with. I wondered if anyone had
switched before because of this reason and did it work out? I am also not
sure which steering option would be easier on my wrists and any advice on
that would also be gratefully received.

That was one reason I changed. I have at various times broken both wrists
and I can't put much weight on them when they are bent. A road bike is
pretty much out of the question, a more upright mtb or hybrid is OK but
I can get sore.

You would need to try all 3 options - underseat, tweener/superman overseat
and hamster overseat as they each put your wrists at different angles.

I ride a Bacchetta Giro 20, which has tweener bars, and like it. I
don't like hamster bars as I don't like the hand position, I find the
tweener bar angle nicer. (I also find the hamster steering odd, many
find it very nice indeed.)

Basically the underseat and tweener have your thumbs up similar to a car
steering wheel, hamster has thumbs sidewards similar to a flat bar
bike, with some bars flat and some angled down a little. The exact
angle of hand and wrist is dependent on bike, so try as many as you
can.

I did change from gripshifts - which are a common bent fitment - to
bar end shifters because I found the wrist angle on the tweener with
gripshift to be painful. Especially the front shift as it required a
hell of a heave. The bar ends are just a flick of the finger and much
easier. Whether you find gripshifts uncomfortable is going to depend
a lot on your wrists as well as the bar angle.

Unlike uprights which only have a couple of configurations, bents come in
many shapes. General wisdom is to try many. I didn't have that option as
while the dealer I went to (flyingfurniture.com.au) has a large range most
of them were too big for me. The Giro fitted me and was so comfortable
and easy to ride that I bought it. I don't regret it in the slightest.

Zebee

Andrew Woodroffe said:

I am about to finally admit defeat over tendonitis issues with my wrists and
forearms and am looking into the alternatives to my standard cycle with
drops as I cannot take the body weight through my arms anymore. One option
would seem to be a 'bent as that would put the whole weight through the seat
similar to driving my car which I am ok with. I wondered if anyone had
switched before because of this reason and did it work out? I am also not
sure which steering option would be easier on my wrists and any advice on
that would also be gratefully received.

Thanks

Woody

Wrist and hand numbness/pain were the primary reasons I got bent. As
soon as I tried my first recumbent, I could tell it would take care of
the wrist and hand problem. And it has. I've not had any problems with
my wrist or hands in the more than 5 years and 17,000 miles that I've
ridden a recumbent. After an all day ride I may have sore legs, but I
never have problems with my wrists or hands.

---
John Knez

"Andrew Woodroffe" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I am about to finally admit defeat over tendonitis issues with my wrists
and forearms and am looking into the alternatives to my standard cycle with
drops as I cannot take the body weight through my arms anymore. One option
would seem to be a 'bent as that would put the whole weight through the
seat similar to driving my car which I am ok with. I wondered if anyone
had switched before because of this reason and did it work out? I am also
not sure which steering option would be easier on my wrists and any advice
on that would also be gratefully received.

Thanks

Woody

Me too!, I got my trike partially due to wrist issues (and neck and butt to
a degree). I've had surgery on my right wrist which has narrowed the carpal
tunnel and couldn't enjoy my rides anymore. Sure I could get through some
good rides but always felt generally uncomfortable. I went to test recumbent
bikes and knew right away that I had found a solution. As soon as I sat and
took off on my Catrike I knew I had found my next bike. I've had it exactly
one year now (5200km), and no problems with wrists. One thing though, having
the trike made me realize just how uncomfortable conventional bikes really
are. With the trike, it's almost like sitting in an easy chair with my feet
up, cept they're moving... on the trike , not the chair.... you get the
picture.

Andrew Woodroffe said:

I am about to finally admit defeat over tendonitis issues with my wrists and
forearms and am looking into the alternatives to my standard cycle with
drops as I cannot take the body weight through my arms anymore. One option
would seem to be a 'bent... I am also not
sure which steering option would be easier on my wrists and any advice on
that would also be gratefully received.

I have this LWB:

Quoted message said:

http://www.cyclegenius.com/ltx.html

and put these handlebars on it, as the originals were not long enough
for me:

Quoted message said:

http://www.shoprans.com/proddetail.asp?prod=BAHB0008

(if you happen to buy this bike you should change out the OEM stem also,
but that's another story)

I found that I still got some wrist pain during long rides and that it
was not very easy to steer one-handed at all so I got some MTB bar ends
and installed them on the upper-bends of the chopper bars, pointing
inwards, their ends almost touching. This gives me some more hand
positions that are closer to my chest than the regular bar ends, and
more centered as well.

I think having seen this that no bike with only ONE hand position is
going to be very comfortable over long rides (even though there's no
hand pressure as such) but with most types you can put MTB bar ends on
them somehow to provide some different hand/wrist positions.
----
I also have a RANS Fusion,

Quoted message said:

http://www.ransbikes.com/Fusion07.htm

which can be set up to provide very little hand pressure too. I have
found that I prefer it with my torso a bit leaned forward however.
.....The seat on this bike is big enough that you won't need padded
shorts, but lycra or synthetic shorts is a good idea to avoid chafing.
~

Zebee Johnstone said:

Basically the underseat and tweener have your thumbs up similar to a car
steering wheel, hamster has thumbs sidewards similar to a flat bar
bike, with some bars flat and some angled down a little. The exact
angle of hand and wrist is dependent on bike, so try as many as you
can.

Although this steering arrangement [1] is commonly referred to as
under seat steering (USS), it really should be referred to as beside-
seat steering (BSS).

Here is an example of true USS: [2]. BSS is much more common, as it
provides both a more natural hand position and steering response than
true USS.

[1] Example at <http://www.challengebikes.com/images/picture.php?
filename=images/inhoud/hurricanetour/hurricanetouruss-
groot.jpg&size=640&type=2&quality=87>.
[2] <http://www.trimuter.com/images/pHedturner2.jpg>.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
The weather is here, wish you were beautiful

"DougC" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

I think having seen this that no bike with only ONE hand position is going
to be very comfortable over long rides (even though there's no hand
pressure as such) but with most types you can put MTB bar ends on them
somehow to provide some different hand/wrist positions.

How long a "long ride" is subjective, but I haven't noticed the single grip
position to be a problem at 60-70 miles on my TourEasy or my Volae.
It is possible to grip on top of the brake lever "hood" or the handlebar
above the shifter on both bikes, but I rarely do this. On the TE, you
can grip the "cross member", but not comfortably and not with good
control... Unless the road is bumpy or the surface loose, I find only
a light grip is needed on the bars.

Clamping "bar ends" sounds like a great option, though, if more hand
positions are desired.

The Fusion looks like a neat bike. From the appearance of the
rider position, I don't think it would work well for people who
have lower back/disc issues... How do you find the ergonomics
and comfort comparing the Falcon to the Fusion? Clearly, they're
targeted at different applications but variety is spice!

Jon

Jon said:

"DougC" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

I think having seen this that no bike with only ONE hand position is going
to be very comfortable over long rides (even though there's no hand
pressure as such) but with most types you can put MTB bar ends on them
somehow to provide some different hand/wrist positions.

How long a "long ride" is subjective, but I haven't noticed the single grip
position to be a problem at 60-70 miles on my TourEasy or my Volae.
It is possible to grip on top of the brake lever "hood" or the handlebar
above the shifter on both bikes, but I rarely do this. On the TE, you
can grip the "cross member", but not comfortably and not with good
control... Unless the road is bumpy or the surface loose, I find only
a light grip is needed on the bars.

The RANS Chopper bars have a cross-member now, but the first year they
sold them (when I bought mine) they didn't.

Also I think they are too wide--the telescoping parts are 11 inches
apart, with the handgrips adjusted down at a slight angle, the bars are
30 inches wide. Compare this with typical MTB bars that are around 26
inches wide at the tips.

The OEM bars were about that wide, but not nearly long enough.

The bars from TourEasy and Sun are even narrower and longer.

Quoted message said:

The Fusion looks like a neat bike. From the appearance of the
rider position, I don't think it would work well for people who
have lower back/disc issues... How do you find the ergonomics
and comfort comparing the Falcon to the Fusion?

The Fusion is nice for <20 miles, around-town. It's a bit handier than a
recumbent is in traffic. Overall it's not as comfortable though, and if
you're tall there's no good rear rack solutions for it because the seat
overhangs part of the rear rack. ....The one guy I know who had back
problems and sat on it, didn't like it.
~

DougC said:

I think having seen this that no bike with only ONE hand position is
going to be very comfortable over long rides (even though there's no
hand pressure as such) but with most types you can put MTB bar ends on
them somehow to provide some different hand/wrist positions.

On my Streetmachine (USS) I'll often ride with just one hand and
lay the other in my lap, on a leg, wherever. Most 'bents IME only
need fingertip pressure on the bars, so unless you need constant
fiddling with brakes and gears there's no particular reason to lave
both hands on the bars in one place the whole time.
I also run at times with hands over the tops rather than gripping
the grip, and possibly as a result of all these things I've never
had any hand/wrist/arm problems.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

DougC said:

I think having seen this that no bike with only ONE hand position is
going to be very comfortable over long rides (even though there's no
hand pressure as such) but with most types you can put MTB bar ends on
them somehow to provide some different hand/wrist positions.

This must be something that varies between people, as I've never had a
problem with there being only one hand position on either of my bents on
rides exceeding 100 miles. One difference may be that I frequently ride
with one hand on the handle bar. Also, on long rides, I'll stop and
stretch occasionally. I wonder if another factor might be that I use
grip shift twisters, which require a bit of wrist motion.

---
John Knez

Andrew Woodroffe said:

I am about to finally admit defeat over tendonitis issues with my wrists and
forearms and am looking into the alternatives to my standard cycle with
drops as I cannot take the body weight through my arms anymore. One option
would seem to be a 'bent as that would put the whole weight through the seat
similar to driving my car which I am ok with. I wondered if anyone had
switched before because of this reason and did it work out? I am also not
sure which steering option would be easier on my wrists and any advice on
that would also be gratefully received.

Thanks

Woody

One of the main reasons I switched to recumbents 8 years ago was because
of the numbness I always got in my neck, shoulders, and upper back. Plus
the numbness in my hands and arms. I do have tendonitis in my wrists,
mainly my left wrist. Riding the 'bents never gave me any problems in
them areas. If my wrists are sore and/or tired of ther same position, I
lay my arms over the handlebars. Letting my forearms rest on the
handlebars. I can straighten the kinks out in my arms, and still keep
full control of ther bike.
OSS Vision 40

Thanks all for the advice. I have booked a taster session to see exactly
how I get on ant what type suits best. I will report back

DougC said:

.....stuff....

At the moment this page has a couple pictures of my bikes, showing the
LWB handlebars with the bar-ends pointing inwards:

http://www.norcom2000.com/users/dcimper/assorted/inanities/recumbent/general/stuff/common.html

or alternately
http://tinyurl.com/2nkdlr
~