Can't feel fingers after long ride

[Rudyard Shackleton]

Hi Guys,
I have recenttly started to up my distances to 70 miles and I am finding
that my wrists are numb for days after the ride. In fact I cannot seem to
grip properly with my fingers since completing a ride of this distance -
particularly my right hand. Indeed, I still cannot feel them properly a
week later.

Anyone got any ideas what this could be? Any hints? This is spoiling my
enjoyment of biking....

RS

 

[Blonde]

Rudyard Shackleton wrote:

> Anyone got any ideas what this could be? Any hints?

I used to get numb hands and could not make a fist next day afer riding
but this was as a vbeginner when I think I held onto the bar too
tightly and I was riding a bike that was too big for me. I don't get
this problem now.

It may be that your position on the bike is forcing too much of your
weight onto your hands rather than your weight mostly being placed on
your sit bones. A too low handle bar could be the cause, or a saddle
which is tilted downwards too much, forcing you to slide forward and
place more weight on your arms/hands than you should. It may be due to
tightly gripping the handle bar rather than resting your hands on it
lightly. You could also try using gel mitts if you don't aready use
them.

 

[wafflycat]

"Rudyard Shackleton" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hi Guys,
> I have recenttly started to up my distances to 70 miles and I am finding
> that my wrists are numb for days after the ride. In fact I cannot seem to
> grip properly with my fingers since completing a ride of this distance -
> particularly my right hand. Indeed, I still cannot feel them properly a
> week later.
>
> Anyone got any ideas what this could be? Any hints? This is spoiling my
> enjoyment of biking....
>
> RS
>

Are you wearing gloves?
If so, what type?
Have you changed *anything* about your bike lately?
Are you keeping you hands in one position on the bars?
If not, how frequently do you change hand position?

Cheers, helen s

 

[Simon Brooke]

in message <[email protected]>, Rudyard Shackleton
('[email protected]') wrote:

> Hi Guys,
> I have recenttly started to up my distances to 70 miles and I am
> finding
> that my wrists are numb for days after the ride.

This is mild palsy caused by vibration through the handlebars. You aren't
alone - many people get it. I used to suffer very badly. Things that
help are

* Better padding of the bars where you grip them - cork and leather tape
are both good (although cork is now more common) and gel strips under
the tape are said to be good.

* Carbon forks will help a lot.

* Gloves with gel pads in the palms may help - some people find these
work, others don't.

* Better fit of you on the bike will help.

* Some people say a more upright riding position helps.

--
[email protected] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
; ... of course nothing said here will be taken notice of by
; the W3C. The official place to be ignored is on www-style or
; www-html. -- George Lund

 

[POHB]

A much less extreme case, but I cured mine by moving the saddle back
slightly.

"Blonde" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> Rudyard Shackleton wrote:
>
>> Anyone got any ideas what this could be? Any hints?
>
> I used to get numb hands and could not make a fist next day afer riding
> but this was as a vbeginner when I think I held onto the bar too
> tightly and I was riding a bike that was too big for me. I don't get
> this problem now.
>
> It may be that your position on the bike is forcing too much of your
> weight onto your hands rather than your weight mostly being placed on
> your sit bones. A too low handle bar could be the cause, or a saddle
> which is tilted downwards too much, forcing you to slide forward and
> place more weight on your arms/hands than you should. It may be due to
> tightly gripping the handle bar rather than resting your hands on it
> lightly. You could also try using gel mitts if you don't aready use
> them.
>

 

[Rudyard Shackleton]

"Rudyard Shackleton" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hi Guys,
> I have recenttly started to up my distances to 70 miles and I am finding
> that my wrists are numb for days after the ride. In fact I cannot seem to
> grip properly with my fingers since completing a ride of this distance -
> particularly my right hand. Indeed, I still cannot feel them properly a
> week later.
>
> Anyone got any ideas what this could be? Any hints? This is spoiling my
> enjoyment of biking....
>
> RS
>
>
>

Guys,
Thanks for the updates. I am finding that I can do the distances
aerobically but it's problems in my shoulders and neck that stop me going
any further. To that end I have fiddled with the handlebar position by
making the brake hoods lean back towards me at 45 degrees. Indeed, one
rider buddy commentated about the strange handle bar position. I have
changed the handlebars back to a more orthodox position and will see how I
get on. However, I only changed the handlebar position in an attempt to
eliminate the shoulder/neck problem. Doh........

I had my bike fitted by a bike shop and the geberalk setup regarding my legs
and torso seem fine. You guys think that the handlebars make that much
difference?

Regards,
RS

 

[wafflycat]

"Rudyard Shackleton" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Thanks for helping me. Yes I do wear gloves, cheap ones from ASDA. They
> look exactly the same as ones from the bike shop costing ten times more.
> You reckon that's important?
> RS

Most welcome.

Apart from the items already mentioned by other posters, the gloves can be
important. You may need more padding.

I find I can get a pain in the neck if, in cooler weather, I forget to wear
my buff around my neck and I get a cold wind round the base of my neck.

Cheers, helen s

 

[Just zis Guy, you know?]

"Rudyard Shackleton" <[email protected]> sd / msg
<[email protected]> dtd Wed, 12 Oct 2005 14:47:07
GMT:

>I have recenttly started to up my distances to 70 miles and I am finding
>that my wrists are numb for days after the ride. In fact I cannot seem to
>grip properly with my fingers since completing a ride of this distance -
>particularly my right hand. Indeed, I still cannot feel them properly a
>week later.

Bad! Very bad!

What Simon said up there ^^^ is probably right, but sometimes *too
much* padding can cause a problem. What sort of bars are you using?
Drops or flats?

Guy
--
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

"To every complex problem there is a solution which is
simple, neat and wrong" - HL Mencken

 

[[email protected]]

Peter Clinch wrote:
> , but I did find
> around 100 km was an effective distance limit because of arm, wrist and
> neck stress.

It's strange sometimes why bits get sore on a bike. When I did my E2E
(yawn) I had no neck problems at all until one day when I wore a helmet
going through Liverpool. (Woudn't you?) Then I found my neck got sore
after about 40-50 miles. I wouldn't have thought the weight of a helmet
would have made any difference. Maybe my shoulder checks were being
done slightly differently because of the helmet?
Iain

 

[Martin Bulmer]

Rudyard Shackleton wrote:
> Hi Guys,
> I have recenttly started to up my distances to 70 miles and I am
> finding that my wrists are numb for days after the ride. In fact I
> cannot seem to grip properly with my fingers since completing a ride
> of this distance - particularly my right hand. Indeed, I still
> cannot feel them properly a week later.
>
> Anyone got any ideas what this could be? Any hints? This is
> spoiling my enjoyment of biking....
>
> RS

Bet you're not riding drops.
--


Martin Bulmer

 

[Simon Brooke]

in message <[email protected]>, Martin Bulmer
('[email protected]') wrote:

> Rudyard Shackleton wrote:
>> Hi Guys,
>> I have recenttly started to up my distances to 70 miles and I am
>> finding that my wrists are numb for days after the ride. In fact I
>> cannot seem to grip properly with my fingers since completing a ride
>> of this distance - particularly my right hand. Indeed, I still
>> cannot feel them properly a week later.
>>
>> Anyone got any ideas what this could be? Any hints? This is
>> spoiling my enjoyment of biking....
>
> Bet you're not riding drops.

I wouldn't bet that at all. I used to suffer vibration palsies very badly
on steel framed bikes with drops. What solved it for me, then (twenty
five years ago, before the introduction of 'gel') was 'grab-ons',
handlebar covers made of thick soft foam not unlike waterpipe lagging.
But certainly you can get vibration induced problems very badly from
drop bars, particularly if (like me) you make a lot of use of the hoods,
because there are important nerves that run under the web of your thumb.

Certainly straight bars without barends are worse, because you cannot
easily change position; but drops can be bad.

--
[email protected] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

<p>Schroedinger's cat is <blink><strong>NOT</strong></blink> dead.</p>

 

[ian henden]

"Rudyard Shackleton" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hi Guys,
> I have recenttly started to up my distances to 70 miles and I am finding
> that my wrists are numb for days after the ride. In fact I cannot seem to
> grip properly with my fingers since completing a ride of this distance -
> particularly my right hand. Indeed, I still cannot feel them properly a
> week later.
>
> Anyone got any ideas what this could be? Any hints? This is spoiling my
> enjoyment of biking....
>
> RS
>
Cyclist (waking up in hospital after nast accident) "DOCTOR!!!! I can't feel
my fingers!!!"

Doctor: "Of course you can't. I've cut off your arms!"

IGMC

 

[Rudyard Shackleton]

Simon, you seem to be describing exactly my symptoms. I am doing another
big ride tomorrow with my "corrected" handlebar position in a more orthodox
fashion. I wilkl report back to the group how I get on - I bet you can't
wait....

I use the hoods 98% of the time. How could you get these gel pads on the
hoods? What do you do and where do you get them?
Thanks mate,
RS


"Simon Brooke" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> in message <[email protected]>, Martin Bulmer
> ('[email protected]') wrote:
>
>> Rudyard Shackleton wrote:
>>> Hi Guys,
>>> I have recenttly started to up my distances to 70 miles and I am
>>> finding that my wrists are numb for days after the ride. In fact I
>>> cannot seem to grip properly with my fingers since completing a ride
>>> of this distance - particularly my right hand. Indeed, I still
>>> cannot feel them properly a week later.
>>>
>>> Anyone got any ideas what this could be? Any hints? This is
>>> spoiling my enjoyment of biking....
>>
>> Bet you're not riding drops.
>
> I wouldn't bet that at all. I used to suffer vibration palsies very badly
> on steel framed bikes with drops. What solved it for me, then (twenty
> five years ago, before the introduction of 'gel') was 'grab-ons',
> handlebar covers made of thick soft foam not unlike waterpipe lagging.
> But certainly you can get vibration induced problems very badly from
> drop bars, particularly if (like me) you make a lot of use of the hoods,
> because there are important nerves that run under the web of your thumb.
>
> Certainly straight bars without barends are worse, because you cannot
> easily change position; but drops can be bad.
>
> --
> [email protected] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
>
> <p>Schroedinger's cat is <blink><strong>NOT</strong></blink> dead.</p>
>

 

[Simon Brooke]

in message <[email protected]>, Rudyard Shackleton
('[email protected]') wrote:

> Simon, you seem to be describing exactly my symptoms. I am doing
> another big ride tomorrow with my "corrected" handlebar position in a
> more orthodox
> fashion. I wilkl report back to the group how I get on - I bet you
> can't wait....
>
> I use the hoods 98% of the time. How could you get these gel pads on
> the
> hoods? What do you do and where do you get them?

I don't know of gel pads for hoods. I now use Campag Ergolevers which
have a very wide hood (as compared to older hood designs; STI hoods are
equally wide but more rounded) and don't have the problems I used to,
but I've also learned to move my hands around more often. I think
regularly changing your hand position can help.

You may be able to snip the end off a strip of Specialized Bar Phat (or
similar) gel and stick it under the rubber on the top of your hood; I
don't know whether this would work because I don't know if the gel stuff
would squeeze out of the cut end of the strip.

--
[email protected] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

[ This mind intentionally left blank ]