Hand and arm pain.

Loonacy said:

I am fairly new to cycling and want to build up my ride distances. I ma having trouble with a few things. Firts of all I am 6 ft tall and I ride a 60cm bike. On my rides I start to get pains in my hands and forearms almost immediately. It feels like I am to high on the saddle and have to reach down to my handlebars causing me to put alot of weight on my hands and forearms. I believe I have the saddle height correct. Is this a common problem that will pass once I get some miles in or is my bike possibly not set up right for me.

Hey there,

The short answer is no. Hand numbness is very common, but you shouldn't be having pain. (Although because you mentioned that you are just beginning to ride, you may have a death grip on the handlebars or not changing positions on the bars often enough.)

If you weren't measured for the bike when you bought it, then absolutely get the measurements and do it yourself. A bike should fit you like a good shoe does; if it doesn't, your bike will never deliver the power or performance it should, whether you spent $100 or $2,000 for it!

When I first started riding, I began to read cycling magazines and books to get 'insider' tips on little things like bike fit, etc. and it helped so much. Cycling is a wonderful sport for both the body and the head...read and then ride, ride, ride.

Robin

RobinfromBoston said:

Hey there,

The short answer is no. Hand numbness is very common, but you shouldn't be having pain. (Although because you mentioned that you are just beginning to ride, you may have a death grip on the handlebars or not changing positions on the bars often enough.)

If you weren't measured for the bike when you bought it, then absolutely get the measurements and do it yourself. A bike should fit you like a good shoe does; if it doesn't, your bike will never deliver the power or performance it should, whether you spent $100 or $2,000 for it!

When I first started riding, I began to read cycling magazines and books to get 'insider' tips on little things like bike fit, etc. and it helped so much. Cycling is a wonderful sport for both the body and the head...read and then ride, ride, ride.

Robin

Thanks I guess I should not have said pain it is more like numbness. Thanks for the reply.

I'd recommend getting a pair of cycling gloves if you haven't already. Of course, those won't be of much help if you aren't fitted properly.