pins and needles in hands

"Chris Nowak" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Ok I know I'm no spring chicken but is it me or is it the bike causing
this? It almost becomes unbearable after 5 miles or so on tarmac.
I have a Dawes Kalahari SE. It has suspension front forks and seat post. I
have fitted butterfly handle bars.
I have read that the ride is harsh on aluminium frames which this has. So
any ideas what causes this and how do I alleviate it?

Are you leaning too far forward, thus pushing down on your hands? I had
similar when I rode a bike with straight handlebars which was slightly too
long for me.

--
Tumbleweed

email replies not necessary but to contact use;
tumbleweednews at hotmail dot com

Chris Nowak said:

Ok I know I'm no spring chicken but is it me or is it the bike causing this?
It almost becomes unbearable after 5 miles or so on tarmac.
I have a Dawes Kalahari SE. It has suspension front forks and seat post. I
have fitted butterfly handle bars.
I have read that the ride is harsh on aluminium frames which this has. So
any ideas what causes this and how do I alleviate it?

I have noticed the same on my Dawes Sonoran - though after about 50km
rather than 5 miles!

It too has butterfly bars - how hard do you grip the bars? Also, how
tight are your clothes under your arms? I've found it better if I have
looser fitting clothes.

--
Chris

"Chris Nowak" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Ok I know I'm no spring chicken but is it me or is it the bike causing
this? It almost becomes unbearable after 5 miles or so on tarmac.
I have a Dawes Kalahari SE. It has suspension front forks and seat post. I
have fitted butterfly handle bars.
I have read that the ride is harsh on aluminium frames which this has. So
any ideas what causes this and how do I alleviate it?

Try gloves/mitts with gel-filled palms
Change hand position frequently
Don't put too much weight on the hands by leaning forward too much
Gripping too tightly unintentinally?

Cheers, helen s

"Chris Nowak" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Ok I know I'm no spring chicken but is it me or is it the bike causing
this? It almost becomes unbearable after 5 miles or so on tarmac.
I have a Dawes Kalahari SE. It has suspension front forks and seat post. I
have fitted butterfly handle bars.
I have read that the ride is harsh on aluminium frames which this has. So
any ideas what causes this and how do I alleviate it?
Where did my replies go? I cant see them on the newsgroup!

"Chris Nowak" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Chris Nowak" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Ok I know I'm no spring chicken but is it me or is it the bike causing
this? It almost becomes unbearable after 5 miles or so on tarmac.
I have a Dawes Kalahari SE. It has suspension front forks and seat post.
I have fitted butterfly handle bars.
I have read that the ride is harsh on aluminium frames which this has. So
any ideas what causes this and how do I alleviate it?
Where did my replies go? I cant see them on the newsgroup!

50 miles wish I could do that. I wear loose clothes, gel gloves, don't grip
too tight, don't sit too far forward (I suffer from Tennis elbow too). I
guess from your replies that it is a common complaint. Maybe I'll ask a
doctor or physio about it.
Thanks to All
Chris

Chris Nowak said:

50 miles wish I could do that. I wear loose clothes, gel gloves, don't
grip too tight, don't sit too far forward (I suffer from Tennis elbow
too). I guess from your replies that it is a common complaint. Maybe I'll
ask a doctor or physio about it.

The Dawes in question is sold as "Comfort geometry for an upright riding
position"; so unless you've got one that's way too big for you, the bike
shouldn't be a problem. I get numb hands after about 30km if I haven't
ridden an upright for a while ....

..... which is your clue that the permanent solution is to go recumbent.

;-)

Mike

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Where did my replies go? I cant see them on the newsgroup!

Could see the last one in this thread fine. (One less '>' and a line break
might have made the above easier to find tho).

Maybe there's a Usenet Fairy and should we offer her spams or spammers?

"Mike Causer" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Chris Nowak said:

50 miles wish I could do that. I wear loose clothes, gel gloves, don't
grip too tight, don't sit too far forward (I suffer from Tennis elbow
too). I guess from your replies that it is a common complaint. Maybe I'll
ask a doctor or physio about it.

The Dawes in question is sold as "Comfort geometry for an upright riding
position"; so unless you've got one that's way too big for you, the bike
shouldn't be a problem. I get numb hands after about 30km if I haven't
ridden an upright for a while ....

.... which is your clue that the permanent solution is to go recumbent.

;-)

Mike

Damn I've just bought a Dawes Sardar. Delivery tomorrow

Regards
Chris

"Chris Nowak" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Ok I know I'm no spring chicken but is it me or is it the bike causing
this? It almost becomes unbearable after 5 miles or so on tarmac.
I have a Dawes Kalahari SE. It has suspension front forks and seat post. I
have fitted butterfly handle bars.
I have read that the ride is harsh on aluminium frames which this has. So
any ideas what causes this and how do I alleviate it?
Have you got too much weight on your arms and not enough on your seat? If
the handlebar grip position is too much of a stretch or you are slipping
forward off the seat this will not help. Try wearing well padded mountain
biking gloves with padding in the heal of the thumb, quite a few gloves do
not have padding in that area which I have found to be a necessity.

Cliff

in message <[email hidden]>, Chris Nowak

(') said:

Ok I know I'm no spring chicken but is it me or is it the bike causing
this? It almost becomes unbearable after 5 miles or so on tarmac.
I have a Dawes Kalahari SE. It has suspension front forks and seat
post. I have fitted butterfly handle bars.
I have read that the ride is harsh on aluminium frames which this has.
So any ideas what causes this and how do I alleviate it?

It's not age specific. I suffered from it very badly in my twenties but
now in my late forties I don't. Nor is it frame type specific; I used
to get it with steel frames. It's a combination of two things: high
frequency vibration and pressure on nerves in the hands.

To cure the high frequency vibration try a softer handgrip or gel filled
mitts. In my twenties when I had this problem I found 'grab-on' foam
handgrips - a bit like pipe lagging - helped me hugely; but modern
track mitts are better than the ones I used twenty-five years ago and
these days I find them adequate. The pressure on nerves bit is a matter
of changing your riding position or handlebars so that the weight comes
on your hands differently, and, most importantly, regularly change your
hand position as you ride.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
Ye hypocrites! are these your pranks? To murder men and give God thanks?
Desist, for shame! Proceed no further: God won't accept your thanks for
murther
-- Roburt Burns, 'Thanksgiving For a National Victory'

"Simon Brooke" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

in message <[email hidden]>, Chris Nowak

(') said:

Ok I know I'm no spring chicken but is it me or is it the bike causing
this? It almost becomes unbearable after 5 miles or so on tarmac.
I have a Dawes Kalahari SE. It has suspension front forks and seat
post. I have fitted butterfly handle bars.
I have read that the ride is harsh on aluminium frames which this has.
So any ideas what causes this and how do I alleviate it?

It's not age specific. I suffered from it very badly in my twenties but
now in my late forties I don't. Nor is it frame type specific; I used
to get it with steel frames. It's a combination of two things: high
frequency vibration and pressure on nerves in the hands.

To cure the high frequency vibration try a softer handgrip or gel filled
mitts. In my twenties when I had this problem I found 'grab-on' foam
handgrips - a bit like pipe lagging - helped me hugely; but modern
track mitts are better than the ones I used twenty-five years ago and
these days I find them adequate. The pressure on nerves bit is a matter
of changing your riding position or handlebars so that the weight comes
on your hands differently, and, most importantly, regularly change your
hand position as you ride.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
Ye hypocrites! are these your pranks? To murder men and give God thanks?
Desist, for shame! Proceed no further: God won't accept your thanks for
murther
-- Roburt Burns, 'Thanksgiving For a National Victory'

Thanks - I will try the padded mitts route
Regards
Chris

Chris Nowak said:

Ok I know I'm no spring chicken but is it me or is it the bike causing this?
It almost becomes unbearable after 5 miles or so on tarmac.
I have a Dawes Kalahari SE. It has suspension front forks and seat post. I
have fitted butterfly handle bars.
I have read that the ride is harsh on aluminium frames which this has. So
any ideas what causes this and how do I alleviate it?

Consider also the position of your handlebars. I have a Dutch bike with very
swept back bars that hurts my hands much more than my other two bikes with
straight bars. However, even on the Dutch bike, it is possible to improve
comfort by changing the angle of the bars, pivoting on their radial axis.

EFR
Ile de France

Chris Nowak' of said:

Ok I know I'm no spring chicken but is it me or is it the bike causing this?
It almost becomes unbearable after 5 miles or so on tarmac.
I have a Dawes Kalahari SE. It has suspension front forks and seat post. I
have fitted butterfly handle bars.
I have read that the ride is harsh on aluminium frames which this has. So
any ideas what causes this and how do I alleviate it?

Lots of theories about hands and riding position so far. If they don't
work, then consider whether the pins and needles could be originating from
your neck. One way of testing this is to try gently rolling your head
around when you have the pins and needles. If the rolling produces an
instant change in sensation in the hands, then you very likely have a
problem in your neck, not your hands. Another indicator would be if you get
the pins and needles at other times; I can get this effect from sitting in a
bad position at a monitor or by sleeping without support in the right place.

--
Marriage is a wonderful invention; but, then again,
so is a bicycle repair kit. - Billy Connolly
Steph Peters delete invalid from [email hidden]
Tatting, lace & stitching page <http://www.sandbenders.demon.co.uk/index.htm>

"Steph Peters" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Chris Nowak' of said:

Ok I know I'm no spring chicken but is it me or is it the bike causing
this?
It almost becomes unbearable after 5 miles or so on tarmac.
I have a Dawes Kalahari SE. It has suspension front forks and seat post. I
have fitted butterfly handle bars.
I have read that the ride is harsh on aluminium frames which this has. So
any ideas what causes this and how do I alleviate it?

Lots of theories about hands and riding position so far. If they don't
work, then consider whether the pins and needles could be originating from
your neck. One way of testing this is to try gently rolling your head
around when you have the pins and needles. If the rolling produces an
instant change in sensation in the hands, then you very likely have a
problem in your neck, not your hands. Another indicator would be if you
get
the pins and needles at other times; I can get this effect from sitting in
a
bad position at a monitor or by sleeping without support in the right
place.

--
Marriage is a wonderful invention; but, then again,
so is a bicycle repair kit. - Billy Connolly
Steph Peters delete invalid from [email hidden]
Tatting, lace & stitching page
<http://www.sandbenders.demon.co.uk/index.htm>

Hmmmm, that sounds interesting. Also of interest is that I went for my
first ride on my dawes sardar (steel frame)yesterday - about 6 miles and I
didn't get pins and needles, but suffered slight elbow pain.. Not conclusive
to show steel is better than Alu by any means, but a development.
Chris

Chris Nowak said:

Ok I know I'm no spring chicken but is it me or is it the bike causing this?
It almost becomes unbearable after 5 miles or so on tarmac.
I have a Dawes Kalahari SE. It has suspension front forks and seat post. I
have fitted butterfly handle bars.
I have read that the ride is harsh on aluminium frames which this has. So
any ideas what causes this and how do I alleviate it?

I used to get it on my old Dawes with straight bars. My Sonoran has
butterfly bars and I still get it. However, I got the butterfly bars
because I can change the position of my hands (i.e. move them up on top)
- works wonders.

It is worst when I am tired, or on a long downhill run, so it is
obviously when I take more weight on my hands.

If you do have this problem, make sure you do something about it. You
can seriously damage the nerves in your hands which could result in
permanent damage. The nerves can regrow, but at only 1mm per day it
could take 6 months.

HTH

--
Regards, Shane
"A closed mouth gathers no feet!"
Website: http://www.wonk.demon.co.uk/

"Shane Badham" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Chris Nowak said:

Ok I know I'm no spring chicken but is it me or is it the bike causing
this?
It almost becomes unbearable after 5 miles or so on tarmac.
I have a Dawes Kalahari SE. It has suspension front forks and seat post.
I
have fitted butterfly handle bars.
I have read that the ride is harsh on aluminium frames which this has. So
any ideas what causes this and how do I alleviate it?

I used to get it on my old Dawes with straight bars. My Sonoran has
butterfly bars and I still get it. However, I got the butterfly bars
because I can change the position of my hands (i.e. move them up on top)
- works wonders.

It is worst when I am tired, or on a long downhill run, so it is
obviously when I take more weight on my hands.

If you do have this problem, make sure you do something about it. You
can seriously damage the nerves in your hands which could result in
permanent damage. The nerves can regrow, but at only 1mm per day it
could take 6 months.

HTH

--
Regards, Shane
"A closed mouth gathers no feet!"
Website: http://www.wonk.demon.co.uk/

I think its the bike that caused it. I cycled just over 30 miles on
Saturday - my first outing on my new dawes sardar (steel frame) and didn't
suffer pins and needles despite riding on towpaths and potholed tarmac. Good
bye aluminium frames.
Chris