Bike question, tingling hands

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oinkerjnn
oinkerjnn Posts: 85 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
When I ride for extended periods of time, my hands get numb. I don't wear gloves, though maybe I should.

I thought I might raise the stem, but I will have to re run the brake lines as there isn't enough play to raise it 3". Though I might be able to disconnect and then reconnect them afterwards.

Any thoughts on what's going on?

Replies

  • tiptoethruthetulips
    tiptoethruthetulips Posts: 3,361 Member
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    Gloves probably wouldn't hurt, but perhaps you are gripping/clenching hands too hard.
  • oinkerjnn
    oinkerjnn Posts: 85 Member
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    Probably. Its worse on trails than on road. I ride about 50/50. The trails I ride have a ton of roots and its single track, meaning a lot of cornering as the bike wants to get squirrelly.
  • roanokejoe49
    roanokejoe49 Posts: 820 Member
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    you could have some form of carpel tunnel. Check it out.
  • katy84o
    katy84o Posts: 744 Member
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    It's possible you are putting to much weight on your hands. Meaning, you are leaning to hard on the handle bars. My hands used to go numb to, so I started focusing on using my core to take the weight off the handle bars. It does help, but they still get a bit tingly on long rides.
  • jperelst
    jperelst Posts: 4
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    I have the same thing - not sure why and I've been riding for 20 years. Padded gloves help as does frequently changing the position of your hands. Find your local bike store (not a Walmart or Sports Authority but a real bike store) and see what they think.
  • alanbyamiii
    alanbyamiii Posts: 9 Member
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    make sure your body to arms angle is 90 degrees, you don't want to be putting to much pressure on your hands/wrists
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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  • Coltsman4ever
    Coltsman4ever Posts: 602 Member
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    Numb hands can come from several things. Like a few others have said, you could be putting too much weight on your hands. Try to focus on keeping your elbows bent to engage your core. That should help. Another reason hands go numb is because your bike hasn't been fitted correctly to you. It's worth the money to go to a local bike shop and have your bike professionally fitted to you.
    Good luck.
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
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    I have the same thing - not sure why and I've been riding for 20 years. Padded gloves help as does frequently changing the position of your hands. Find your local bike store (not a Walmart or Sports Authority but a real bike store) and see what they think.

    ^^^This plus road vibration coming up through your arms to your neck and damaging some of the nerves--that's why padded gloves are helpful. Someone else has mentioned gripping the handlebars too tightly and that can be a feature of the problem as it puts a strain on wrist structures and the nerves running through the carpal tunnel. Try a B complex vitamin (especially B6) and see if it helps to alleviate the problem (B6 helps to shrink back the swollen carpal tunnel and take the pressure off the median nerve).
  • dazwan
    dazwan Posts: 81 Member
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    I get this occasionally on my commute, I have drop bars (road bike style) and so I have the option of several different positions that move the pressure to different parts of my hands, so if I get a tingle I can usually just move about.

    What type of bars do you have? If you have drops then just moving your hands into different positions can help, with a straight bar (mountain bike) then you are limited. For a mountain bike try some bar ends, get some decent advice on how to set them correctly and once again, try and move to these occasionally to relieve the pressure on different parts of your hands, plus they really help for climbing hills. Alternatively, have a look and see if you can get any ergonomic grips, I see some these days with extended lumps/wings to support your hands a little more (these are often found on hybrid and commuters).

    Gloves may well help, some people complain about the padding and gels that many gloves come with causing more problems than they solve (additional pressure in the wrong places), but even some minimal padding may help just to relieve some pressure. On a long ride however padding only goes so far (just like your saddle doesn't feel quite so comfy after the first few miles).

    However I'd recommend gloves anyway, just in case you fall off, gravel rash on your hands is something that can be easily avoided with a cheap pair of mitts.

    Katy84o has a fair point about weight as well, just moving your bars up or your saddle forwards or backwards by a fraction of an inch can change your weight distribution. Have a play and see what feels best for you, just make a note of your original settings and make sure you tighten up those bolts correctly.
  • primalkiwi
    primalkiwi Posts: 164 Member
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    It's worth going into a bike shop and getting them to adjust the bike properly for you. I used to spend a lot of time on a road bike and had the same issues with my hands - bike shop did a full analysis and adjusted accordingly and I had no more problems.
  • oinkerjnn
    oinkerjnn Posts: 85 Member
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    Both bikes I ride are flat bars. An old bianchi and a newer cannondale. The bianchi has road slicks on it the cannondale is a hard tail MTB. Cannondale has bar ends (I'm old school). Don't get it on the bianchi, which is what I ride on roads.

    I'm bringing the cannondale in to get tuned after a nice spill did ose wheel damage last weekend I'll talk to them about fitting.

    Hoping the rain lets up so I can ride the beaches near my house in the morning.
  • ValerieMartini2Olives
    ValerieMartini2Olives Posts: 3,041 Member
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    I rode mountain bike that constantly made my hands hurt or go numb. I upgraded to a comfort bike. It has special handles that relieve the pressure off the ulnar nerve. No more pain or numbness.
  • lynnwelch1
    lynnwelch1 Posts: 1 Member
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    When that happen to me, I will shake out my hand while alternately raising and lowering my hand after about 5 seconds each.
    Then I do the other hand the same way.
    That gets the blood circulating again.

    Then I reposition my grip.

    Happy Riding... Lynn

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