Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

hi just a quicky ,

i been riding my bike for 8 months now and every ride my fingers go numb , so i got to keep giving

them a little wiggle every now and then . so i did a little test and had a ride without gloves

and had no numb fingers my gloves are not tight well they don't feel tight anyway , might just go

naked ... anyone else had this problem wearing gloves ? or am i a freak ha ha

cheers andy

Try different gloves? Bigger size?

I'm sure you aren't alone.

When I rode in fingerless gloves I was getting calluses and dry skin where I didn't want calluses or dry skin so I'm very happy now with full fingered gloves. My hands stay callus free!!

I also bought a pair of full fingered motocross gloves. The ones I bought seem to be just as grippy on my handlebars as the bicycle gloves . But my choice in buying those was based on colour and the lack of good colour choice in bicycle gloves more than comfort (couldn't find a decent hot pink ).

Go the bigger gloves. It is not the overall sizing but the fit in various places you have to watch for.

The gloves may not be the issue.
Some cyclists (myself for one) get numbness from Carpal tunnel syndrome due to compression where your wrists bend.
It can be intermittent, due to posture, saddle position or fatigue and pushing your weight further over the bars.
You can lessen it with padded gloves or double taping the bars.
Other than that see a sports physiologist.

My Bmc gave me pins and needles/numbness but only a little.
My cheap avanti gave me really sore hands.
My bianchi doesn't at all.
Hate gloves, they make it worse, tight or not, doesn't matter.
What's different ?? Bianchi has those aero flat carbon bars.
My weight is also spread out better on this bike, less pressure on ulnar nerve.
These types of bars are really good for comfort, along with decent bar tape.

well i went for a ride again yesterday after work and got numb fingers again without gloves so that stuffs the glove problem idea lol bugger !!
so it looks like i will have to continue to wiggle the fingers and wave to angry motorist a bit longer

cheers andy

try a shorter stem, maybe reaching a bit too much and as such, loading up your hands too much.

seat angle as well, if nose too far down you will then be loading your wrists up giving you numbness

The ulnar nerve runs at the base of your palm in the centre; compressing that area leads to numb fingers. Change your hand positions often, and find hand positions that don't compress the groove in the base of the palm.

Wurtilla - got a photo or link to the bars on the Bianchi that you mentioned?

FSA carbon.

I found that strengthening my core muscles to allow my back to stay straight helped a lot. This meant I didn't slouch over the bars and shift my weight onto my hands. Still working on this but it's made a difference so far.

Surely that's just compensating for bad bike posture and fitting and you want front end grip so........
Maybe worth going with the bike to a decent bike shop and let them have a look at you on it and get measured/setup properly.

I found after starting of on my new Bianchi that I was also getting pins and needles and also numbness when wearing gloves.
The thought of not wearing any protection is something I wouldn't consider on my hands anyway (I'm a chef and also have a motorbike atgatt me!)

After a few weeks it slowly disappeared which is odd. Not sure, maybe not good posture or strength for a while, who knows.
It is a pita when it did happen though. Hard to feel for brakes etc when your fingers are numb!

Cam

have 2 pair of gloves, expensive fingerless gloves with gel inserts, cheap fully fingered ones with no padding.

i have found no gloves the best, then the cheap ones and the expensive gloves with gel inserts the most uncomfortable.

there are many factors.....your centre of gravity on the bike (weight too forward putting weight on the hands), how stiff the front end is (stem, handlebars etc) and how much psi in your tyres...and types of roads u ride. on long rides, i go no gloves and reduce psi a little and generally i'll be okay.

before buying new gloves etc, i would experiment with psi and bike fit.......try moving your centre of gravity back by sliding saddle back a bit and/or rasiing the handlebars and/or a shorter stem.

only change one thing at a time and only a mm or two.

Cam, specifically, when wearing gloves you may be unconsciously holding the knuckles higher than your wrists for lengthy periods - this is what you're taught to avoid when typing or playing piano.

More generally, ease off the grip on the bars, let the trunk of your body be as self-supporting as possible.

If you have less problems with numbness in your hands without gloves than with gloves on, clench your fist tight when doing up each glove.

It will make a difference.

wurtulla wabbit wrote:

FSA carbon.

+1 for the FSA K-force Wing Carbon bars, I used to get sore fingers and hands all the time ( have a plate in my right wrist holding it all together).

Bought the K-force never looked back , such comfy bars.

Check you bar angle, brifter height etc, sometimes your bars can just make your hands sore. If your not worried about weight then you can get some get inserts that go under your bartape ( Bontrager make some) or double wrap your bartape .

I have tried Roekel gloves - expensive and did very little to alleviate numbness.

Fizik bar gel - seemed to improve things.

Specialised bar phat - seemed much much more jelly like than the fizik product.

Now have two layers of fizik bar gel and two layers of specialised bar phat - still get numbness after 150km+ rides.

Considering flater shaped bars.. perhaps switching from alloy to carbon for greater flex as well...

Lurkin wrote:I have tried Roekel gloves - expensive and did very little to alleviate numbness.

Fizik bar gel - seemed to improve things.

Specialised bar phat - seemed much much more jelly like than the fizik product.

Now have two layers of fizik bar gel and two layers of specialised bar phat - still get numbness after 150km+ rides.

Considering flater shaped bars.. perhaps switching from alloy to carbon for greater flex as well...

Numbness in the palms and fourth/fifth fingers can be handlebar palsy (ulnar nerve compression). Numbness in the palm and from thumb to fourth finger can be carpal tunnel syndrome (median nerve compression).

The reason for both is your grip and position, and thickening handlebar padding might in fact make it worse for you, since road vibrations aren't the cause, your hand angles and weight distribution are.

There's an article on this very topic in the current Bicycling Australia magazine, and the medico urges people affected to correct their grip technique (don't extend those wrists), lighten it, and support their body weight through their trunk.

Yes... aware of this.

But the only way I can take further weight off the front would be to raise the handlebars further - I've run out of 'fork top' to do this with - or lower the seat - which means my legs won't be able to stretch out as much.

Hence, bike set up (which is what they will recommend) can't really be improved on... hence why I am turning to technology..

Its either that or new frame time, which financially, is not really an option at this stage.

pacra wrote:The gloves may not be the issue.
Some cyclists (myself for one) get numbness from Carpal tunnel syndrome due to compression where your wrists bend.
It can be intermittent, due to posture, saddle position or fatigue and pushing your weight further over the bars.
You can lessen it with padded gloves or double taping the bars.
Other than that see a sports physiologist.

I agree, I get nasty pain from the angle that rounded handlebars give me. I've got an aero shaped bar on my Felt roadie and I have Ergon GR2 grips on my mountain bikes which let you rest your palms on them rather than taking the full load of your upper body through the wrists.
The Ergon ones come with with or without small bullhorns if you're into climbing. These do give an alternate grip position too.
Can't recommend them enough, about 4 years ago I shattered my elbow and broke my right arm in 7 places in an particularily nasty accident. (bike was pretty much fine - thanks for asking) I needed something to help support my arm / wrist / elbow and found these to be great.

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/ ... rips-15153

13bute... is it improving? Did bigger gloves help? Have you had a professional bike fit? That made all the difference for me, and solved the knee pain at the same time.
I had hand numbness and it went away totally after the bike fit, ergonomic grips and larger fingerless gloves.
And the question no-one asked, what are you riding? I see you had 6 months on a mountain bike, and then looking for a road bike...

Let us know how you went mate.

I would agree with getting a decent bike fit. Get a white out pen and mark all your settings so if anything slips, you have a reference point.

Where abouts did you get the bike fit done? what was involved?

I have given up on the long rides in favour of commuting more often. Accordingly I am doing the same distance, just not in one go each day.

Also considering buying a mountain bike to mix it up a bit/ have a front suspension fork taking some of the vibration.