Hand issues
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Hand issues
Postby lobstermash » Tue Sep 03, 2013 8:42 am
I've recently increased my daily commute distance from 8km to 18km each way. I've always been more comfortable riding on the drops, even on longer weekend rides (after which I haven't noticed this issue). But since upping my commute distance, on my right hand in particular, both my fingers and wrist get very weak by the end of the ride home. My hands don't feel numb and they don't tingle. My wrists and knuckles stay in line with my arm, as in I'm not twisting them at all or holding them in a weird position.
Has anyone else has similar issues? If so, what's the solution? Tilt the saddle back a little? Better gloves? Ride on the hoods?
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Re: Hand issues
Postby VRE » Tue Sep 03, 2013 8:47 am
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Re: Hand issues
Postby lobstermash » Tue Sep 03, 2013 6:24 pm
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Re: Hand issues
Postby lobstermash » Tue Sep 10, 2013 2:14 pm
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Re: Hand issues
Postby VRE » Tue Sep 10, 2013 3:12 pm
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Re: Hand issues
Postby AP81 » Tue Sep 10, 2013 3:49 pm
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Re: Hand issues
Postby AUbicycles » Tue Sep 10, 2013 11:30 pm
On the one side, as suggested, training may be an approach, on the other it could be getting bars that are better fitted, for example with the width of the bars, curve of the drops and angle of the drops along with bar tape and wrapping.
The challenge of not getting it solved is RSI and while it is a problem, try different alternative positions, on the hoods, on the flat section and on the corners.
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Re: Hand issues
Postby lobstermash » Wed Sep 11, 2013 8:45 am
Last night I rotated the saddle back a notch and rotated the bars to make the hoods more comfortable to ride on. This morning I rode in 99% on the hoods. I could feel I've shifted my COG back a little, and the handling was a bit more spritely. However the saddle felt like it was restricting circulation a little, and I couldn't seem to put power down as effectively. Strava agrees, although a partial headwind didn't help matters much either, with my average speed down about 1-2km/h.
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Re: Hand issues
Postby scirocco » Wed Sep 11, 2013 11:57 am
You may also need to work on your core strength. If you intend/prefer to ride in the drops you will be in a fairly aggressive position and your abs should be doing some work, if they are a bit weak that won't be helping.
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Re: Hand issues
Postby lobstermash » Wed Sep 11, 2013 1:02 pm
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Re: Hand issues
Postby lobstermash » Fri Sep 13, 2013 1:31 pm
I was comfortable (aside from frozen hands due to the wrong gloves) on the ride in this morning and was able to put power down as normal. The ride this morning was all on the hoods, where I hit my usual top speeds and bang in the middle of my normal average speed. Immediately after riding before adjusting the bike, I was getting a noticable reduction in strength, however that didn't happen after this morning's ride.
The riding position is a little bit more 'superman' than before, and I'm almost wondering if I should change my stem for a shorter one (currently 150mm)...
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Hand issues
Postby singlespeedscott » Sun Sep 15, 2013 7:27 am
Man, no wonder you could only ride in the drops. What length is your top tube? Roughly how tall are you and what is your saddle height?
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Re: Hand issues
Postby jules21 » Sun Sep 15, 2013 9:40 am
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Re: Hand issues
Postby Duck! » Sun Sep 15, 2013 10:24 am
Still definitely worth going to get the setup properly checked.
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Re: Hand issues
Postby lobstermash » Sun Sep 15, 2013 1:23 pm
I'm 173cm. ETTL is 550mm. In hindsight I might have gone for the next size down, but I think I can make this work. For my previous 16km round trip commutes and the occasional 50+km weekend rides the original setup was fine.
The current setup felt good on Friday going to and from work (36km round trip) and my hand (in terms of strength and fine motor) has already noticeably improved. I'll stick with it for a little while and see if I have any other issues.
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Re: Hand issues
Postby Duck! » Sun Sep 15, 2013 10:46 pm
For comparison, I'm 175-ish cm, proportionally slightly short in the torso for my height, on a similar-sized frame (555mm ETT), and use a 105mm stem, reduced from the 120mm that was stock on the bike.
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Re: Hand issues
Postby lobstermash » Mon Sep 16, 2013 10:16 am
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Re: Hand issues
Postby singlespeedscott » Mon Sep 16, 2013 10:48 am
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