wrist pain - new cyclist

[ilovemybike]

I new to cycling, i have a hybrid road bike with flat bar handles and have been getting really sore wrist pain on the outer side

https://o.quizlet.com/VT1kZBbi0.XYTJrlVk3xaQ.png
around 5,6 and 7

Its only sore when i put pressure on it.

I think i'm gripping too hard being a beginner, so I'm mindful of it now. What else can it be, is my stem to high or low that could cause this?

[trailgumby]

Welcome aboard!

Unfortunately, without seeing you on the bike, it's really difficult to advise. Bike fitting is a bit like a spiderweb, where you pull a thread by adjusting something at one end, and the impacts are felt everywhere else.

Assuming that saddle height, horizontal angle and fore-aft placement are in the right ballpark, along with reach and stack height, the immediate thing to be looking at is, do you have enough sweep on the bars? Is the sweep you do have aligned correctly in the up and back planes? You want your hand to be in a neutral line with your forearm in your natural riding position so that your wrist is evenly loaded.

There is also a relationship between sweep, reach and bar width that you need to consider. The wider the bars, the less reach and more sweep you will need.

The videos below relate to mountain bikes, but the principles are universal.




The position of your controls is also important.

[ilovemybike]

Thanks for that. I’ve tried the handlebar at different angles but I find myself feeling the pressure on my hands all the time. Probably because my core is weak and unable to support the force of leaning forwards so the weight is on my hands. I’ve really tried to relax the grip and lighten the pressure but wonder whether there is more that I can do.

My saddle height I think is a bit low but I need to be able to touch the ground with my feet as I’m still not a confident rider. But my toes are barely just touching so I’m not that far off but it may play into things.

[Thoglette]

FWIW I'm one of those people who simply can't ride a flat bar bike: I need the ends of the bars swept back.

As trailgumby said, it's not straight forward with any "modern" bike, which all set up to have weight on your wrists.

The only guaranteed comfortable bikes are upright bikes (see below), with the downside that you have higher wind resistance. But for a few people I know (particularly with neck problems) they're the only answer. Me, I just need sweep

(from Vox)

[redsonic]

If you are putting more weight on your hands because your core is weak, sliding the saddle back can really help.

[g-boaf]

Amazing, even on a bike people can't switch off from their phones. Smoking a cigarette while riding is a new one... (the second rider).

Its only sore when i put pressure on it.

I think i'm gripping too hard being a beginner, so I'm mindful of it now. What else can it be, is my stem to high or low that could cause this?

It used to be said that a light touch on the bars is preferable. It's hard to say without seeing you on the bike.

[Tim]

Smoking a cigarette while riding is a new one... (the second rider).

Amsterdam?
Probably a joint.
Australia?
Probably a joint. Cannabis is cheaper than tobacco these days.

[ilovemybike]

If you are putting more weight on your hands because your core is weak, sliding the saddle back can really help.

Oh my saddle is all the way forward to the maximum outer point. Perhaps that’s why. I put it forward as I was getting saddle pain and felt that if my bum sits on the wider part, it feels much comfortable. I will try shifting saddle again then like you suggested.

Why does sliding saddle back change the pressure on the wrist?

[redsonic]

If you are putting more weight on your hands because your core is weak, sliding the saddle back can really help.

Oh my saddle is all the way forward to the maximum outer point. Perhaps that’s why. I put it forward as I was getting saddle pain and felt that if my bum sits on the wider part, it feels much comfortable. I will try shifting saddle again then like you suggested.

Why does sliding saddle back change the pressure on the wrist?

To unweight your wrists, you need to be able to hold your upper body stable. If your core is weak, you will need to have your bum further behind you. Just think of doing a squat, then try to do one with your back to a wall. By having some of your body behind your legs, the weight back there counterbalances your torso, and you can hold your upper body without downward force on the bars. Steve Hogg, bike fitter, explains this somewhere on his blog. All I could find with a quick look was this detailed article about saddle set back.

https://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com/bi ... oad-bikes/

[redsonic]

I found the reference to a squat against the wall below the article I linked to above, in the Q&A section.

Stand with your heels against a wall and bend forward at the hips while extending your torso and allowing your knees to bend. You will fall forward because your pelvis cannt move back far enough behind your feet to counterbalance the forward extension of the torso. Now step a metre out from the wall and repeat the process. Your pelvis will move behind the feet allowing you to counterbalance the weight of the torso and you will maintain that position with little effort...Most riders have a 'window' of 10mm of seat set back either side of this point. 10mm further forward will load up their arms a little too much. 10mm further back will begin to load the back to much because of excessive lumbar flextion

[brumby33]

Good videos trailgumby, I really think that calculation of bar width very useful. I did mine and it came to 783 so as I'm approaching 63, I'll probably settle on around 160-170 for a straight bar.

brumby33

[trailgumby]

Thanks for that. I’ve tried the handlebar at different angles but I find myself feeling the pressure on my hands all the time. Probably because my core is weak and unable to support the force of leaning forwards so the weight is on my hands. I’ve really tried to relax the grip and lighten the pressure but wonder whether there is more that I can do.

Now you've said some interesting things there. Too much weight on your hands is a symptom of your reach being too long, and sometimes too low. Possibly you need either bars with more sweep, a shorter stem or a shorter bike (smaller frame).

My saddle height I think is a bit low but I need to be able to touch the ground with my feet as I’m still not a confident rider. But my toes are barely just touching so I’m not that far off but it may play into things.

Please, stop doing that. It will show up sooner rather than later as knee pain. As I've advised another rider on the dropper post thread, I'd encourage you in the strongest possible terms to practice sliding forward off the saddle to put your foot down, rather than staying seated, and to have your saddle at the right height to look after your knee health.

It is often said that practice makes perfect, but that's not true. Practice makes permanent. So it's vital to practice good habits, not bad ones, so that the compounding effect works in your favour, not against you.

Maybe set some time aside to make practicing proper technique a drill a few times this week, starting and stopping. Short and frequent is better for programming the brain and muscles than long and infrequent.

Like this:

[Thoglette]

My saddle height I think is a bit low but I need to be able to touch the ground with my feet as I’m still not a confident rider. But my toes are barely just touching so I’m not that far off but it may play into things.

Please, stop doing that. It will show up sooner rather than later as knee pain. As I've advised another rider on the dropper post thread, I'd encourage you in the strongest possible terms to practice sliding forward off the saddle to put your foot down, rather than staying seated, and to have your saddle at the right height to look after your knee health.

Again, what TG said. Your legs should be straight at the bottom of the pedal stroke. Which, on modern bikes with "sporty" geometry and high bottom brackets, means you can't put your feet on the ground while on the seat.

If one must put ones' feet down while seated, one needs to change to a bike with a much less vertical seat tube - either the "classic dutch" (yes, I know, actually British) or "beach cruiser" geometries.

[Andy01]

Thanks for that. I’ve tried the handlebar at different angles but I find myself feeling the pressure on my hands all the time. Probably because my core is weak and unable to support the force of leaning forwards so the weight is on my hands. I’ve really tried to relax the grip and lighten the pressure but wonder whether there is more that I can do.

My saddle height I think is a bit low but I need to be able to touch the ground with my feet as I’m still not a confident rider. But my toes are barely just touching so I’m not that far off but it may play into things.

IMO two of the cheapest/nastiest components on many cheaper bikes (I don't know what bike you have or where you bought it) is the saddle & grips. They are certainly the things that I always replace, often without even trying the stock ones.

I bought some Ergon GA3 grips to help for numb hands, and while not foolproof, they have completely solved it for me on shorter (±40-60 minute) rides. I still get some discomfort if I ride a longer ride, but it is quite manageable.

https://www.mtbdirect.com.au/products/e ... k-on-grips

The wider area (wing) to support my hand (in the area you mentioned in your first post) helps me - may not work for everyone.

I prefer a seat with some padding (I am not a weight-watching road bike rider or a commuter - I ride for daily exercise and enjoyment), so I bought a Selle Italia ST7 - it has a small amount of gel padding and I find it reasonably comfortable.

I would also suggest that you look closely at how your bike fit is set up. I have exactly the problem the guy in the mount/dismount video above has. I am only 165cm and even on a Small frame Giant hybrid, there is no way in hell I could put both feet on the ground while sitting on the saddle. I am hard pressed reaching the ground with one foot on tip-toes. I always drop down to the top tube as shown. Even then I have to be VERY selective about a bike frame because many have standover heights that place certain body parts at serious risk of crush injuries. Technically I would probably prefer a Medium frame for actual riding, but I value my family jewels too much.

Bringing the saddle right forward and lowering it is probably not going to get you well placed for comfort while riding and putting down some power. I have never been for a bike fit, but there is heaps of info available online and I have (with some trial and error) worked out what works for me (I think). I don't ride huge mileages (probably around 3,000-4,000 km per year) - mostly with daily short-ish rides of about 40 minutes each.

[ColinOldnCranky]

IF IT IS FROM A TOO-TIGHT GRIP...

Decades ago I was a serious squash player spending around 800 hours a year on court, training and competing plus many more hours doing racquet drill off court. This eventually led to a persistent inflamed ulnar.

So I trained my grip to be softer.

This is the sort of thing that I used. And while most players of the era thought it was to support the elbow it was not. It was a training aid.

It was designed by some Scandinavian sports person to give a level of discomfort depending on how tight it was set and how hard a players grip was. Set it to a level where it is below the discomfort/pain level when relaxing the grip and then play.

Once the grip is trained to relax it is longer required.

[warthog1]

Smoking a cigarette while riding is a new one... (the second rider).

Amsterdam?
Probably a joint.
Australia?
Probably a joint. Cannabis is cheaper than tobacco these days.

Missed that when it was posted. Glad I saw it today

[Nobiker]

I experience the same problem in the carpals so I installed an adjustable stem to rise the handlebars up and a little backward.
And I believe that flat bar bikes like the mountain bike ones are not suitable for people with this kind of problem but there are always solutions like a modified stem and a more comfortable seat.
Now I suffer 30% wrists pain but I can enjoy 70% in riding so I'm the winner!

[ilovemybike]

I bought some Ergon GA3 grips to help for numb hands, and while not foolproof, they have completely solved it for me on shorter (±40-60 minute) rides. I still get some discomfort if I ride a longer ride, but it is quite manageable.

https://www.mtbdirect.com.au/products/e ... k-on-grips

The wider area (wing) to support my hand (in the area you mentioned in your first post) helps me - may not work for everyone.

Andy, thank you for your recommendation on this. I have been using it for several months now and just reporting back that my wrist pain is gone.

[Andy01]

I bought some Ergon GA3 grips to help for numb hands, and while not foolproof, they have completely solved it for me on shorter (±40-60 minute) rides. I still get some discomfort if I ride a longer ride, but it is quite manageable.

https://www.mtbdirect.com.au/products/e ... k-on-grips

The wider area (wing) to support my hand (in the area you mentioned in your first post) helps me - may not work for everyone.

Andy, thank you for your recommendation on this. I have been using it for several months now and just reporting back that my wrist pain is gone.

Great to hear. Thanks for taking the time to provide feedback.