Hands going numb...suggestions?

[Armyballer]

I’m having problems with my hands/fingers going numb. I’ve turned my stem around and experimented with moving my handlebars up and down but I can’t seem to fix it. It usually starts to set in around 5-6 miles while riding trail. I usually don’t have any problems when riding on the road, my guess is I’m putting more pressure when riding trail. I usually can “shake” it out in a matter of seconds but it is a distraction.

I’m using good gel padded gloves as well as specialized ergonomic handgrips and horns, the horns do help by changing my grip but with my hands on the horns I don’t have any brake/gear change control so on some trails it's nots not very safe. Any suggestions?

[SugarShane]

I’m having problems with my hands/fingers going numb. I’ve turned my stem around and experimented with moving my handlebars up and down but I can’t seem to fix it. It usually starts to set in around 5-6 miles while riding trail. I usually don’t have any problems when riding on the road, my guess is I’m putting more pressure when riding trail. I usually can “shake” it out in a matter of seconds but it is a distraction.

I’m using good gel padded gloves as well as specialized ergonomic handgrips and horns, the horns do help by changing my grip but with my hands on the horns I don’t have any brake/gear change control so on some trails it's nots not very safe. Any suggestions?

That seems to happen to me a lot also. I just figured it was hereditary carpal tunnel.

[jimithng23]

you might try adjusting the fore/aft positioning of your saddle, as well as the angle of the saddle's nose.

tingling/numb hands and fingers can be a difficult thing to correct...my advice would be to change only one thing at a time, go for a ride, and note how you felt.

I'm sure a proper fit could help you out as well.

[Rage]

Ergon grips.

Rg.

[Tigris99]

I agree with jimmy. I found my biggest issue to be too much sweep in my bars. Having my seat in the right place and stem at right height helped too but i found that my bars having only a tiny bit of backsweep corrected the issue.

Though now being as I making adjustments its hard to know if I will have that problem again since I have shorter stem now. Dealing with one wrist/hand being irritated and sore from new job so thumb/first 2 fingers one right ha.d are tingling within about 1 mile. Made for interesting rear braking cause took a lot of concentration to feather them when needed.


I did try ergos last season, did nothing or me but a lot of ppl love them and they are nice, comfortable grips and i liked them just didn't solve MY tingling issue.

Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using Tapatalk 2

[jJohnson]

While your Specialized grips are like the Ergons, they are no Ergon grip. The fore/aft position of your saddle makes a big difference. Sounds like you're putting too much pressure on you hands and not using your core enough.

[Armyballer]

Yea...gonna move my seat around and see what that does for me...

[DH001]

I'm not familiar with the type of grips you described, but I used to get numbness in my hands from cylindrical style grips. I switched to a pair of Egron ergonomic grips which have large palm contact pad and ease pressure off of the nerves that run through the hands. I haven't had a problem with numbness since I switched. I also find it easier to maintain grip when the trail gets rough and the hands get sweaty because their shape prevents the hand from rotating around the bars as easily. Durability has been very good as well; I have had mine for ~4 years and they are just now starting to wear out. These style of grips are a little more tricky to set up because they need to be rotated to correctly come into contact with palm.

You might also try a more upright position (raise bars/shorten stem) so your arms have to support less weight. Keeping the elbows bent also helps absorb shocks that get transfered into the hands. Improving core strength, more specifically the lower back muscles, may also help keep the pressure off of your hands because as those muscles fatigue your arms have to pick up the slack and bear the weight of your upper body.

[Gunchie]

I'm not familiar with the type of grips you described, but I used to get numbness in my hands from cylindrical style grips. I switched to a pair of Egron ergonomic grips which have large palm contact pad and ease pressure off of the nerves that run through the hands. I haven't had a problem with numbness since I switched. I also find it easier to maintain grip when the trail gets rough and the hands get sweaty because their shape prevents the hand from rotating around the bars as easily. Durability has been very good as well; I have had mine for ~4 years and they are just now starting to wear out. These style of grips are a little more tricky to set up because they need to be rotated to correctly come into contact with palm.

You might also try a more upright position (raise bars/shorten stem) so your arms have to support less weight. Keeping the elbows bent also helps absorb shocks that get transfered into the hands. Improving core strength, more specifically the lower back muscles, may also help keep the pressure off of your hands because as those muscles fatigue your arms have to pick up the slack and bear the weight of your upper body.

Yep, pair of Ergons and get a shorter stem to bring you more upright should solve it. Don't go too crazy though. Even 10mm makes a big difference.

[Armyballer]

Yep, pair of Ergons and get a shorter stem to bring you more upright should solve it. Don't go too crazy though. Even 10mm makes a big difference.

Ok...gonna try these "Ergons"...suggested size Large or Small? I wear a "Large" in glove size if that makes a difference. I'm guessing I'd also use the "Large" ergons over the "Small" but i just wanna make sure.

[jimithng23]

large.

depending on manufacturer, I'm either a large or x-large for gloves and the large ergons are fit well for me.

[Armyballer]

Update...

Spent some time at Healthy Habits yesterday talking to the guys there about my numb hands issue. My Scott Scale 960 comes with some super wide handlebars so were gonna shorten those up just a bit and see what that does. I've also ordered a pair of the "real" ergons as well. My stem is already pretty short so a shorter stem won't help me. I'll test her out today.

[SweetSVT99]

Kind of curious how wide the bars are? I'd be surprised if narrowing them helped with your hands going numb.

[Armyballer]

Kind of curious how wide the bars are? I'd be surprised if narrowing them helped with your hands going numb.

I don't have the exact measurement but they are almost 1.5 inches wider then my previouse Trek 26er, the thought is by moving my hands slightly in it will put me in a more upright position thus less weight on my wrist. I know were talking mico movements but it's worth a shot.