Hand/Wrist problems

[paco1961]

Been on my S40 for 4 months now and have recently developed problems with hands and wrists. Admittedly in the very beginning, especially when first getting comfortable on the new platform, I definitely tended toward death grip. But that has eased considerably over the last two months to the point that I have a pretty light touch on the bars now. But I seem to be developing carpel tunnel symptoms as well as pain in the pad (where fingers meet palm) and potentially a little early trigger finger. I am using the stock S40 bar and Sram brifters and usually hang my hands on the drops.

The bar "drops" are pointing more or less straight down. The only time I am really yanking on the bars is on very hard efforts - climbing or accelerating.

Anybody with similar challenges? Any recommendations on bar alignment? I've monkeyed around a bit with the bar angle to no avail.

 

[tiltmaniac]

Been on my S40 for 4 months now and have recently developed problems with hands and wrists. Admittedly in the very beginning, especially when first getting comfortable on the new platform, I definitely tended toward death grip. But that has eased considerably over the last two months to the point that I have a pretty light touch on the bars now. But I seem to be developing carpel tunnel symptoms as well as pain in the pad (where fingers meet palm) and potentially a little early trigger finger. I am using the stock S40 bar and Sram brifters and usually hang my hands on the drops.

The bar "drops" are pointing more or less straight down. The only time I am really yanking on the bars is on very hard efforts - climbing or accelerating.

Anybody with similar challenges? Any recommendations on bar alignment? I've monkeyed around a bit with the bar angle to no avail.

I had this same problem when I was using bullhorns.

Look at your right hand. Curl your fingers and stick your thumb out straight.
Now imagine you are curling your fingers around the bars. If your thumb is pointing away from you, that is the position that got me some trigger finger.
When I setup the bike so the thumb would point a little towards me, that is when it went away.

I'm almost always holding the bars in the brifter hood area, not 'the drops' (which is at a different angle). Also note that shen I'm talking about angles, im talking about angles relative to my forearm, NOT relative to the ground.


I'd try rotating the bars so where you hold points slightly more towards you.
I.e. your thumb points mostly up and bit towards relative to your forearm, or your wrist is 'shorter' on top and 'extended' on bottom when holding in the position you mostly use!

 

[jond]

Been on my S40 for 4 months now and have recently developed problems with hands and wrists. Admittedly in the very beginning, especially when first getting comfortable on the new platform, I definitely tended toward death grip. But that has eased considerably over the last two months to the point that I have a pretty light touch on the bars now. But I seem to be developing carpel tunnel symptoms as well as pain in the pad (where fingers meet palm) and potentially a little early trigger finger. I am using the stock S40 bar and Sram brifters and usually hang my hands on the drops.

The bar "drops" are pointing more or less straight down. The only time I am really yanking on the bars is on very hard efforts - climbing or accelerating.

Anybody with similar challenges? Any recommendations on bar alignment? I've monkeyed around a bit with the bar angle to no avail.

Also try moving boom and handlebar together half a cm at a time to give you more elbow angle. If your arms are too straight this can cause issue.

Move your hands frequently from drops to hoods. Try double taping drops.

 

[RojoRacing]

If your bars are pointing strait down then your like most cruzbikers who follow the trend of holding the bars like a screwdriver. That also hurts my wrists and give an odd feel when sprinting. Don't be shy and go ahead and tip those bars up so they are pointing a little forward which will straiten out your wrists so you can hang all four fingers with no wrist bend.

 

[super slim]

Tiltmaniac, Jond, and Rojo, these are VERY GOOD observations!

And why this Forum is the best I have used!!!

I will now recheck my set up.

 

[paco1961]

Also try moving boom and handlebar together half a cm at a time to give you more elbow angle. If your arms are too straight this can cause issue.

Move your hands frequently from drops to hoods. Try double taping drops.

For some reason I just can’t ride on the hoods. Feels far less stable and I feel like I’m all over the road. But tilting the drops more forward to more fully support the smaller fingers seems to help. Have thought about trying flat bar set up just for the heck of it. Anybody try a flat bar on S40?

 

[jond]

For some reason I just can’t ride on the hoods. Feels far less stable and I feel like I’m all over the road. But tilting the drops more forward to more fully support the smaller fingers seems to help. Have thought about trying flat bar set up just for the heck of it. Anybody try a flat bar on S40?

Your wrists need to be straight if possible and even pressure on all fingers In all positions. The only time you should be gripping your bars is on exertion climbing sprinting otherwise it’s a feather grip. Perhaps your grip is still understandably too strong resulting in fatigue and trigger finger. There is also a period of acclimation.

Even after 30 k after a big ride I still endure slight soreness in my wrists fingers especially if it’s hilly on a big ride over 12 hours plus. Put that down to my cycling upper body lol.

On the hoods are your elbows virtuallly straight and do you need to cock your wrists.

If so then you need to fine tune existing set up.

Think of your hands on the df hoods and try replicate that position for your hands with bent elbows. Maybe you need curved slider to drop the bars.

A pic side on might help a lot

I can really feel difference in 10 mm adjustments so experiment with more elbow bend less leg length etc. it’s well worth it to find that exact just right nirvana position.

 

[paco1961]

Your wrists need to be straight if possible and even pressure on all fingers In all positions. The only time you should be gripping your bars is on exertion climbing sprinting otherwise it’s a feather grip. Perhaps your grip is still understandably too strong resulting in fatigue and trigger finger. There is also a period of acclimation.

Even after 30 k after a big ride I still endure slight soreness in my wrists fingers especially if it’s hilly on a big ride over 12 hours plus. Put that down to my cycling upper body lol.

On the hoods are your elbows virtuallly straight and do you need to cock your wrists.

If so then you need to fine tune existing set up.

Think of your hands on the df hoods and try replicate that position for your hands with bent elbows. Maybe you need curved slider to drop the bars.

A pic side on might help a lot

I can really feel difference in 10 mm adjustments so experiment with more elbow bend less leg length etc. it’s well worth it to find that exact just right nirvana position.

Thanks for all the advice. I echo @super slim comment that this is an amazing assemblage of experience and knowledge.

Curved slider seems like a viable option. My bars/hands are a little high - I have about 2.5" of clearance between my thigh and bar. Will take a side pic or two and post later.

 

[Tuloose]

I keep my hands on the drops, same as you with the bar ends just about vertical.
Being on the hoods doesn't work for me. I mount my Spy mirrors on the hoods so I can't put my hands there in any case.
On long rides I do get a bit of numbness in my hands but mainly just the left hand for some reason.
I have found that full finger gloves help in giving a good grip on the bars.

 

[tiltmaniac]

I use the following mirror, which allows basically the whole bar area to be used for my hands:
https://www.performancebike.com/shop/ultra-light-bike-mirror-40-1315
Cheap, light, and convex to allow for seeing stuff better. If you'd like to use the drops, it is a worthy (and cheap in price though imho, not in quality) alternative.

When I say I hold the 'hoods', in my case, I actually have my hand at the top of the hood with the bottom two or three fingers split around the brake lever (but not squeezing it).

I think that Jason's (RojoRacing's) advice is spot on-- when you're holding the bars, what angle is your wrist at? It should be 'neutral', i.e. in-line with the arm if you don't want to stress the muscles and tendons of your wrist/hand/fingers asymmetrically.

 

[Balor]

Since I am fat, I find pulling the bars infinetely more effective than pushing into the seat. This is the reason MBB works so well for me - it also invariably results in pretty sore hands and even back spasm (entire upper body is involved) after hard interval work.
My hands slowly get stronger, but it does not get much easier, unfortuantely... an other way to get around bar-pulling is 'spinning circles' (but it does not work that well for high power outputs and really tiring for some reason) or, maybe, shoulder boosters.
People been experimenting with those and report good results:

https://www.bentrideronline.com/messageboard/showpost.php?p=1515605&postcount=55
They are positively required on an extremely reclined seat like those of hour record highracers.

But for that, you need a custom seat.