Handlebars

[wooster]

Hi all

I'm returning to cycling after a 44-year break. I'm now 66 and have arthritis in my hands and wrists. I bought a Merida Crossway 20D bike a week or so ago, and have been attempting to ride it without falling off!

I had replaced the flat bars for a pair that sloped back a bit at the handles, as they set the hand position back a bit more and I felt that might take pressure off but I have the feeling this might not have been a great idea as my wrists are now slightly angled. I am experiencing a little tenderness in my wrists and a bit of hand tingling after riding.

I'd say the grips are pretty low quality and I'm sure I could do with upgrading these but I'm toying with the idea of sticking the original straight bars on and using something like these on them. Does reverting to the original bars make sense? I have them at home so no cost involved. I figure that although the hands would be further forward, the position of my wrists would be more natural. I could combine this with a pair of these perhaps?

Alternatively, would I be better just to use a pair of these on my straight bars?

I'm pretty keen to avoid injury as I've had troubles with my hands in the past and I want to do all I can to help me continue to cycle.

Thanks for your advice.

 

[Chris S]

I balance on the saddle so there is very little weight on my hands. It also improves your core strength.

 

[Sharky]

When I've been recovering from injuries, I've spent at least 4 weeks, just riding on a basic static turbo trainer. Necessary to tweak position and to build up strength again. Also to gain confidence before getting back on the road.

If you've had a 44yr gap, it's going to take while to get back up to speed, so a cheap turbo will be a good investment.

Good luck

 

[Reynard]

+1 for the ergon grips - I have the GP2 ones on my two flat bar bikes.

Tingling or numb hands is a sign that you're putting too much weight on your hands. The trick to being comfy on a bike is to spread your weight evenly across all contact points (bum, feet, hands) - if you have it right, nothing should hurt. So check that your saddle isn't too high, or, if saddle height is fine, then raise the bars instead.

Though if you're only just coming back to cycling, things WILL hurt for a bit while your body gets used to it - it's the nature of the beast. Never mind the turbo (inconvenient dust trap unless you're ridiculously serious about cycling), just get out there and ride - little and often, and then slowly build up the distance. Even something like ten minutes around the block is a good start.

 

[ColinJ]

Watch this to see if your controls are set up in comfortable positions...

 

[wooster]

Thank you. It seems my brake levers are good. I'm going to maybe angle the bars downwards a little to see if that works better. If I return to the original bars I'd like to get some vertical grips ( if that's the right term ) but I'm wondering if I should get some sitting nearer in the handlebar rather than at the end? That's why I was attracted to these.

 

[wooster]

+1 for the ergon grips - I have the GP2 ones on my two flat bar bikes.

Tingling or numb hands is a sign that you're putting too much weight on your hands. The trick to being comfy on a bike is to spread your weight evenly across all contact points (bum, feet, hands) - if you have it right, nothing should hurt. So check that your saddle isn't too high, or, if saddle height is fine, then raise the bars instead.

Though if you're only just coming back to cycling, things WILL hurt for a bit while your body gets used to it - it's the nature of the beast. Never mind the turbo (inconvenient dust trap unless you're ridiculously serious about cycling), just get out there and ride - little and often, and then slowly build up the distance. Even something like ten minutes around the block is a good start.

Yes I'm building up gradually and taking short rides. I guess you're right in that I do need to settle into it but I'm just worried about aggravating my exising issues and having to give it up before I really get going.

 

[MichaelW2]

Find out the natural angle of your wrist grip. Take 2 bits of dowel or broomstick, each about 30cm long. Stand up and hold them out then shake your wrists to losen up. See the angle you like to hold.
I switch from flat to On One Mary for some sweep to avoid forced rotation in my arms. The more neutral position, combinef with cork Ergon grips is comfortable. I also cut the bard shorter by 1cm each side.

 

[wooster]

I will try that at the weekend @MichaelW2 thanks.

Somebody recommended On One Mary bars but I'm not sure if these would fit on my bike? Does anyone know?

 

[freiston]

Find out the natural angle of your wrist grip. Take 2 bits of dowel or broomstick, each about 30cm long. Stand up and hold them out then shake your wrists to losen up. See the angle you like to hold.
I switch from flat to On One Mary for some sweep to avoid forced rotation in my arms. The more neutral position, combinef with cork Ergon grips is comfortable. I also cut the bard shorter by 1cm each side.

I just tried this and got a different angle for each hand; repeating the exercise gave different results each time

 

[MichaelW2]

You have to learn what your relaxed, neutral wrist position is like.

 

[freiston]

I will try that at the weekend @MichaelW2 thanks.

Somebody recommended On One Mary bars but I'm not sure if these would fit on my bike? Does anyone know?

From what I can gather, the Merida Crossway 20D has a clamp size of 25.4mm. The On-One Mary is currently only available in 31.8mm clamp size (though they do give a weight for the 25.4mm clamp-size bar in the specs). You can always swap the stem out for one with a 31.8mm clamp size. To muddy the waters even more, the (expensive) Surly Moloko is an interesting option. The Koga Denham and the Velo Orange Crazy are similarly interesting (and a little bit cheaper).

 

[freiston]

You have to learn what your relaxed, neutral wrist position is like.

tbh, for me at least, I don't think it is a fixed absolute - a very wide tolerance. I do know, though, that I prefer a grip so that the bar runs parallel to my wheel rim and not to my wheel axle (best way I could think of describing it). I do like to mix it up a bit and ride on the tops (drop bars) too.

 

[Reynard]

TBH, I think the OP should concentrate on the simple fixes first, before looking at spending money.

We all know what it's like to disappear down that kind of dark hole and then end up with a whole load of stuff we don't use...

 

[freiston]

TBH, I think the OP should concentrate on the simple fixes first, before looking at spending money.

We all know what it's like to disappear down that kind of dark hole and then end up with a whole load of stuff we don't use...

Yeah, I think that if in the same shoes (gloves?), I would be looking at a pair of bar-ends - either something "ergonomically shaped" or plain old ski-style. The plain ones can be fitted outboard or inboard of the usual grips (& brake lever & gear shifter) to give a wide or narrow grip (might be useful if the bar-end is too wide).

If it helps, here's the Merida website picture of the handlebars: