Numb fingers

[Otto Sump]

Hi group, I ride a xl frame 2012 Specailized cross trial sports disc to work, its approx a 32 mile round trip commute. I'm 5,11" weighing 11.5 st. My problem is that after 40 minutes of continuous riding my fingers get numb and tingly, a colleague at work said he had the same problem and he resolved it by changing his handle bar post/stem, my question is what kind of post do I replace the standard one that was supplied with my bike, there are so many options available. At the moment I feel that my body weight is forward and my arms are taking the load of my upper body, I use my bike for exercise and don't mind being a sail to the wind, any suggestions appreciated.
Regards Otto, in a snow free area of West Cumbria

 

[shunter]

First obvious question would be, what is the position of the brake levers at present. Are they causing your wrist to be bent whilst you are riding. This could put pressure on nerves in the wrist. I found this:

SET BRAKE LEVER POSITION & ANGLE
1. Loosen the brake and shifter clamp bolt (or bolts) using an Allen wrench.
2. Slide the brake lever either away from the grip or toward it until your index and middle fingers can access the end of the lever without straining sideways.
3. Now do the angle. Rotate the levers to a neutral starting point—about 45 degrees from the ground.
4. Hop on and grab a handful of brake. Your fingers and wrists should be in line with your forearms, fingers relaxed and draped over the levers.
5. Adjust the angle until the fit is right, then snug the clamp bolt.

 

[Boris Bajic]

I would start where Shunter advises you to. On a bicycle with flat bars, I like my fingers to be able to rest across the brake levers with my wrists straight. This can lead to the levers looking as though they are pointed staight into the deck, but it is comfortable.

One sees many cyclists with brake levers mounted almost horizontally. This may be comfortable for some, but it doesn't look so.

There are so many thngs you can adjust on a bike that it can get confusing, but I'd start where Shunter says.

Bar ends may also be worth considering, to give you a change of position.

 

[Otto Sump]

I'll give the brakes an adjustment this afternoon, nipping out for a few hours weather permitting.

 

[spacecat]

I had the same problem with my hybrid, pressure on my palms would start my little fingers tingling after a while. These helped a lot and spread the load- http://m.evanscycles.com/products/specialized/bg-contour-lock-grip-ec021313

Funnily enough I'm more stretched out on my road bike and It's never a problem. I sometimes think that if you aren't as upright you tend to have less pressure on your arms. Different hand positions also help. I added some bar ends as well as the grips. Hth

 

[jonny jeez]

I get Carpal tunnel syndrome (pins and needles) in my small fingers on each hand occasionally, but I find that the more I ride the less it comes. Perhaps look at the position but also consider gel gloves.

 

[kedab]

could be saddle height and the fore and aft position too...so many things to figure out! i suffered with numb fingers/hands on my hybrid after just 6 or 7 miles, too much weight on my arms was the issue so, with a bit of fettling, i sorted the saddle position, et voila, all good and not a problem these days.

 

[Shut Up Legs]

I get Carpal tunnel syndrome (pins and needles) in my small fingers on each hand occasionally, but I find that the more I ride the less it comes.

Same here, plus my hands have calluses where they contact the drops of the handlebars, which helps.

What might also help is to adjust the bike fit to reduce the weight you're currently putting on your hands. For example: if your seat is inclined a bit too far forward (i.e. marginally lower at the front than at the back), this can cause you to move forwards on the seat, and so your centre of gravity moves further forwards, thus putting more pressure on your hands. Adjusting the seat's nose upwards (if the seat post configuration allows it), will mitigate or remove this problem. The horizontal (i.e. rear-front) position of the seat can also affect how much pressure is on your hands.

Another option is adjusting the angle of the handlebar drops (if you're using handlebars with drops, can't tell from the bike model you posted). I angle my handlebar drops downwards, which helps me to keep my wrists less bent when using the drops.

With the above changes, it's best to make tiny changes, and only change one thing at a time, then try these for up to a week before changing anything else. That way, you get a better idea of what change caused the most improvement in your riding comfort.

There are other bike fit changes you can also make, but a qualified bike fitter can advise you of these.

 

[hotmetal]

I always set my brake levers (on flat bars ie mountain bike and motorbike) so that they point quite downwards so I can get onto them comfortably without having to bend my fingers up. Squishy grips can help too. A shorter stem might also be the answer if you feel too far forward.

When I got my road bike which is quite 'bum up head down' I suffered quite a lot with numb fingers for the first few weeks, but like someone further up said, the more I rode, the better it got, so now I don't get the problem any more, though I do move my hands from the hoods to the bars occasionally for a change of position.

 

[Nick Spam]

Numbness in the little fingers is Guyon's canal syndrome not Carpal tunnel. I got it about ten years ago, when I bought a flat bar bike. Quite badly, numbness all the time. Gloves, riding position didn't fix it so I went back to riding with drops and the problem went away.

 

[glenn forger]

My mate had numb fingers and he died.

 

[Otto Sump]

Thanks for al the great advice guys, I'll try and address a few, the bike came with the contour lock grips so I haven't done anything with them. I do have the seat post at almost its full height but I have not adjusted the handle bar height, did a bit of fiddling with the brake levers but after going out yesterday the numbness started after 15 miles or so. The feeling isn't painful so much, but it makes it difficult when changing gear as I lose all the feeling in my finger ends. I don't think I'm going to get used to this feeling, the bike has now done over 2000 miles since I purchased it last cycle to work scheme so most aches & strains have been ironed out. I like the seat nose adjustment option, so I may try this tomorrow before I set off to work, time permitting I may also have a look at the handlebar adjustments. Thanks guys, I'll keep things updated, and here's hoping I don't die Glenn, not yet anyway.

 

[Arjimlad]

I'd buy some bar ends and vary your grip from time to time.

Holding bars horizontally (i.e.on a left to right plane) in front of you feels less natural than fore & aft (i.e. in a line running from front to back), if you know what I mean. The wrists are rotated inwards

Also cycling gloves with good gel pads should help ?

 

[Tribanite]

Buy some Specialized BG Geometry bar grips with integrated bar ends. Your palmd will be resting on a flat bit of rubber and the bar ends provide a different hand position.
Another trick is to put your hand behind your back (when safe to do so),and open/close your palm repeatedly for 20-30 seconds. Then repeat with other hand.

 

[The Eighth Man]

I only use my flat bar bike when I go out with my daughter using her tagalong and after about 20 miles my arms are hurting. I have no problems on my bikes with drops so I have just fitted bar ends to my MTB to hopefully solve the problem. I also always use a pair of padded gloves.