Oh my aching hands!

[KneesUp]

I've done my first commute on my bitsa bike today - my first ride on drop bars for years. I used to ride drop bars all the time because that's what my bikes had, and never had a problem.

Today though my hands were really aching after 15 minutes - is it just a case of getting used to them again do you think, or will I just find that it's one of those things I could do at 20 and can't do now?

It strikes me the bars (scavenged from a late 70s Peugeot) are rather thin, in fact they have no tape at all on one side as I had to strip it to get them off the Peugeot. I think thicker tape will help - but any other advice of things to check would be much appreciated. I have the bottoms of the bars parallel to the floor and the tops of them are perhaps an inch or so lower than the saddle.

Thanks in advance.

 

[roadrash]

if your going to re-tape the bars , wrap some old inner tube round them first if you want a bit of extra padding

 

[KneesUp]

if your going to re-tape the bars , wrap some old inner tube round them first if you want a bit of extra padding

I have an old inner tube saved for that very reason I think I'm going for old school cloth tape with plenty underneath it, but the way it felt today I might wrap a fresh inner tube and pump it up a bit

Looking at the bike now I think it might be because of the seat being higher than the bars - when the bars were made people didn't have much seatpost showing so bars and saddle were pretty much level. Perhaps I need a longer stem .

 

[albion]

I have that problem too. For me , moving the seat a cm or so forwards for a more upright stance made a lot of difference.

 

[albion]

And yes, thinking about it, it became quite bearable after a few days of just getting back used to drops.

 

[Gravity Aided]

I use gloves with heavier padding when I ride the drop-bar Schwinn. Helps a bit as well, as does getting used to the drops.

 

[John the Canuck]

a longer stem will move your upper trunk forward and put more weight on your hands
you need to get weight OFF your wrists

also tilt the bars UP a bit - so raising the hoods of the brakes - and ride the hoods

are you on 23c tyres .?
i have 23c at 100psi, and 85psi for my 25c on my other Peugeot [same frame geometry]
23c rattle my teeth

i have Dupuytren's contracture
i wrapped the bars in gel cork tape - then to get a period 'look' on my Peugeot
i wrapped cotton tape over the black cork - perfect
.

 

[KneesUp]

a longer stem will move your upper trunk forward and put more weight on your hands
you need to get weight OFF your wrists

also tilt the bars UP a bit - so raising the hoods of the brakes - and ride the hoods

are you on 23c tyres .?
i have 23c at 100psi, and 85psi for my 25c on my other Peugeot [same frame geometry]
23c rattle my teeth

i have Dupuytren's contracture
i wrapped the bars in gel cork tape - then to get a period 'look' on my Peugeot
i wrapped cotton tape over the black cork - perfect
.

I have 38c tyres - it's a hybrid frame and wheels with drop bars, an ahead stem converter and a kind of cobbled-together drive-train. When the bars were attached to the Peugeot and on 25c tyres it was unbearable!

I've actually moved the levers around to make the tops level because I found the cables chaffed otherwise, and it felt like a bit of a reach to put the brakes on. Ultimately though I think I might replace them with aero ones with rubber hoods.