Think I've cured numbness in hands .

[Globalti]

Yes, your saddle is canted forwards, which is throwing your weight onto your hands. You've alleviated it by raising the bars but that saddle ought to be flat or even up at the nose by a degree or two so that your pelvic bones are "cupped" and your weight better supported by the bones that are there to support it.

 

[MontyVeda]

Yes, does sound like a trapped nerve or something - I’d ask my GP about it. I used to get a numb right shoulder/arm when working on the bike (flare up of previous injury) and I managed to cure it by buying one of the Lidl £25 work stands.

I also stand on an old piece of carpet when working on the bike - keeps my feet warmer and helps stop dropped washers from bouncing all over the concrete garage floor!

I get the numbness when at work, rather than working on the bike. There's no pattern to it... sometimes it's one middle toe that goes numb, or my heel, or pins and needles in both hands which lasts maybe half an hour or so. My job is very physical and I guess it's circulation rather than something trapped.

See a doctor.

Yes... but you know what blokes are like at procrastinating

 

[Randomnerd]

As others have said, saddle is tipping you forward on to the bars a little. Another factor it's important to bottom out is cleat position (looks from a glance at your pic that you're clipless): IME most comfort to be had with cleats right back on foot, which will impact saddle height and maybe fore and aft saddle placement. I wear decent SIDI MTB shoes, and the fore and aft cleat adjustment is great - lets you get cleats right back behind ball of foot. I find you get more power, your calves stay neutral and you do more pedalling from the muscles round the knees. Cleat back for me allowed me to lower saddle height, bring saddle forward slightly and feel much more relaxed in my arms. One to try if you continue to get numbness on long rides.

 

[Trigger369]

Globalti , and woodenspoons .
I hear what ur saying about the position of the saddle . Looked at the pic of my bike there and Ile admit it does look like it' pointing down . Tho looking at it side on it looks pretty level. Ile have a look when I get home later .
As for cleat position I noticed after yesterdays ride that my right shoe had scuff marks on the inside where it has been rubbing against the right crank arm. So it seems I'm twisting me heel or the cleat needs moved but if I can remember correctly I have it over as far as it will go . Ile have a look at this also .

 

[Globalti]

Just loosen the cleat bolts and move the cleats a couple of mm towards the inside of the shoe, thus moving the shoe outboard.

 

[Trigger369]

Will give I a try later . Cheers

 

[graham bowers]

I concur with the saddle tilt comments. I shoddily refitted my saddle by eye and started to get finger numbness due to the extra force on my hands. When I checked with a spirit level it was pointing down by quite a bit, over 10mm as I recall. I now use a spirit level and have the saddle dead level.

 

[Trigger369]

It's ok using a using a level I would use one as well . Tho how do u use a level if your saddle is raised at the back and not a flat saddle ?

 

[graham bowers]

My brooks, for example, is raised at the back, dips and then raises at the front. I just bridge over the dip with the gauge. If your saddle is higher at the back than the front then I guess it'll be necessary to tilt it back a bit and see how you go, the power of the spirit level being you can keep a record of what you have done. You could either mark where the bubble is and write it down / photograph it, or put a spacer under the spirit level to get it level, and record that. I think the key is that using the spirit level you can have a recordable reference point that can then be tilted back / forward in small amounts to see how it works, so you have control and the ability to know how much its being changed each time. Hope all that makes sense!

 

[Trigger369]

My brooks, for example, is raised at the back, dips and then raises at the front. I just bridge over the dip with the gauge. If your saddle is higher at the back than the front then I guess it'll be necessary to tilt it back a bit and see how you go, the power of the spirit level being you can keep a record of what you have done. You could either mark where the bubble is and write it down / photograph it, or put a spacer under the spirit level to get it level, and record that. I think the key is that using the spirit level you can have a recordable reference point that can then be tilted back / forward in small amounts to see how it works, so you have control and the ability to know how much its being changed each time. Hope all that makes sense!

Does indeed

 

[alicat]

Tho how do u use a level if your saddle is raised at the back and not a flat saddle ?

Put a hardback book on the saddle starting just in front of the raised bit. Then put the spirit level on that.

 

[Globalti]

Generally I set up my saddles to be a couple of degrees higher at the nose so that my sit bones end up back on the broad part, cupped by the slight curve.

 

[Venod]

Put a hardback book on the saddle starting just in front of the raised bit. Then put the spirit level on that.

Thats a good starting point, you also have to consider the softness of your saddle, some have more give than others so when depending on your weight you may not be level when sitting on the bike, I use Charge Spoons which are fairly soft so I make allowance for this.

 

[Ajax Bay]

The bikes a bit more twitchy I noticed

In your imagination.

 

[T4tomo]

your saddle doesn't have to be dead level or nose up, nose down does suit some people, its horses for courses, we all have slightly different builds and measurements and saddle shape,.bike geometry etc

level is a good position to start and experiment from, with a slight tilt either way and go with what is most comfortable.