Tired wrists? Could be your hand positioning.
- Thread starter Trail Cruiser
- Start date
mrgold35
Well-Known Member
One thing I had to do is raise the height of my handlebars because I was leaning forward too much and putting a lot of stress/pressure on my hands, wrist, arms, and back. Numb hands would happen in 15-20 minutes of a ride. Having my seat about the same height as my handlebar grips at a minimal seems to provide a comfy ride for long distances. I have ergo handgrips and narrow angled handlebars on my Radrover eMTB.
Volt_Ampere
Member
I am in the process of raising the bars on my wife's Ebike for just this reason. She complains of a sore back after a ride.
JRA
Well-Known Member
BITD mtb handlebar width, with mostly straight bars available, was benchmarked as shoulder width or a bit more. As time has gone on handlebar width has grown well beyond that as popular to compliment changes in overall geometry.
As this occurred it became evident that placing your hands further apart did the red thing illustrated above and so angled bars became a thing to alleviate the problem. Lots of available options today.
Personally, as I ride both mtb upright and road drop, I still prefer a narrower flat bar albeit more than shoulder width. Using straight grips, tried the ergo kind but they did nothing for me, and my bar height about 2”es below Saddle height works best. For me.
The drop bars I use are shoulder width but they afford more hand position options that I toggle through while riding. Most long range riders seem to prefer drop bars for what it’s worth.
At the end of the day whatever makes your positioning on the bike most comfortable is the best option as you are more apt to ride a comfortable bike than one that causes issues. As the miles add up though one may feel the need to do adjustments to your position on the bike but don’t feel like you have to do what everybody else does, just what works best for your body.
As this occurred it became evident that placing your hands further apart did the red thing illustrated above and so angled bars became a thing to alleviate the problem. Lots of available options today.
Personally, as I ride both mtb upright and road drop, I still prefer a narrower flat bar albeit more than shoulder width. Using straight grips, tried the ergo kind but they did nothing for me, and my bar height about 2”es below Saddle height works best. For me.
The drop bars I use are shoulder width but they afford more hand position options that I toggle through while riding. Most long range riders seem to prefer drop bars for what it’s worth.
At the end of the day whatever makes your positioning on the bike most comfortable is the best option as you are more apt to ride a comfortable bike than one that causes issues. As the miles add up though one may feel the need to do adjustments to your position on the bike but don’t feel like you have to do what everybody else does, just what works best for your body.
At my age, when I see any bike with the seat higher than the bars I see pain. "slamming the stem" is all the rage with road racers, the lower the bars the better. Youth is wasted on the young. I can't hold a bent over position for very long anymore.. It's too much work to hold my head up and puts too much pressure on my hands but when I was younger I could ride like that all day long
hurricane56
Active Member
I have a set of handlebars from SQ Labs and I really like them. I tried a couple of different versions of comfort handlebars. The ones with more than 20-degrees of sweep put me way to upright. Straight flat bars with a slight rise were still uncomfortable. The SQ Labs bars are very comfortable for my wrists and still allow me to get into a little more aggressive posture if I need to.
If your wrists are going numb, you have bad riding posture and need to correct it by supporting yourself properly and gripping the bars correctly.
Just like with motorcycles, you should use “screw driver” hands when holding your bars and should also be supporting your body weight with your core, not your wrists.
Just like with motorcycles, you should use “screw driver” hands when holding your bars and should also be supporting your body weight with your core, not your wrists.
Feliz
Well-Known Member
Screw driver hands?
JRA
Well-Known Member
Has more to do with moto throttle operation for sport bikes. If you ride a throttle bike and use it exclusively it will help.
heytchap is right about using your core strength assisting keeping your weight bearing on the bars to a minimum and it’s importance. I know it’s the first adjustment I make if I start feeling hand/wrist discomfort.
I find that posting on the pedals to avoid seat shock as I ride helps to keep up your core awareness with less bar shock that also is a factor in hand/wrist fatigue.
heytchap is right about using your core strength assisting keeping your weight bearing on the bars to a minimum and it’s importance. I know it’s the first adjustment I make if I start feeling hand/wrist discomfort.
I find that posting on the pedals to avoid seat shock as I ride helps to keep up your core awareness with less bar shock that also is a factor in hand/wrist fatigue.
Trail Cruiser
Well-Known Member
Putting more of your weight away from the handle bar and more to saddle relieves overall stress to the upper body. However, your spine will absorb most of the bumps, especially at high speeds where the bumps are magnified. That's why suspension seat posts makes more sense on ebikes.
JRA
Well-Known Member
"However, your spine will absorb most of the bumps, especially at high speeds where the bumps are magnified"
That is why I mentioned posting in my other comment. Raising your butt off the saddle prior to hitting a "bump", that is recognized by looking ahead, there is no shock to the spine. I tried sus posts years ago but they didn't work for me as I didn't like the constant change in my leg extension. You can post either while, or while not pedaling and is what works for me, YMMV of course.
I come from a rigid mtb background and posting is an essential tool that I use on a FS bike also and I do it on my road bikes.
That is why I mentioned posting in my other comment. Raising your butt off the saddle prior to hitting a "bump", that is recognized by looking ahead, there is no shock to the spine. I tried sus posts years ago but they didn't work for me as I didn't like the constant change in my leg extension. You can post either while, or while not pedaling and is what works for me, YMMV of course.
I come from a rigid mtb background and posting is an essential tool that I use on a FS bike also and I do it on my road bikes.
It's already been covered, but holding your bars like you'd hold a screw driver when screwing/unscrewing something.
ebikemom
Well-Known Member
Love my swept back cruiser handlebars. They allow for a very natural shoulder/arm/hand position. The width is also very comfortable and natural feeling for the shoulders/arms/hands. The only downside is maneuverability--narrower handlebars are more agile.
My main arm challenge has been the force on my arms when going down steep hills and braking, which has caused me arm pain. I am avoiding the issue by working to use my weight and brakes more evenly (less right braking), and to try to put less weight forward when going downhill.
My main arm challenge has been the force on my arms when going down steep hills and braking, which has caused me arm pain. I am avoiding the issue by working to use my weight and brakes more evenly (less right braking), and to try to put less weight forward when going downhill.
6zfshdb
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Northeast Pennsylvania
I've had the same result with my palm pad grips. Supporting some body weight with my palms makes a big difference in wrist discomfort.
Just ordered and on the way the riser and swept back bars and ergo locking grips for my Evelo Aurora. Stock is not bad but don't want any weight on my wrists and definitely don't want Carpal problems as a life long musician guitarist I need to take care of my hands so very conscious of these things...
Similar threads
