Thank you @Heli_Guy , @ScottMN , @Bonk , and @Charlie_H ! I will try the pipe insulation and see about switching my hand position. I would bet Charlie is onto something with the massage. I am now seeing a physical therapist about this and she says that all of my muscles all the way up the arm and into the shoulder and neck are way too tight. I bought a massage gun, so we’ll see if that helps and whether the physical therapy gets me anywhere. I’m glad to hear that others are finding some relief and solutions. I guess I just need to be persistent!
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@Beth_Klawun - I also have a massage gun, saved me a fortune. Nothing beats a good sports massage but the guns are great for day to day maintenance.
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Hey mate and all! I hope it’s going well. My “quick” tips for this and similar bike related “palsy” issues are as follows.
1: don’t cheap out on your contact points. You probably don’t need the $2,000 custom molded carbon shoes that Team GB uses at the Olympics but a good sturdy carbon sole with a well ventilated shoe will go a long way to help your feet. Follow this same principle for the shoes, pedals, saddle, bob shorts, and bars.
2: get a professional bike fit. Any shop all sell you a bike fit. That’s not what we are after. Find a fitter that is proud about their trade and visit them. Can be a little spendy but if you’re spending a few hours a week on the bike, you’ll thank them for their time.
3: handle bars: Carbon “aero” road bars aren’t just faster in the wind, I find the increased surface area to be more comfortable on the hand over a traditional round metal tube.
4: work on your core. Your core should be supporting you in the bike, not just your hands, wrists and arms. If your trunk is a dead fish being supported by your arms, your hands will always struggle.
5: stretch. Yea this is dumb as we’ve heard about this one since our grade school PE days, but just do it.
6: Chiropractor. If your body is twisted up from years of life (surprise it probably is) visit your locally recommended chiro, A.R.T. or similar healthcare professional to get the body lined back up as best as possible.
I could keep going but that’s a good start for now. Cheers!
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I have been riding for about 16 yrs
Casual rider but have the nerve issue. Can yiu share more about your comment “You can get surgery for ulnar problems but the success/improvement rate doesn’t seem to be that great and you can even go from bad to worse (I know of people who did).”
Had the surgery still have yhe problem. What hit worse? Im looking at maybe a release in the wrist area and want to hear from others. Thx
I would recommend looking at your bike fit.
Hands going numb tends to be caused by too much pressure leaning forward.
Try to avoid “slamming” your stem.
Raise the stem up a few washers or flip stem for a pos rise instead of neg drop.
I double wrap my bars too.
Make sure your saddle is not tipped forward.
Sometimes tipping a saddle forward relieves discomfort in the groin but the solution to saddle numbness is a proper fitting seat.
A lot of people ride with saddles that are too narrow and the pressure is on the middle of the groin instead of the sit bones further back.
Relaxing shoulders also can do a lot for hand circulation. They don’t seem connected, but they can be.