TeamCBC Cycling Tip – Tips to Help Cyclists Prevent Sore or Numb Hands

With many cyclists going on longer rides this year, hand soreness and/or numbness can be an issue. Here are some tips to help prevent it from occurring.

1. Relax
   1. Relax your grip and your shoulders.
   2. Bend your elbows and engage your core. Practice taking your hands off the bar.
2. Bike set up
   1. Ensure that your bike is set up right for you.
   2. If you’re having issues, raise the handle bars. This will transfer some weight to the seat.
3. Hand position
   1. You have 3 places to place your hands, the tops, the flats and the drops.
   2. Periodically move your hands between these positions.
4. New bars
   1. If you’re still having issues, perhaps you need new bars.
   2. Aero bladed bars give you more surface area and can help reduce soreness.
5. Double wrap your bars
   1. Wrap tape on top of your bar tape. This will give you more of a cushion.
   2. It will also increase the diameter of the bar and thus give you more surface area to grip.
6. Tire width
   1. Wider tires allow you to ride at lower air pressures.
   2. This helps you absorb the bumps and reduces the vibration.

Personally, I almost never used the drops because it was uncomfortable. However after training for triathlons, it’s now become my preference. I wish they still had brakes for the tops like they did when I was a kid. You can’t really use that position when you’re in a group or in traffic.

Here is a video which demonstrates these tips:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_W4p_YmycU&feature=youtu.be

Quote of the week: “As a kid I had a dream — I wanted to own my own bicycle. When I got the bike I must have been the happiest boy in Liverpool, maybe the world. I lived for that bike. Most kids left their bike in the backyard at night. Not me. I insisted on taking mine indoors and the first night I even kept it in my bed.” — John Lennon

Stay safe!

Rick Bunnell

President, TeamCBC