Radish_legs

When I am riding on concrete, I am getting shocked about every 5 seconds (sometimes less, sometimes more). The shock is when I have my hands on the shifters, particularly when my thumbs are touching the metal pin on the inside. It shocks me through my gloves. It feels like a 9V battery shock. Moreover, I can hear static discharges appearing to snap-off every time I roll over the tar inbetween concrete sections, probably at the back tire (sounds like it is happening behind me).

I am on a specialized allez sprint (aluminum bike), conti 4000 tires, latex tubes, shimano 105 rim brake. Carbon saddle post.

Why? Any solutions?

Rides4Beer

Could hang some grounding straps/chains off the bike, like big trucks do!

Cyclist0108

Is it the cat fur saddle cover on the rubberized Brooks C17?

Sojodave

Are you using Di2 or eTap?

popeye

I think you are close, that and a dry climate. Or he might have the Van Der Graaf model.

PepeM

Get a tinfoil hat.

tagaproject6

You are getting ESD build up from your latex tubes. The static charge needs to go somewhere and you are the closest one.

Radish_legs

Shimano 105 with rim brakes and cables.

Radish_legs

I've always used latex tubes before with my carbon bike, and never been shocked that I can recall.

TimothyH

It can happen.

Microshocks from bicycles

https://www.******.com/r/bicycling/c...y_when_riding/

Relative humidity in your area might be making it worse. Humidity has been extremely low here in the deep south so that the national weather service has issued a warning for high fire danger. I've noticed lots of static in general, chapped lips, etc.

Ogsarg

Riding under high voltage electrical lines?

Microshocks from bicycles

Radish_legs

Doesn't seem to be related to voltage lines that I can tell, but frequently I am under voltage lines as the lines follow the roads. It seems like the concrete roads are the biggest correlation. It's one thing for a shock between me and the bike, but why am I hearing shocks from my rear tire as it hits the black tar parts of the road?

Ogsarg

It's very puzzling but from some experience I've had working with static electricity related issues one thing I do know is that the more insulated you are from ground, the worse the shocks will be. The static charge just keeps increasing till it reaches a potential great enough to get across the insulator. In your case, the tar perhaps is a better conductor than the concrete so it happens when you cross those.

Actually that makes more sense to me than you being shocked since you are not grounded or only through the bike. Perhaps the charge is building on your clothes or hair and then occasionally dissipating to the bike and then dissipating to the ground via the tires. Hard for me to imagine building up those kinds of charges on a bike.

mercator

What sort of clothing are you wearing?
I imagine if you had a silk jersey over a pair of polyester bibs that might cause a static buildup.

OmegaWolf

This article answers a question I've been meaning to ask for a while. I often get shocks while riding under some high voltage lines near my home, but only while on my MTB. It sounds like its the rubber hand grips that make the difference.

seypat

Maybe the OP is on Channel Z!

bradchatellier

I'm curious. I'm getting occasional electric shocks in my right hand while using Di2. Sounds like you may know something about this. Thanks.