NiGoCo

I've rebuilt a cheap bike to be my commuter. I did a pre run to work today to check the route and give the bike a shake down run. About two hours round-trip.
About a half hour in my arms started to hurt and fingers started to tingle. I've been home for a couple hours and my pinky and ring fingers in both hands are still numb and tingly.

I'm a newbie so I don't know where to start fixing this issue.

I can get any measurements you guys need to help point me in the right direction. I just don't know what I don't know.

Here is a picture of of the bike.

GrainBrain

Congrats on the build, I was going to comment on your commuting thread then saw this. The seat looks a little above the bars, when you're riding are your arms almost locked straight? I'd raise the bars and bring them back some.

With regards to the numbness there's a nerve running past your elbow joint I believe, that can be pinched. I had this happen years ago when I started doing heavy work with my arms. For me it was very painful at times, my doctor just had me take Naproxen and it went away after a couple of weeks.

I'm no expert, but you have a sweet rig

79pmooney

This could be due to several things: probably primarily the weight you are placing on your hands and the details of how your hands sit on the grips. Also I'm guessing you weren't changing hand grips and riding styles much. (On of the reasons dropped handlebars are so popular is because they offer at least 4 very different positions for your hands with different contact points and wrist angles.) Weight on your hands isn't necessarily bad: I ride with a lot but I am very picky about the exact details of how my handlebars and brake levers sit.

I'd try that ride again and see if you can find a hand position that doesn't cause the tingles. Then perhaps seek out bars that offer that position as a good primary position, again with other positions so you can change. Others here will have spcific things you can try, All my experience is with dropped handlebars so I am not much help.

Ben

NiGoCo

Thank you GrainBrain!

I'll have to get a new stem to bring the bars up anymore. I've already cheated it slightly above the min insertion mark.

After reading some I also moved the seat farther back on the rails.

NiGoCo

I did try to move my hands around as much as I could, there are just not many options with these bars. I feel like the bars are too narrow causing my wrists to be at a slightly awkward angle. For a while I did try to grab the ends of the bars but that caused some burning in my upper arms.

I figured my legs would be burning like crazy since I haven't really cycled in many years but I never expected to have my arms burning. I'm hoping moving the seat back will take some weight off of my hands.

Clem von Jones

Hard to believe, but this kind of setup is more comfortable:

NiGoCo

Doood, that looks freaking awesome!

​​​​​I might just do that purely for the looks. Who cares what the body feels like

NiGoCo

Moving the seat back has certainly made a big difference. I had no issues with my arms or hands at all this morning.

berner

I'm glad you found your answer to comfort. I was going to comment that often just a very small difference in distance or angle of the bars can make a huge difference in comfort.

dabac

People are different. I have limited mobility in my lower back and simply can't deal with a drop like that. Years of Core and Yoga exercises hasn't improved this one bit.

dabac

Twist shifters?
My hand's can't really deal with the diameter of the twist shifters. I either use full-length grips and avoid supporting myself on the shifter barrels or bar ends that lets me get another grip away from the widest part.