yashinon

Hello - first post in the general discussion forum. I purchased a Trek Precaliber 24" bike for my kiddo. After 7 or miles or the kiddo's hands get numb. I am looking for grips (ergonomic preferred) and bar ends.

The Bike has a grip shift - 7 speed twist. Handlebar specs - 25.4mm clamp, 40mm rise, 560mm width.

I found Serfas bar ends but not sure if they will fit the handlbar. There are also Serfas youth grips.

ofajen

Have you considered replacing that straight bar with a bar that has some sweep? My kids much prefer those.

One has a Kalloy bar with about 35 degree back sweep, the other uses a Sunlite touring bar that copies the North Road and Nitto Albatross style. That one bends forward a bit and then back at about 60 degrees. Probably the 35 degree bar is better if there will still be a bit of rough terrain.

if you went that route, likely the brakes and shifter will need new (slightly longer) cables a d housings.

Otto

50PlusCycling

Big, cushy grips work well. And also making sure that the bike is well-set-up, you want to distribute the weight correctly between the handlebar and the saddle. Gloves also help, but kids lose gloves rather quickly.

yashinon

Is that done by adjusting saddle height or position? I probably cannot do much on the handlebar end. I purchased this bike used, what I need to do is get a proper fit at LBS.

Russ Roth

What's the tire pressure? Numb hands isn't that common in a kid despite bike fit tending towards awful for kids in general. Riding rougher rail trail or canal path? With the tires on the bike I wouldn't go past 40psi and the lighter the kid the more I'd move to 35psi. My kid's mtbs I keep at 25 rear 20 front and their road bikes which have 23mm tires still only get 65psi but a lot of shops will fill the tires to max which is probably 65 or 75psi on those and way higher then necessary.

awesemblauge

yeah, it could be fit and riding position. if he's riding in a position that puts a lot of weight on his hands, his bike may need a readjustment. raising the handlebars could help if it looks like he rides hunched over the front of the bike. if he stands up a lot while riding, it could be because his seat isn't high enough. with a low seat, you usually can't get efficient pedaling and so you get out of the seat to pedal harder. this will, once again, put your weight forward from your butt into your hands/legs. he could also just be death gripping the handlebar, which will go away as he gets more comfortable riding or his hand muscles start developing more.

softer grips and gloves will definitely help if it's not incorrect riding position. odi rogue grips are a comfortable product that feature thick, soft rubber and also come in grip shift length. they're also really easy to install... you'll want to double check that the handlebars are the correct diameter, but i'm 99% confident they're okay. gloves can also help with fatigue, but find some that have padding inserts on the palm. a lot of mtb gloves don't have padding, which a lot of people like because they add grip and protection while also allowing the rider to still feel reactive. unfortunately, they won't do much for cushion. something like https://www.universalcycles.com/shop...&category=3040 might help.

that tire pressure post, above, is also a great tip.

Paul Barnard

Bar ends will help. Probably quite a bit. They will fit your son's bike. I use them on my touring bike. You may have to loosen the brakes and shifters and slide them inward a little to make room. Order some cheap foam or "sponge" grips from ebay or amazon to put on the bar ends. You can trim them to fit. When you put the grips on, wipe the bar ends with a little rubbing alcohol. The grips will slide right on, and stay when the alcohol evaporates. It's a cool way to add color as well. https://www.ebay.com/itm/1pair-Bike-...0AAOSw1N1e3ziP

The seat is pretty easy to slide forward. There is likely one bolt that you can loosen to slide it forward. Make sure the nose isn't pointing down even slightly. That can cause added pressure on the wrists too.

cyccommute 

Grips on Gripshifters are pretty awful. They tend to be fairly thin rubber with little cushion. Rather than an “ergo” grip, go with something like an ESI grip, probably a Chunky. The Extra Chunky is nice but probably too large for small hands.

Bar ends can be useful but may not be appropriate for kids. They may not have the eye/hand coordination or the judgement to use them properly. Barends do require the rider to be able to switch quickly from the barend to the brakes and a kid just might not have enough experience to know when to do it safely. I have barends and use them all the time but I would be hesitant to let a child use them. That would, of course, depend on the kid’s age and experience.

Another consideration is the angle of the brake lever. Many people set up their brake levers level to the ground like the black arrow in the picture below. This causes the hand to be bent unnaturally upward which can put a lot of pressure on the palmar nerve which makes parts of the hand “go to sleep”. Setting the brake levers with more downward angle like the red arrow below, puts the hand at a straighter, more natural, line and takes some pressure off the palmar nerve.


Additionally, try to teach the rider to ride with a more relaxed grip. Most people…myself included…tend to ride on rougher terrain with an increased grip. I know that I should relax my grip…and I usually do…but I, like others, get tired and forget.

Finally, sometimes you can’t really do all that much to alleviate hand numbness on mountain bikes. It’s not the flat bars that are (all) of the problem. It’s the vibration of the terrain that takes a toll. Even with a relaxed grip, soft grips, suspension, angled brake levers, etc., rough riding results in numbness. Stopping and just moving the hands when they are numb is often necessary. Take a brake. Enjoy your surroundings.

Iride01 

Bent wrist's might be an issue. If they aren't bent from the bike being totally the wrong size for them then possibly they can correct how they hold on to the bars.

If their arms are pretty straight, then even if the elbows aren't locked they will still be braced up so much that the hands and shoulders will bare the brunt of all forces.

Do they wear gloves? There have been some that say gloves cause them to not realize they are gripping the bar so hard and that causes numbness. Might be something to that.