RSI/Wrist & Hand Pain
10-06-06, 12:41 AM
#26
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well, the thing is that i already had RSI before i ever got on the bike. it's from typing, mousing, guitar, knitting, piano... but riding the bike makes it about 8,000 times worse.
i don't have any pictures though
if it's the wrong size, then what dimension is most likely the problem? because from your guestimate measurement trick the bike is the right size. and i have a couple inches of standover clearance. you don't think the stem reach could be the problem?
i'm so frustrated.
edit: crap, i misread what you said before, about the stem clamp--my middle finger only reaches to the HEAD TUBE! not the stem clamp. so by that test the reach is too long.
does that mean i have to get a new bike? :/
i don't have any pictures though
if it's the wrong size, then what dimension is most likely the problem? because from your guestimate measurement trick the bike is the right size. and i have a couple inches of standover clearance. you don't think the stem reach could be the problem?i'm so frustrated.
edit: crap, i misread what you said before, about the stem clamp--my middle finger only reaches to the HEAD TUBE! not the stem clamp. so by that test the reach is too long.
does that mean i have to get a new bike? :/
Last edited by wild animals; 10-06-06 at 02:44 PM.
10-24-06, 10:23 PM
#27
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oh
my
GOD
i think i figured it out!!!!
i got my new shifter today and it seems like that may just make things worse, and i spent an hour or more looking for tall 1 1/8" quill stems with short reaches and i was so mad and frustrated i thought about not riding any bike at all ever again. in desperation i searched BF one last time and i found this https://bikeforums.net/showthread.php...ht=wrists+hurt
at the end garagegirl says that she figured out the pain, and it came from her saddle! i walked right over to my bike and looked at it...AGAIN!...and wouldn't you know it, it was pointed down almost imperceptibly! i adjusted it so it was pointing up a little (seatpost sucks and won't let me put the saddle level) and rode the bike around in front of my house, and i could take my hands off the bars without falling over!!!!! OH MY GOD! i almost want to ride to work tomorrow to see how it goes! i'm still in pain but hopefully now i won't make it any worse. i hope i didn't imagine how much better it felt.
anyway i just have to post this in case another wild animals comes along with terrible arm/wrist/hand/shoulder pain and doesn't know what to do and her saddle is pointed down a mite. adjust the saddle!
my crotch is probably not going to be happy with me after this (it didn't feel righteous when i was riding around) but we'll see what happens!
whoo!
my
GOD
i think i figured it out!!!!
i got my new shifter today and it seems like that may just make things worse, and i spent an hour or more looking for tall 1 1/8" quill stems with short reaches and i was so mad and frustrated i thought about not riding any bike at all ever again. in desperation i searched BF one last time and i found this https://bikeforums.net/showthread.php...ht=wrists+hurt
at the end garagegirl says that she figured out the pain, and it came from her saddle! i walked right over to my bike and looked at it...AGAIN!...and wouldn't you know it, it was pointed down almost imperceptibly! i adjusted it so it was pointing up a little (seatpost sucks and won't let me put the saddle level) and rode the bike around in front of my house, and i could take my hands off the bars without falling over!!!!! OH MY GOD! i almost want to ride to work tomorrow to see how it goes! i'm still in pain but hopefully now i won't make it any worse. i hope i didn't imagine how much better it felt.
anyway i just have to post this in case another wild animals comes along with terrible arm/wrist/hand/shoulder pain and doesn't know what to do and her saddle is pointed down a mite. adjust the saddle!
my crotch is probably not going to be happy with me after this (it didn't feel righteous when i was riding around) but we'll see what happens!
whoo!
10-25-06, 09:47 AM
#28
GATC
I've been going through repositioning myself on my bike (focusing on not locking elbows), and in my office chair too. I found out this week I could lower my desk, since I have maxed out raising my chair. 80 gazillion little adjustments, all aimed at my shoulder that is just not getting much better after my accident a month or so ago. My other shoulder, similar injury, similar accident a year ago, took way too long to recover too. Hope to do better this time.
07-02-20, 08:56 AM
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I also have repetitive strain / tendinitis / tendinosis in one hand and it makes biking a pain. I have considered recumbent bikes, but that is a headache in New York City lol.
Has anyone else tried North Road albatross steel handlebars? It seems very cheap to try. I have also considered getting moustache handlebars.
(For the past decade I have used drop handlebars but those put strain on my wrists because in the city one rarely has the time to ride in the drop position -- hands always need to be on brakes due to the density of car or bicycle traffic around almost everywhere.)
Has anyone else tried North Road albatross steel handlebars? It seems very cheap to try. I have also considered getting moustache handlebars.
(For the past decade I have used drop handlebars but those put strain on my wrists because in the city one rarely has the time to ride in the drop position -- hands always need to be on brakes due to the density of car or bicycle traffic around almost everywhere.)
07-04-20, 07:27 AM
#30
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I put "trekking" bars on my mountain bike to permit a greater variety of hand positions to help deal with osteoarthritis in one of my wrists. They look weird, but are pretty comfortable.
I ditched the mirror and wrapped the bars.
Side view. Many hand positions.
I ditched the mirror and wrapped the bars.
Side view. Many hand positions.
07-04-20, 09:42 PM
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I also have repetitive strain / tendinitis / tendinosis in one hand and it makes biking a pain. I have considered recumbent bikes, but that is a headache in New York City lol.
Has anyone else tried North Road albatross steel handlebars? It seems very cheap to try. I have also considered getting moustache handlebars.
(For the past decade I have used drop handlebars but those put strain on my wrists because in the city one rarely has the time to ride in the drop position -- hands always need to be on brakes due to the density of car or bicycle traffic around almost everywhere.)
Has anyone else tried North Road albatross steel handlebars? It seems very cheap to try. I have also considered getting moustache handlebars.
(For the past decade I have used drop handlebars but those put strain on my wrists because in the city one rarely has the time to ride in the drop position -- hands always need to be on brakes due to the density of car or bicycle traffic around almost everywhere.)
* Velo Orange Tourist
* Origin8 Citi Classic
* FSA Metropolis
* Original steel bar from old Schwinn
I'm also dealing with urban traffic, though nothing like NYC. Don't overlook the old steel bars -- they're everywhere, the co-op probably has a bucket of them, and they're quite comfortable. Some folks feel that the flex of steel helps dampen vibrations, though I have no proof of that. Make sure the bars have a long enough straight section to accommodate modern grips and controls, including your brake and gear levers.
07-07-20, 11:49 AM
#32
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All of my bikes now have "north road" bars. I can't ride drop bars -- my neck don't bend that way no more. Straight bars pound the hell out of my wrists, even after a very short distance. Swept bars, I can ride all day. Some styles that I've used:
* Velo Orange Tourist
* Origin8 Citi Classic
* FSA Metropolis
* Original steel bar from old Schwinn
I'm also dealing with urban traffic, though nothing like NYC. Don't overlook the old steel bars -- they're everywhere, the co-op probably has a bucket of them, and they're quite comfortable. Some folks feel that the flex of steel helps dampen vibrations, though I have no proof of that. Make sure the bars have a long enough straight section to accommodate modern grips and controls, including your brake and gear levers.
* Velo Orange Tourist
* Origin8 Citi Classic
* FSA Metropolis
* Original steel bar from old Schwinn
I'm also dealing with urban traffic, though nothing like NYC. Don't overlook the old steel bars -- they're everywhere, the co-op probably has a bucket of them, and they're quite comfortable. Some folks feel that the flex of steel helps dampen vibrations, though I have no proof of that. Make sure the bars have a long enough straight section to accommodate modern grips and controls, including your brake and gear levers.
07-07-20, 04:42 PM
#33
Banned
I use aerobars for this very problem. Having tried a multitude of bars and countless hand positions the only thing that offers me relief from the pain is to get into the aerobars and totally take the weight off my wrists.
I find that about 5 minutes in the aerobars every 30 - 45 minutes riding as a minimum, and the pain stays away.
I find that about 5 minutes in the aerobars every 30 - 45 minutes riding as a minimum, and the pain stays away.
in front was a Zzipper fairing.. it was the areo advantage , not me bending way over .. so I just turned the pedals for an hour each way..
Aero fairing cut wind noise so I had better sound (books on tape) coming thru my ear buds/..
07-08-20, 06:24 PM
#34
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I have a bike with a pretty flat bar, so I pretty much have only one hand position to use. For a week or two I only rode my commute route one time, otherwise I was off the bike, and my wrists and hands felt a lot better. Today I rode most of the route again, and I'm in pain again, just as bad as before. My pinkies are numb and my wrists hurt (although they feel better than they did 20 minutes ago when I was on the bike!). Oh, and my thumb joint hurts, too, because the grip shifter pushes my thumb back at an angle.
I've tried holding the handlebars a little more gingerly, and tried to keep my wrists straight (can't operate the shifter/brakes v well that way), and supporting myself with my muscles instead of my bones, but to no avail. The handlebars are higher up than the saddle. I have gel gloves, too. I can't afford to have my bike fitted to me.
I've tried holding the handlebars a little more gingerly, and tried to keep my wrists straight (can't operate the shifter/brakes v well that way), and supporting myself with my muscles instead of my bones, but to no avail. The handlebars are higher up than the saddle. I have gel gloves, too. I can't afford to have my bike fitted to me.
Ride with hands as 'gingerly' or relaxed as possible. Try to remain conscious to not ride with a 'death-grip' all the time. On my mountain bike that has helped me.
Also, look into bars that give you one or more alternative hand positions to what is currently giving you problems. Moustache bars? 'Trekker' bars? Jones H Loop?
09-28-20, 03:39 PM
#35
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All of my bikes now have "north road" bars. I can't ride drop bars -- my neck don't bend that way no more. Straight bars pound the hell out of my wrists, even after a very short distance. Swept bars, I can ride all day. Some styles that I've used:
* Velo Orange Tourist
* Origin8 Citi Classic
* FSA Metropolis
* Original steel bar from old Schwinn
I'm also dealing with urban traffic, though nothing like NYC. Don't overlook the old steel bars -- they're everywhere, the co-op probably has a bucket of them, and they're quite comfortable. Some folks feel that the flex of steel helps dampen vibrations, though I have no proof of that. Make sure the bars have a long enough straight section to accommodate modern grips and controls, including your brake and gear levers.
* Velo Orange Tourist
* Origin8 Citi Classic
* FSA Metropolis
* Original steel bar from old Schwinn
I'm also dealing with urban traffic, though nothing like NYC. Don't overlook the old steel bars -- they're everywhere, the co-op probably has a bucket of them, and they're quite comfortable. Some folks feel that the flex of steel helps dampen vibrations, though I have no proof of that. Make sure the bars have a long enough straight section to accommodate modern grips and controls, including your brake and gear levers.
great, and I'm excited to have less pain when biking and getting back to the cycling I love.
I might get a thicker / softer seat now, and thicker / softer grips for these handlebars! Also, it would be rad if someone made even longer ones. I am almost fully upright, but the handlebars could be a few inches longer without issue.
Hope this helps someone else experiencing repetitive strain injury when (road) biking!
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09-30-20, 08:25 PM
#37
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Great thread , though the advice is scattered.
Getting a bike that fits it's like getting your first outfit that really fits , whether it's a suit or dress.
After you know what a good fit feels like, you know what everybody else is talking about and you won't have a good notion untill then.
You can let the bike maker set the bike up for you, just like you can buy clothes by mail,
but you have to be some kind of a dreamer to think it's going to fit right.
You don't have to have a $200 bike fit to get it right, but you got to think like those guys do, and look at EVERYTHING.
Sometimes the 200 bucks is well spent. Cheaper than splints.
Angles and hand weighting changes make a huge difference for some people
"Doctor , Doctor, it hurts when I go like that."
"Well, stop it, then."
Getting a bike that fits it's like getting your first outfit that really fits , whether it's a suit or dress.
After you know what a good fit feels like, you know what everybody else is talking about and you won't have a good notion untill then.
You can let the bike maker set the bike up for you, just like you can buy clothes by mail,
but you have to be some kind of a dreamer to think it's going to fit right.
You don't have to have a $200 bike fit to get it right, but you got to think like those guys do, and look at EVERYTHING.
Sometimes the 200 bucks is well spent. Cheaper than splints.
Angles and hand weighting changes make a huge difference for some people
"Doctor , Doctor, it hurts when I go like that."
"Well, stop it, then."
Last edited by bikebikebike; 09-30-20 at 08:29 PM.
