Notices
General Cycling Discussion Have a cycling related question or comment that doesn't fit in one of the other specialty forums? Drop on in and post in here! When possible, please select the forum above that most fits your post!

Sore wrists

Old 08-28-19, 12:29 PM
  #1  
Jgpell14
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 6
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Sore wrists

Hello, I recently purchased a new Giant Fastroad SL1. It's a flatbar road bike. I'm coming from a hybrid. I'm finding that my wrists get sore and can't seem to get in a comfortable position. I've made adjustments to my seat and handle positions, but I'm still not right. I'll be heading to my LBS for a look next week, but I thought I'd throw it on the board to get your thoughts. What kind of adjustments should be explored to reduce the stress or improve the angle of my wrists? Thanks!
Jgpell14 is offline  
Old 08-28-19, 01:07 PM
  #2  
Bikewolf
Full Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2017
Posts: 476
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 139 Post(s)
Liked 34 Times in 24 Posts
When changing handlebar type or bikes entirely, often it simply takes a bit of time to adjust to everything new e.g. body position.

First, you need to find a position of things that feels comfortable to you. Indeed, maybe your LBS can assist you.
One tip I can give you, is to change hand positions regularly. Padded gloves can help a little too.

And if all fails, you could consider a more relax handlebar type.
Bikewolf is offline  
Old 08-28-19, 01:17 PM
  #3  
79pmooney
Senior Member
 
79pmooney's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 12,825

Bikes: (2) ti TiCycles, 2007 w/ triple and 2011 fixed, 1979 Peter Mooney, ~1983 Trek 420 now fixed and ~1973 Raleigh Carlton Competition gravel grinder

Mentioned: 128 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4741 Post(s)
Liked 3,860 Times in 2,509 Posts
Look at the angle of your wrists. I find that my wrists and hands feel best in positions that have my thumbs forward and pinkies back. I find that hard to do on many straight handlebars. ( One of the another reason I will probably always ride dropped bars.) As I get older, I am finding I need to accentuate the thumbs forward which i do but rotating the drops and brake levers forward and down. Seems to me you could get the same effect riding "mustache" bars. I love using handlebars where I can vary the effect and fine tune it.

Ben
79pmooney is offline  
Likes For 79pmooney:
Old 08-28-19, 01:49 PM
  #4  
livedarklions
Tragically Ignorant
 
livedarklions's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: New England
Posts: 15,613

Bikes: Serotta Atlanta; 1994 Specialized Allez Pro; Giant OCR A1; SOMA Double Cross Disc; 2022 Allez Elite mit der SRAM

Mentioned: 62 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 8186 Post(s)
Liked 9,094 Times in 5,053 Posts
Bar ends have helped me more than anything on flat bar bikes. Just gives you some options to move around your hands.
livedarklions is offline  
Likes For livedarklions:
Old 08-28-19, 01:50 PM
  #5  
MikeyMK
Cycleway town
 
MikeyMK's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Milton Keynes, England
Posts: 1,402

Bikes: 2.6kw GT LTS e-tandem, 250w Voodoo, 250w solar recumbent trike, 3-speed shopper, Merlin ol/skl mtb, 80cc Ellswick

Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 569 Post(s)
Liked 169 Times in 117 Posts
I have these, they're amazing.

MikeyMK is offline  
Likes For MikeyMK:
Old 08-28-19, 02:59 PM
  #6  
Metieval
Senior Member
 
Metieval's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Ohio
Posts: 2,857

Bikes: Road bike, Hybrid, Gravel, Drop bar SS, hard tail MTB

Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1218 Post(s)
Liked 298 Times in 214 Posts
pull, don't push
Metieval is offline  
Old 08-29-19, 06:24 AM
  #7  
MikeyMK
Cycleway town
 
MikeyMK's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Milton Keynes, England
Posts: 1,402

Bikes: 2.6kw GT LTS e-tandem, 250w Voodoo, 250w solar recumbent trike, 3-speed shopper, Merlin ol/skl mtb, 80cc Ellswick

Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 569 Post(s)
Liked 169 Times in 117 Posts
And sit more upright
MikeyMK is offline  
Old 08-29-19, 06:39 AM
  #8  
JonathanGennick 
Senior Member
 
JonathanGennick's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Munising, Michigan, USA
Posts: 4,131

Bikes: Priority 600, Priority Continuum, Devinci Dexter

Mentioned: 14 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 685 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 55 Times in 37 Posts
Originally Posted by Jgpell14
What kind of adjustments should be explored to reduce the stress or improve the angle of my wrists?
Swapping to a higher rise bar once solved the problem for me. If you go that route, consider shortening the stem somewhat at the same time. In my case, the added 10 - 15 mm of rise (I don't remember how much, but it was surprisingly little) was enough to redistribute my weight such that a painful bike became an absolute pleasure to ride.
JonathanGennick is offline  
Likes For JonathanGennick:
Old 08-29-19, 07:58 AM
  #9  
Flip Flop Rider
Senior Member
 
Flip Flop Rider's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: South Carolina Upstate
Posts: 2,103

Bikes: 2010 Fuji Absolute 3.0 1994 Trek 850

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 761 Post(s)
Liked 553 Times in 320 Posts
bar ends, get and use
Flip Flop Rider is offline  
Old 08-29-19, 09:20 AM
  #10  
Caliper
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Michigan
Posts: 990

Bikes: Many

Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 385 Post(s)
Liked 58 Times in 43 Posts
For me, a swept back bar with some rollback works well. The bar basically slopes down and back and out as you go out to the end. True flat bars will kill my hands very quickly.

Or get drops, especially flared ones.

How does your position on the new bike differ from your old bike? (I'm assuming the old one was comfortable)
Caliper is offline  
Old 08-29-19, 12:50 PM
  #11  
TiHabanero
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 4,435
Mentioned: 15 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1726 Post(s)
Liked 1,350 Times in 705 Posts
I, too, have pain in my wrists when riding the wrong bar. Flat bars, pull back bars, bar ends, none of them work. Road bars are the only thing that works for me. Riding on the curve behind the hoods or riding on the hoods bring relief when it gets bad. Test ride some bikes properly set up for you in the road range and you might discover the same thing holds true for you.
TiHabanero is offline  
Old 08-30-19, 11:57 AM
  #12  
restlessswind
Senior Member
 
restlessswind's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: Sacramento, CA
Posts: 458

Bikes: 2017 Surly Cross-Check. 2020 Specialized Turbo Vado 3.0, 2002 GT Dyno Roadster, 2002 Rans Stratus, 2020 Giant Fathom 2, 2011 Trek Pure Sport

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 171 Post(s)
Liked 85 Times in 62 Posts
I have yet to enjoy any bike (except a cruiser) that I don't need to change both the bars and saddle out.

https://www.jonesbikes.com/h-bars/ or
https://www.jensonusa.com/Soma-Osprey-Bar or the likes
restlessswind is offline  
Old 08-30-19, 12:02 PM
  #13  
HarborBandS
HarborBandS
 
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: Chicago Western Suburbs
Posts: 477
Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 266 Post(s)
Liked 104 Times in 57 Posts
Flat bars of all kinds give me wrist pain. I need the multiple hand positions of a drop handlebar to get through any type of ride longer than ten miles.
HarborBandS is offline  
Old 08-30-19, 12:22 PM
  #14  
AlmostTrick
Tortoise Wins by a Hare!
 
AlmostTrick's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Looney Tunes, IL
Posts: 7,398

Bikes: Wabi Special FG, Raleigh Roper, Nashbar AL-1, Miyata One Hundred, '70 Schwinn Lemonator and More!!

Mentioned: 22 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1549 Post(s)
Liked 941 Times in 504 Posts
While riding consciously engage your core and attempt to hold your body up. Keep wrists straight. Ergon grips (adjusted properly) help with this. You may also find tipping the saddle nose up a tiny bit helps. It'll take some weight off your hands.

It seems contrary, but I've found that overly padded gloves and/or grips can make things worse. The tendency when using them is to grip harder to get a secure feel, which limits blood flow.
AlmostTrick is offline  
Old 08-30-19, 02:24 PM
  #15  
Korina
Happy banana slug
 
Korina's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Arcata, California, U.S., North America, Earth, Saggitarius Arm, Milky Way
Posts: 3,752

Bikes: 1984 Araya MB 261, 1992 Specialized Rockhopper Sport, 1993 Hard Rock Ultra, 1994 Trek Multitrack 750, 1995 Trek Singletrack 930

Mentioned: 31 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1524 Post(s)
Liked 1,513 Times in 906 Posts
This bike came with a flat bar that just killed my hands, but the arc bar puts my hands and wrists in a more natural and comfortable position.

Korina is offline  
Old 08-30-19, 02:30 PM
  #16  
Digger Goreman
Quidam Bike Super Hero
 
Digger Goreman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Stone Mountain, GA (Metro Atlanta, East)
Posts: 1,150

Bikes: 1995 Trek 800 Sport, aka, "CamelTrek"

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 331 Post(s)
Liked 415 Times in 282 Posts
I have the Ergon2 with small bar ends... made a world of difference for me....
Digger Goreman is offline  
Old 08-30-19, 06:07 PM
  #17  
wolfchild
Banned
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Mississauga/Toronto, Ontario canada
Posts: 8,721

Bikes: I have 3 singlespeed/fixed gear bikes

Mentioned: 30 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4227 Post(s)
Liked 2,488 Times in 1,286 Posts
I've ridden 100 mile centuries on flat bars with bar ends without any pain or discomfort. You just need to make some minor adjustments and get better hand grips and bar ends. Actually the main reason why I use bar ends is not for comfort but to get better leverage when climbing hills out if the saddle.
wolfchild is offline  
Old 08-31-19, 04:33 PM
  #18  
Cougrrcj
Senior Member
 
Cougrrcj's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: NE Ohio
Posts: 3,891

Bikes: A few...

Mentioned: 16 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 620 Post(s)
Liked 370 Times in 256 Posts
Originally Posted by 79pmooney
Look at the angle of your wrists.
Yep. I had this same problem on a motorcycle some 35 years ago - wrist angle was all wrong for me, causing pain after even 20 miles/15 minutes or so. I bought new bars that fixed that issue. My road bikes have bars angled in such a way so both riding on the tops and drops are right for my 'fit'. It takes a while to dial in... What fit is right for me is probably not right for someone else...
Cougrrcj is offline  
Old 08-31-19, 05:09 PM
  #19  
Gresp15C
Senior Member
 
Gresp15C's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 3,893
Mentioned: 20 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1062 Post(s)
Liked 665 Times in 421 Posts
All of my bikes have swept bars now, for this precise reason.
Gresp15C is offline  
Likes For Gresp15C:
Old 08-31-19, 05:57 PM
  #20  
Homebrew01
Super Moderator
 
Homebrew01's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Ffld Cnty Connecticut
Posts: 21,844

Bikes: Old Steelies I made, Old Cannondales

Mentioned: 12 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1173 Post(s)
Liked 921 Times in 608 Posts
I bent my aluminum bars so the ends are swept back a little bit. They were too straight, hurting my wrists.
Also, cutting them a bit shorter might help, bringing your hands in a bit.

Other good suggestions in previous posts.
__________________
Bikes: Old steel race bikes, old Cannondale race bikes, less old Cannondale race bike, crappy old mtn bike.

FYI: https://www.bikeforums.net/forum-sugg...ad-please.html
Homebrew01 is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
one4smoke
General Cycling Discussion
3
07-29-15 12:28 PM
solo79
Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg)
8
03-26-15 03:12 PM
NightShift
Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg)
5
07-01-12 04:24 AM
sunstorm
Commuting
23
07-15-11 11:21 PM
Dheorl
Road Cycling
9
03-29-10 08:46 AM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.