Originally Posted by
Carbonfiberboy
It's time for the
Numb Hands post again. Hopefully you're riding a road bike with drop bars. I change hand positions frequently. The least stressful grip is on the hoods, thumb on top of the hood, the hands more or less vertical beside the hood. For extra security, I put my little finger behind the bar in the hooks. The lower two photos show this hand position but without the little finger mod..
This. The "numb hands" post that Carbonfiberboy referenced is very very important. That post saved my cycling years ago... I was struggling with hand pain and numbness to the point that I was going to quit riding. I tried everything and was to the point where I was using $80 gloves and was still barely dulling the pain enough to ride for more than about 30 minutes at a time. Now I routinely ride with bare hands if I want, but mostly I use minimalist gloves just for improving my grip in the Georgia heat and humidity.