kmcrawford111

I know this has been discussed here before, but the newest post I found in search was from 2006 and I'm sure there are new products now so I'm going to ask anew.

I just did my first century, and the only problem I had was numbness in my hands, starting around the 40-mile mark. My right hand is still tingling now, the next day. I was wearing some relatively thin gloves. My bike is a Swobo Dixon with flat bars (note: I am not interested in getting another bike right now, or even new bars). I assume getting some new gloves with better padding would help, yes? Or possibly grips?

Recommendations please? Looking for something for fair weather. Most of my cycling is my 14 mi. RT daily commute and the gloves I already have are fine for that.

spokenword

bar ends in combination with better gloves might help, they give your hands a more natural rest position on your bike. It's better for your hands to rest with thumbs up, like you're about to shake someone's hand, rather than with palms flat.

As far as gloves go, I've personally had a lot of good experiences with the Specialized Body Geometry line and would heartily recommend them.

Spookykinkajou

Gloves aren't the answer. You should be able to ride with no gloves and not have any issues. Check your fit first then get cushy gloves if you want them, but they really aren't necessary.

Flat bars probably aren't ideal for long distance road riding but the bar end suggestion is good.

This is my opinion and probably isn't universally accepted!

If you are bent on flat bars, perhaps check out Ergon grips - they've bar end integrated solutions. They are really popular with endurance mountain bike racers.

knoregs

+1

Randochap

Flat bars are more likely to damage ulnar nerves over the long haul due to lack of positions, but overall fit is the key.

dwr1961

++1...

I think there's a fit problem here... Gloves and Ergon's (I use both on my MTB) will probably make a positive difference, but you'll want to deal with the root issue.

Finally, (and I know you don't want to hear this) but on long rides I take one of my two drop-bar bikes. I've ridden my flat-bar MTB 70+ miles, it's just not nearly as comfortable.

Shifty

Road bars with drops are the most comfortable for long rides, you can change hand positions frequently and take pressure off the nerves that are causing numbness. But you aren't interested in that, so learn to deal with the numbness, or only ride short rides.

The Smokester

Given your boundary conditions, bar ends are your best option.

tadawdy

how about road bars, wrapped with nice thick bar tape AND gloves? I ride in the drops a lot, with a fair bit of pressure on my hands, and I'm happy with it.

kmcrawford111

I went through all of the fitting when I bought the bike, but it's probably worth rechecking. I'll look into bar ends too.

I understand how road bars are better, but I don't think it's worthwhile to get another bike or even changing the bars for a few rides out of the year if there's a simpler solution - for the other 450+ rides during the year, I like the feeling of control that my flat bars provide for my not-smooth and heavily rail-crossed route.

Thanks for the advice!

Barrettscv 

Kevin,

You might consider aero-bars on your existing flat-bars. They are ideal for longer sections without turns. They would allow you to have an alternate hand position. You could always return your hand to the flat bar when in traffic or on bad pavement. You could also remove them and reinstall them for use on longer rides.

Michael

Black Shuck

I bought a set of barends like these for my hybrid bike when I toured on that, helped me a lot:


Looked like this installed, I had to trim 1" off each side of the bar after getting home to make them really great but i did push out almost 200km one day on them. Softer grips help a little bit too but more positions and better fit is the solution.

bmike

ergon grips are pretty good. i have them combined with on one mary bars on my fixed gear sometimes long distance bike. not sure i'd be doing brevets with that setup - but it is reasonably comfortable.

as to gloves - they make my hands numb. if you are properly positioned and move around on the bike i see no reason to need gloves. i've worked hard to eliminate the need for gloves on rides. 1 less thing to remember and 'gear up' into... and i'm more comfortable.

check your fit. something is off, although i wouldn't ride LD with flat bars, but YMMV.

bmike

what did that entail? most bike shop 'fittings' are sort of a joke.

Longfemur

Gloves won't help with a handlebar and riding position combo which already cause numbness. If you already have thin gloves, gloves with thicker pads on them might not necessarily help either. I find that extra padding on gloves is like extra padding on a saddle: it ends up putting pressure in the wrong places and makes things worse.

Bacciagalupe

1) Ergon grips
2) Bar ends
3) Gloves with a decent amount of padding
4) Switch regularly between the grips and the bar-ends
5) Lower your tire pressure a little bit

Have fun....

kmcrawford111

I just checked the bike fit, and it seems fine.

These Ergon GC3 grips look pretty sweet, what do you think?

https://www.ergon-bike.com/us/en/product/gc3

Bar ends and grips in one.

I wonder if they are compatible with the i-Motion-9 twist shifter? From the page " Gripshift® compatible, Rohloff® / Nexus® compatible".

rodrigaj

That what it is going to take to get comfortable on a century.

bmike

ummm. what did that entail, exactly?

spokenword

as someone who's comfortably done a half-dozen century rides and an AIDSride between New York and Boston on a flat bar $400 Trek 730, I'll say that this statement isn't entirely accurate.

or true.

or helpful.

rodrigaj

I have been riding unsupported centuries for 35 years (I am now 60 years old) and I have done that on road bikes and flat bar bikes. My experience is that road bikes allow far more hand positions, allow for a more relaxed neck and shoulder, and if properly fitted are generally more comfortable than flat bars. OTOH, even when properly fitted, flat bar bikes keep your arms and neck and shoulders locked in one position. Bar extenders can offer slightly more movement, but they just don't compare to a road bike fitted with a bar like the Nitto Noodle.

Sorry, that I can't recommend a cushioned bar extension that will make the tingling go away.

spokenword

oh, I agree that drop bars can be more comfortable over distance for the reasons that you describe, and I also prefer drop bars. However, the OP mentioned that he currently does not have the budget or inclination to get a new bike or new bars (and for any flat bar bike, converting to drops is a non-trivial exercise anyway); so it's probably more helpful to work within those parameters than just tell him that his cause is hopeless and he should give up or surrender to getting a new bike

kmcrawford111

I checked the standover height and the saddle height (leg straight with clipped-in pedal all the way down). I bought the size of bike listed for my height. I haven't changed the handlebar position or height, but it feels comfortable where it's at. I have no problems commuting on the bike 14 mi RT 7+ days in a row. Now that commuting has become normal, I have zero soreness or pain of any kind, and I use a backpack that is often heavy. If there was a problem with the fit, would I not have had a problem before doing these longer rides?

rodrigaj

When did I say this?

This is what I said:

That what it is going to take to get comfortable on a century.

Comfortable is the key word. We all have different comfort levels. The OP was beyond his, as I was, trying to do centuries on a flat bar bike. I did them on flat bars for 8 years. So by no means, am I saying that "his cause is hopeless".

bmike

standover height is a useless measurement.
leg straight with pedal clipped in seems like you might be too tall on the height - the old rule of thumb is that you put your heel on the pedal and when it is straight you are close to having a decent starting point for height - but need to go up or down from there as your riding style and other position requirements dictate. and other folks will do complicated leg measurement / crank length / etc... to get saddle height.

how wide are the bars? are your hands shoulder width apart while on the bars... or spread out?
where is the front of your knee in relation to the center of pedal? (some folks think this is useful, others not)
what angles are your torso / knees / etc... at when you are on the bars?
are your arms locked or slightly bent?
is your back straight or are you hunched over?
how much bar to saddle drop do you have?

if it feels comfortable where its at... why are you posting here?

fit issues tend to crop up on long rides - as you discovered.
something isn't quite right.
it could just be the grips...
it could just be some gloves...
it might also be fit...
your core strength...
proportion of weight on your hands...
too wide bars (forcing your arms out or your wrists to angle...)

etc. etc. etc.

buy some new grips - then be sure to ride a century on them.
the only way to solve this is to experiment around a bit...
try some new gloves... then ride a century on them.
move your grips in a bit... then ride century on them (or 70 miles, or wherever it starts to hurt...)
work on your core strength... it will help you keep weight off your hands... and see if over time that helps.

etc. etc. etc.

otherwise 100 people on an internet forum will get to argue with each other and you about what might work or not.