zavsdad

I’m riding a 2008 Cannondale R2000. As I get older and my arthritis gets worse I find that my hands, arms and shoulders are really suffering, even on a 30 mile ride. I have gel padding under my bar tape. Padded gloves have not been helpful at all. Redshift shock absorber stems don’t come short enough. The tires are as wide as will fit, with the front at 65 psi. Any suggestions? Thanks

bboy314

R2000, is a single bike, no?

Anyway, I’d suggest a steel frame/carbon fork, or switching from a road to a gravel or all-road bike with significantly wider tires. That cannondale just ain’t built for comfort.

Carbonfiberboy 

Yes. You have too much weight on your hands. You should try to change your position so that you can lift your hands off the bars without sliding forward on your saddle. Your hands should feel light on the bars. It's possible that the bike is too small for you and you won't be able to do this because your saddle won't go back far enough. If that's the case, there are seatposts with quite a bit of set-back which allow the saddle to be further from the bars.

Have a look at the riders pictured in this old post: https://www.bikeforums.net/road-cycl...l#post12953035
You want to look about like that on the bike and position your hands about as mentioned in that post.

zavsdad

Thank you. It’s all stuff I know and have tried over the years. I’ll try moving my saddle back a bit. Yeah, a big part of the problem is the Cannondale itself. New bike not in the budget. So, how much relief will I get from carbon or steel fork? Which one will help the most?

bboy314

I’d opt for a carbon fork if the bike doesn’t have one already. Maybe also try raising your bars with a different stem or stem riser.