Big Lew

After many years of touring I began to experience wrist and forearm pain.
Many of my tours the last few years have been on rough pavement and gravel roads.
Going to a front fork suspension bike really wasn't an option because of my heavy
front panniers and above wheel storage bag so a bike shop pro suggested trying a
front handlebar suspension unit, the 'Softride Suspension System'. Well, after using it
for several tours, I can attest to it's ability to reduce shock to my wrists and forearms.
I can't seem to find that suspension in stores now. Has anyone else used a Softride unit
with success, and does anyone know where to buy them?

BikeLite

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Softride

see some on ebay.
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=...uspension+stem

maybe made again.
https://www.bikepro.com/products/stems/soft.html

chrisx

Have you tried a professional bike fit? As we get older we need a bike that fits correctly. Correct fit changes as we get older aswell. Sounds like to much weight on the hands. A proper bike fit could change that.

(raise the handlebars)?

Machka 

I have ridden and toured on my Marinoni Ciclo, a sport-touring bicycle.

I could ride LONG distances on that bicycle, including the Paris-Brest-Paris in 2003, with no difficulties at all from the time he arrived in my life.

Then I toured Australia for 3 months in 2004, and developed hand/wrist pain. Even up into my forearms at times. How odd.

The hand etc. pain continued after that tour as well for the next year or so. My fit hadn't changed, my fitness hadn't changed ... I couldn't figure it out.

And then Rowan visited me in late 2005, and suggested removing my front rack. Really? Why? Well, apparently a front rack can stiffen the front end of a bicycle. And ... the hand pain did correspond with the time I put a front rack on the bicycle. Somewhat reluctantly and sceptically, we removed the front rack ... and my hand pain disappeared!

It hasn't been back since and I've put a whole lot more km on my Marinoni Ciclo in tours and long distance rides.

AdvXtrm

These are the best two options I've found.

TranzX - Anti-shock Stem
https://tranzx.com/wp-content/uploads...ock-Series.pdf


Redshift - Shockstop
https://www.redshiftsports.com/shockstop/

Big Lew

Thanks for the responses...to clarify, I don't have problems while touring on
decent smooth roadways. It's only the rough cold rolled or weather compromised
asphalt and gravel roads that caused my wrist and forearm pain. The Softride
suspension system works well to reduce the problem. Both the above shown
'Tranzx' and 'Redshift' products seem to be similar while likely being better built.
After so many miles, my Softride unit is becoming a bit too sloppy so needs to be
changed.

fietsbob

As I Recall soft ride stems are super Long. like 15cm I'm Running shorter , sitting Up more..

Take more breaks , spend time in cafes with the Locals.. shorten the daily Mile ambitions ..






...

10 Wheels

Wear some wrist bands

They work

Big Lew

Lol! My tours lately are in pretty remote BC-Yukon places so any 'cafes' or stops of any kind
I take advantage of, enjoying chatting with the locals....but they're usually a long way apart.
I have 2 touring bikes. The one I use for the rougher conditions is set up the same distance
as the one I use on normal smooth highways where I have no problems. I should mention that
I also use a bit fatter tire with less air pressure in combination with the handlebar suspension.
Traveling slower down the steep grades of rough pavement with many expansion joints close together
would probably help, but after long climbs, the thrill of racing down the other side is too tempting.
My current problem isn't in looking for a solution for the wrist pain, I've already found it...it's
looking for another new suspension unit to replace my worn out one.

fietsbob

You Pick yer poison..

I liked Pub Hopping Ireland, with my Mandolin, and seeking out Pub sessions to sit in.


Wear Wrist supports ? (Maybe one of those dual suspension Tout Terrain Pan america touring rigs Will be right up your Lane. )


Suspend the whole Bike ( looks like the derailleur/R'off Model is getting replaced By The Pinion gearbox )





...

jeff400650

I think I will order the Shockstop. I have bad tendonitis in one elbow, and rough trails on my gravel bike really aggravate it.

Joe Minton

Convert a full suspension mountain bike --- why suffer at all ;o)

Joe

AdvXtrm

I'm considering one for myself as well. I you do get one, please post back here and let us know!

timtak

I came here to look at the stem cushioning options, but then I remembered one might also Timtak your bike for goodly flex
Goodly Flex by Timothy Takemoto, on Flickr

djb

from my recent tour experience, I would suggest thinking of the possibility of slightly changing either your stem length/angle on your "rough road" bike, to get less weight off your hands.

or, or in combination with, slightly wider tires and slightly less pressures.

In my recent trip, I developed some wrist soreness that I initially thought was from a little fall I had with no bike gloves on, but I'm fairly sure that it was because I had upped the tire pressures just a bit when on smooth roads, but the rougher roads I was then on were harder on my wrists with the higher pressures.
I was using 26x2in slick type tires, and bringing the pressures in the front back down from 45psi to 40 or so really made a diff in softening up the front over rough roads.

To be honest, I think part of it also was getting older and being on a long trip, but I certainly noticed an improvement with slightly less front tire pressures on the 50mm tires, Schwalbe Supremes which have a nice flexible sidewall and a nice ride at the proper pressure for ones bike+rider+gear weight.

I bring this up in case you cannot find another example of your suspension stem, and I figure by raising/shortening the reach length, and perhaps playing with pressures, it can make that little diff that will help out.

good luck

Doug64

Machka,

Your experience ties into something I was thinking about the other day. I was wondering how the new fad of heavy loading the front fork would affect the fork's flex. There might be a greater effect of the added weight and the rack on lessening the fork's effectiveness to reduce the transmission of road shock to the rest of the frame.

djb

certainly makes sense to me Doug, the triangle affect of the mid mount, the lower mount and the rack heading out from both of these points and meeting each other, probably reduces the fork "flex" with bumps a bit.
Sure, its probably just a bit, but so is the effect of tires that are more flexible and supple vs really stiff ones, and just as a bit lower pressure can make a diff in how a tire feels and handles.

the devil is in the details" sort of thing. Little things can make a real feelable difference, especially if it ends up creating just that little more shock to the hands or whatever and ends up being just that bit more that causes an issue that wasnt there before (just as a slight stem change, or bar angle position or whatever can help too)