staehpj1

A strong core and possibly pedaling harder, if you are currently taking it easy, allows you to carry more weight on your legs and less on both hands and butt. This can be accomplished without necessarily raising the bars or sitting more upright.

Bike Hermit

The intuitive response to hands going numb is often “raise the handlebars.” But when you raise the bars they also get closer to you because of the angle of the head tube. Then you risk becoming like a coiled spring and having to use your arms to maintain the coil, which actually results in more pressure on the hands. (that is if the bike’s top tube is not long enough) There is a balance between being too stretched out and too compressed. I like to get the saddle height and set back correct first so that the rider is in a balanced position and only needs to use the handlebars for steering, and not to keep themselves from falling on their face. Greg Lemond came up with a formula for saddle height and Grant Petersen simplified the measuring and the calculating. I wrote these articles about bike fit that might help.

trevordj

Just a couple thoughts but first a caveat: I am a physician and part of my scope of practice involves diagnosing and treating neuropathies.

This is is likely a compression neuropathy about your median nerve in the wrist. Another compressive neuropathy cyclists are prone to is ulnar neuropathy about the wrist or elbow. The overlooked issue here could also be a cervical radiculopathy affecting the C6 nerve root. Riding in a bent position requires neck hyper extension to accomodate and is also a possibility. There are other more rare focal or generalized neuropathies that could be causing this but ultimately a visit to your doc followed by electrodiagnostic testing would determine if nerve injury has occurred and give an idea how bad it is. My recommendation is not to wait as I have infrequently seen cyclists who had similar symptoms which ultimately resulted in a permanent median or ulnar nerve palsy. There are injections that could help relieve your symptoms depending on the diagnosis. If things are severe enough surgery may be considered as well.

Just some thiughs, best of luck to you.

Sorry if I have any crazy typos, I'm typing on my ipad which doesn't always work out very well.

BigAura

Crotch numbness hasn't been an issue before or after. The upright style puts me more up on my sit-bones. After the infamous break-in-period, the Brooks saddle leather molds itself to your specific sit-bone structure. For me the the springs only engage when I hit a pothole or something equally jarring off-road.

The downside to the upright style is firstly aerodynamics and secondarily pedal stroke efficiency. Neither is a concern for me when touring. The additional advantage is field of view, which melds particularly well for me while touring

kpfeif

I also think that bike looks too small for you. Get yourself to a doctor and then stop at a bike fitter on the way home. Nerve damage isn't anything to mess around with, and don't keep riding while your hands are still hurting!

Galoot

Ah, I see. I wouldn't make such a drastic switch unless I was sure that the numb crotch problem would be solved too.

fietsbob

the racers, remember, are in their 20's and 140 pounds .. you dont have to have such a large saddle to handlebars drop ..

Perhaps you should consider flipping the bike, and get the replacement with a better fit, for you. as you are..


1 free thing , instead of the drops being level , rotate the bars in the stem, so the tops and ramp to the brake levers are Level,

let the drops slant downward ..

BigAura

+1 to this

+1 to rest it for awhile

-1 to doctors who use scare tactics yet can't use spell-check

Galoot

I am certainly resting it, I have no plans to get on that bike again until the numbness is gone, but it is mostly gone already. In the meantime, I'll get used to the recumbent that was sitting out back at my sister's property.

I'm not flipping this bike anywhere, I have zero doubt that I can adjust it so that it is a comfortable ride. I just overdid it a bit, that's all!

fietsbob

the upper curves is where I rested my hands 90% of the time, that rotating the bars part still stands an a suggestion .. based on taking 9 month tours ..

djb

gotta ask, how much do you ride? Was this trip a unique riding experience, ie not much riding then this trip?

In any case, the suggestion of visiting a knowledgeable store with some employees that arent 22 yr old kids, and who really know bike fit, should be a help towards getting a stem sorted out that will bring your hands up (but not necessarily closer).

If you ride very little, or not often, only getting out there regularly will get you stronger, but getting the bike fitted to you by someone who is not a 20 yr old racer type will be a big step in the right direction, the rest of it (getting out there and putting in regular riding) is up to you.

Galoot

Guilty as charged..mostly. I had been doing occasional rides of 24 to 30 miles, plus a 40 mile ride a few days before starting my tour. Doing 60 miles a day on average was a step up, but I am known for doing the "harden up" approach and gutting through such things. The next time, I'll take it easier the first few days. This was a good experience for me overall.