numb bum and hands... now with photo (of my bike)

[rabatt]

Hi everyone, i dont usually look in the road section of this forum but i need some advice please!

recently i have started riding to work more often (45km each way) and in the morning isnt so bad but about halfway thro the ride home my hands are nearly completly numb, i'm not sure if this is because the roads around here are so crappy and bumpy or if it has more to do with having flat handle bars, i tried drop bars but found them worse on my hands. should i try slight riser bars like a mtb?

also i have a really old seat (lambertini? italian made leather thing) kinda like sitting on a skinny brick, i have a narrow hard seat on my xc bike but this thing is horrid, so i was looking at a brooks cataloge and was wondering if they are really that good? and what model would suit me?

please help as i can handle the ride i just cant handle going numb

i'l post up a picture of the bike if it helps?


thanks
rohan

 

[RCOH]

For doing a 90km trip daily I would take my bike into a shop and get fitted. It could be that you are putting too much weight on your hands from the bars being to low/sadlle being too high or cockpit too long, or a combination of many factors.

As for bars, try either putting bar-ends on or giving touring/randonneur drops a go as they will give you more hand positions, so you can swap around.

As for a Brooks - It would probably be worth it as they would break in rather quickly during a 90km daily ride but the first few weeks/months could be absolute hell.

Nice work on a90km commute though!

 

[a_hargy]

Grips and seats are alot about personal preference and what suits you best. I've never really suffered from a numb bum so I can help you much there but I did get numb hands on long rides. I have found the Ritchy foam grips to be good but I really want to try out some Ergon grips. There a bit pricey though.

 

[Tomas]

A bad seat position could be putting too much pressure on the wrong spots on your ass and shifting too much weight onto your hands.

Im with RCOH. Get a brooks AND a fit .

 

[bazza]

A bad seat position could be putting too much pressure on the wrong spots on your ass and shifting too much weight onto your hands.

Im with RCOH. Get a brooks AND a fit .

and some decent bib knicks!

 

[rabatt]

ok thanks, do they take a while to bed in?
i guess what i want to know is are they really as good as they are cracked up to be?

i have played around with the seat angle and this is the best i can get it.

at the moment i have flat handlebars and bmx grips, on the original stem. which feels like i'm too far forward all the time, what about some of those funky shaped cruizing bars (cant think how else to describe them) kinda like a drop bar but not as dropped and more outward angle on the end bits (heck i am bad at descriptions sorry!)

and getting a bike fit is kinda out of the option because no one here really does them that i know of.

least not for flat bar road bikes, i might have to look into this tho as i could probly benifit from knowing how to do it at work.

thanks
rohan

btw i do NOT ride this every day, only when i dont have to drive and i know i'm going to finish early enough to get home, so once every couple of weeks atm, hoping to do it more often now tho for fitness.

 

[Hugor]

That seat looks seriously high compared to your bars, but hey listen to an expert before you screw your hands or even worse your jewels!
Most Avanti dealers have a computer based fitting system where they measure up angles etc and try lots of stem, seat height combos till it works. It costs around $180 but its worth it.
As for the numb hands, I used to have this problem big time. I even lost all movement in my left thumb for 2 weeks till it returned. I switched to Ergon grips...I'll never use a normal grip again. I've got the GX2 on my mountain bike.

http://www.ergon-bike.com/gb/en/home

BBB also make a decent copy which are a bit cheaper - Ive got a set of these on my Salsa commuter.

 

[nik_1974]

That seat looks seriously high compared to your bars,

Would have to agree. You would be leaning too far forward putting too much weight on your hands. Maybe a riser stem but looks like thats not an option by your set up atm. Also try glove with the gel pads on the palms. They absorb alot of the shock from the road and help with the numbness.

Maybe look for a larger frame if its too small.

 

[spudatm]

perhaps some rider bars with bar ends for different positions. Go for a top end glove that has padding on the palm too. Oury grips were recomended to me when i had tennis elbow