Sore hands from Downhill.
- Thread starter jarrod839
- Start date
jarrod839
Banned
yeah was doing PT upto a few months ago and i do two 30min weight and core sessions a week at home which probably aren't as intense as the PT but just enough to keep some fitness up.
Really thinking its my bike setup as it was probably suiting me fine while i was putting down the trail but know starting to get quicker the bike and possibly body aren't following
Last edited:
T-Rex
Template denier
Unless you've got an injury to your hands, as a regular rider you should have some hand strength, so I think this is down to technique.
Echoing what others have said, but in my own words:
1. Relax. Specifically, loosen your grip on smooth parts of the track, and when airborne. You don't need to death grip the bars the whole way down.
2. Breathe. If it's not second nature, concentrate on your breathing, especially the out breaths. An out breath will help you to relax before hitting a jump or technical section, which will also help relax your grip. You only need to hang on tight enough to control the bike and not have the bars reefed out of your hands, no more.
3. Weight distribution. Yes the bike setup comes into play here as others have said, but you can move around on the bike within the limits of the setup. Don't have too much weight on your hands, you generally want to be evenly distributed on your hands and feet unless you have a specific reason to be weighting the front eg getting the front tyre to bite in a turn.
Hope this helps.
Echoing what others have said, but in my own words:
1. Relax. Specifically, loosen your grip on smooth parts of the track, and when airborne. You don't need to death grip the bars the whole way down.
2. Breathe. If it's not second nature, concentrate on your breathing, especially the out breaths. An out breath will help you to relax before hitting a jump or technical section, which will also help relax your grip. You only need to hang on tight enough to control the bike and not have the bars reefed out of your hands, no more.
3. Weight distribution. Yes the bike setup comes into play here as others have said, but you can move around on the bike within the limits of the setup. Don't have too much weight on your hands, you generally want to be evenly distributed on your hands and feet unless you have a specific reason to be weighting the front eg getting the front tyre to bite in a turn.
Hope this helps.
jarrod839
Banned
Awesome. Some good pointers in there so hoping some success at kinglake tomorrow
Spike-X
Grumpy Old Sarah
They could've made it much shorter if they just said, "We don't really know."
pink poodle
気が狂っている男
I had a similar feeling...and they were riding Enduro bikes, not downhill bikes. And what is it with people that can't talk pwopewly? We don't wive in the dark ages, that shit cam be easily fixed...
Ezkaton
Eats Squid
Perhaps, but then people wouldn't have a whole bunch of ideas/tips to try and see what works for them personally.
Freediver
I can go full Karen
With enough O2 lactic acid doesn't form and if it was from lactic acid it wouldn't go away within half an hour of stopping the activity. Chronic exertional compartment syndrome as it goes by in other circles is caused by the contracting of muscles reducing their own blood supply. The muscles are contained within a sheath and when that sheath has no room because of contracted muscles then the blood supply gets cut off.
The sore hands the OP is talking about are not from arm pump but from the force of continual impact going through them, hence the bruising in his hands.
Correct hand and body position will only help so much if you don't have the core strength and you lean on your bars to much. I paid attention to keeping my weight off the bars yesterday and it made a huge difference.
jarrod839
Banned
Success
First of all big thanks to everyone for the advice and to Juan from DOWNHILL EXPRESS SHUTTLES for having a look at my bike setup and body position.
Things i found and tried yesterday.
1. The back sweep on my bars were facing upwards instead of parallel to the ground.
2. Adjusted my hand and brake position and adjusted the reach on my levers bringing them inwards.
3. Slowed down the rebound on my forks.
4. Worked on relaxing my body position on the bike especially in rougher sections.
Would say i reduced the soreness in my hands by a good 70%. And my bars are probably a bit wide at 800mm so will cut down to 780mm.
Looking at riding kinglake and long gully this weekend so with some other slight changes if i can reduce the soreness by another 10 to 15% would be great.
Thanks.
Jarrod
First of all big thanks to everyone for the advice and to Juan from DOWNHILL EXPRESS SHUTTLES for having a look at my bike setup and body position.
Things i found and tried yesterday.
1. The back sweep on my bars were facing upwards instead of parallel to the ground.
2. Adjusted my hand and brake position and adjusted the reach on my levers bringing them inwards.
3. Slowed down the rebound on my forks.
4. Worked on relaxing my body position on the bike especially in rougher sections.
Would say i reduced the soreness in my hands by a good 70%. And my bars are probably a bit wide at 800mm so will cut down to 780mm.
Looking at riding kinglake and long gully this weekend so with some other slight changes if i can reduce the soreness by another 10 to 15% would be great.
Thanks.
Jarrod
i just say ride more 
, do weights or lifting if your job doesnt require it, was at whistler for 2 months their much longer runs, first few weeks hands got sore lego man hands. after 2 weeks they barely ever hurt, but i did ride my tracer for the 1st time at threadbo came with thin grips and no tokens in pikes, got fat grips rogues and added 2 tokens no pain anymore
, do weights or lifting if your job doesnt require it, was at whistler for 2 months their much longer runs, first few weeks hands got sore lego man hands. after 2 weeks they barely ever hurt, but i did ride my tracer for the 1st time at threadbo came with thin grips and no tokens in pikes, got fat grips rogues and added 2 tokens no pain anymore
pink poodle
気が狂っている男
Good outcome. What is your wingspan?
shadow knight
Likes Dirt
I suffer the exact same thing and both Maldon and kinglake do it to me the most not arm pump but hand fatigue.
I still get it but in my case running a fatter grip helped me (big hands) ran sensus grips and half way through the day put my oury grips back on and made a massive difference. Esi foam grips I'm running ATM but I think the oury grips where better.
I run my levers as close to the grip as possible that helped a heap more so then lever angle.
But I still suffer from it so hope to gain some tips from this thread
I still get it but in my case running a fatter grip helped me (big hands) ran sensus grips and half way through the day put my oury grips back on and made a massive difference. Esi foam grips I'm running ATM but I think the oury grips where better.
I run my levers as close to the grip as possible that helped a heap more so then lever angle.
But I still suffer from it so hope to gain some tips from this thread
jarrod839
Banned
Rode maldon on sunday and had the sore hands return after my 8th run but thinking might have been a bit of death grip happening due to the excellent conditions and being able to hit some sections faster plus seals went on the forks and started leaking heaps of oil so suspension was running shit.
Found having my levers rotated upwards a bit awkward especially on Valley track but riding the steeper city and race track it was fine. But worked perfect at long gully.
Found having my levers rotated upwards a bit awkward especially on Valley track but riding the steeper city and race track it was fine. But worked perfect at long gully.
juan
Likes Dirt
Hi Jarrod, I am glad your riding is feeling better.
Balfa_Team
Likes Dirt
If you can't find a solution to arm pump it's been said to solve 80% of all issues, with 78% of all statistics coming correct from a reliable source ( Nathan's brother), so here it is.
If you are formiliar with hand wraps that mma fighters and boxers use, you can imitate this with Bambusoideae, recently integrated into Aussie socks, wrapped tightly with the correct left to right technique, helps stop nerves up towards the elbow and increase blood flow, thereby extending grip strength and clamp time, weather hot or cold conditions.
Also please note, if you even as much as own a 'fixie cap' then please see A Current Affair on how you may have increased chances of neck cancer.
Do a skid
If you are formiliar with hand wraps that mma fighters and boxers use, you can imitate this with Bambusoideae, recently integrated into Aussie socks, wrapped tightly with the correct left to right technique, helps stop nerves up towards the elbow and increase blood flow, thereby extending grip strength and clamp time, weather hot or cold conditions.
Also please note, if you even as much as own a 'fixie cap' then please see A Current Affair on how you may have increased chances of neck cancer.
Do a skid