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Hand pain (Stories of the Noob)

eimaiosatanas

Speeding Up
Dec 17, 2011
267
8
(Part of the Noob chronicles)
Hello people.
Recently I decided to lower the height of the handlebars, just to check out how the change in position would feel. And it actually feels quite good, reach also improved!

Everything is good except from.. the hand pain. I'm getting a bit of pain at the lower end of my palms, opposite the thumb. It seems that by lowering the handlebar I inadvertently shifted some of my weight towards the front of the bike.

Now, I'm thinking that in order to offset this weight transfer to the front I might be able to shift my saddle position a little bit to the rear, giving me an overall less upright position. I'm already running a short stem (8cm) though, and I feel a bit concerned about how this would affect the reach.

Since this is essentially a fitting question, am I missing anything major here? What course of action would you suggest?
Cheers!
 
You're first analysis is likely correct. By lowering your bars, you are increasing your reach and therefore you are almost certainly putting more weight and stress on your hands. However, your second idea about moving your saddle back is suspect. Yes, that would most likely be an effective way to reduce the amount of weight your putting on your hands, but the issue is that you are changing your position relative to the BB. While there are different schools of thought and philosophies about fitting, the one that I most subscribe to is based upon starting with your position relative to the BB and getting your weight as centered as possible over the bike and then adjusting all other variables, reach, drop, etc. from there. Said another way, your bar positioning should be adjusted relative to your saddle position, not the other way around. This ARTICLE by Steve Hogg describes in a lot more detail what I am talking about.
 
Good post Pete, sounds like the Noob is in need of a good fitting. Plenty of services available here on TCC. It might sound expensive but how much is the cost compared to your overall cycling investment?
 
Yamabushi this is indeed a great article. I'll try and experiment a bit with it, especially the point about not toppling forward probably applies to me right now, I feel I'd have a hard time maintaining balance at the position described, even momentarily.

kiwisimon Ah, being still a graduate student in the middle of (almost) nowhere slightly.. complicates the situation:(

Will experiment further and report back with any findings!
 
kiwisimon Ah, being still a graduate student in the middle of (almost) nowhere slightly.. complicates the situation:(

Will experiment further and report back with any findings!

Sell your body for a night.

Make any changes small and incremental, severe injuries have resulted from sudden abrupt position changes.
 
severe injuries have resulted from sudden abrupt position changes.

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Good post Pete, sounds like the Noob is in need of a good fitting. Plenty of services available here on TCC. It might sound expensive but how much is the cost compared to your overall cycling investment?

Cheers!


Yamabushi this is indeed a great article. I'll try and experiment a bit with it, especially the point about not toppling forward probably applies to me right now, I feel I'd have a hard time maintaining balance at the position described, even momentarily.

You're welcome. I agree with kiwisimon, it sounds like a proper fitting is in order. Either way, good luck!
 
If the pain is your right hand, the cause may not necessarily be cycling-related...
But I definitely recommend Chuck (ProRaceMechanic) for the most comprehensive and effective bike fit out there. Many riders on this forum (including myself) can vow for this.
 
We feel that this would be a good time to point out that CycleFit Japan is now an official partner of Tokyo Cycling Club. Chuck has consistently delivered an unrivalled fitting and after-care service to many TCC members, and we are happy to have him on-board and recommend his service unreservedly.

A link to his website is now on the site under the search box, and we are certain he will be more than happy to hear from any members looking for the perfect bicycle fit.
 
We feel that this would be a good time to point out that CycleFit Japan is now an official partner of Tokyo Cycling Club. Chuck has consistently delivered an unrivalled fitting and after-care service to many TCC members, and we are happy to have him on-board and recommend his service unreservedly.

A link to his website is now on the site under the search box, and we are certain he will be more than happy to hear from any members looking for the perfect bicycle fit.

Just for all the TCC site members education, when you say "we" who exactly are you referring to? Real names would be appreciated.
 
So, I pulled the saddle about 1cm back just to see how it would feel, and it was... interesting.

Bad things first, as may of you predicted, lots of things felt off: reach again slightly compromised, cleat position would have to be adjusted yet again...

The good thing is, it did feel more stable and quite comfortable. This should probably have been a correct position to base the rest of the setup upon.

For the time being I'll revert the changes, and maybe consider using an even smaller stem further down the road. Let's see how that turns out..
 
I hate to say it, but if you are already running an 80mm stem and when your saddle is positioned to put you in a neutral/balanced position, the reach is too far... you are on a bike that is too big for you, but I suspect you may already know this. IMHO, depending on how aggressive or relaxed you want your riding style to be, I would be trying to choose a bike size that allowed me to use a 100-130mm stem for a proper fit. Generally speaking, on a very small frame I would tend towards the smaller end of that range and on larger frame toward the longer end.
 
I hate to say it, but if you are already running an 80mm stem and when your saddle is positioned to put you in a neutral/balanced position, the reach is too far... you are on a bike that is too big for you, but I suspect you may already know this. IMHO, depending on how aggressive or relaxed you want your riding style to be, I would be trying to choose a bike size that allowed me to use a 100-130mm stem for a proper fit. Generally speaking, on a very small frame I would tend towards the smaller end of that range and on larger frame toward the longer end.

Yamabushi yes, I've been suspecting it for quite a time now. Thing is, I'm 174cm and the bike is supposedly good for 170cm-185cm. I am indeed at the lower end of the scale, but no one bothered to say anything at Y's during the buying process and fitting (which was also atrocious).

Still, I think I can make this work, it's literally about 1cm of difference that keeps on bugging me. I'll figure it out! :)
 
Go back and get re-fitted, tell them what you are feeling and just like with doctors get a second opinion. What bike have you got?
 
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