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Pins and Needles

by Adey
Sat, Oct 22, 2011 19:46
15

just lately ive been getting this problem in both hands
i wear 'specialized' gloves with padding on the inside of the palm and below the little finger
they seem to kick in after about 20 miles and then im forever shaking one hand at a time trying to alleviate the problem
could it be down to poor road surface? 39

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15 comments

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Adey | 12 years ago
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Thanks adam - the problem (pins and needles) has not occured lately could be due to my winter rides not being as long but now the lighter mornings/ nights are just about here i will be venturing a bit further/longer than through the winter months
Ive altered my riding position slightly so we'll see what happens

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adam86 | 12 years ago
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mind you ive just noticed this was from october so i guess you have fixed this already 35

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adam86 | 12 years ago
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I had the same problem for a long while, i don't know if i'm right or not but i spent lots of time adjusting riding and adjusting some more until i found a comfortable riding position.

I don't get any trouble any more so i guess this worked for me. 39

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roadie1 | 12 years ago
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I think it is most probably because of poor posture. I think everyone needs to find their most comfortable riding position, because what might work for one person might not necessarily work for another. I think it might be good to also check that tire pressure in your bike. If it is too much or too little, the bumpiness of the road can be very obvious.

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Adey | 12 years ago
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Thanks for the advice guys
Will take everything 'on board' and do appreciate it may take some time.

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swiftsquirrell | 12 years ago
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If your older bike is comfortable and your new one not, why dont you just make sure that the riding position is exactly the same? Saddle height, reach from back of the saddle to the bars etc, that way you can start ruling things out. I think if they are set up completely different its a massive guessing game.

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monty dog | 12 years ago
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Tipping your seat upwards may alleviate your hand problem ( I doubt it) but it almost certainly will cause a numbness downstairs as it'll probably increase pressure on the perineum unless you ride in a very upright position. Pressure on the hands is a function of reach and bar position, not saddle - adding stem spacers / shorter stem would be my recommendation - comparing the toptube and stem set up of your two bikes should help.

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Adey | 12 years ago
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Thanks for that - FWIW went out on my 'older' bike this morning and no pins and needles!
Will alter the seat positon on the newer bike

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partsandlabour | 12 years ago
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I suffered the same problem which got very much worse half way through a 600k audax... I jumped on the bike after a break and couldn't shift with the left hand as I'd knacked my ulnar nerve so much. Anyway since then I've changed my bars to some with flat tops to spread the pressure, I fitted some specialized gel pads and two wraps of bar tape. I've also switched to some specialized gel comp gloves. All of the above are helping but nerve recovery is talking a while, as it does.

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Adey | 12 years ago
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Thanks for taking the time Dave - will try the seat alteration first

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ashy_2002 | 12 years ago
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do you ride on the tops most of the time ?

if so the first thing to do (in my book) is to make sure your seat is slightly tilted up... then go from there... 26

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Adey replied to ashy_2002 | 12 years ago
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ashy_2002 wrote:

do you ride on the tops most of the time ?

if so the first thing to do (in my book) is to make sure your seat is slightly tilted up... then go from there... 26

Yep ashy i do ride the tops mostly
Cheers for your input

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Adey | 12 years ago
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mmmmmm had a new bike since july Dave
totally different geometry from my old bike
do you think this may be the problem?

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dave atkinson replied to Adey | 12 years ago
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Adey wrote:

mmmmmm had a new bike since july Dave
totally different geometry from my old bike
do you think this may be the problem?

yes, most likely. though in all probability it's fixable one way or another.

is the new bike a racier geometry with a lower front end? if so then you'll be fielding more of your body weight through your hands. that can be enough to compress nerves that weren't compressed before, and give you the pins and needles. thicker bar tape or gel inserts can help, as can a different bar profile, or tilting your saddle back very slightly to push your body weight to your seat.

If it's the same kind of position it may just be that you don't get on with the new bars, and they're pressing your hands in places the old ones didn't. it's more a case of trial and error if that's the case. but again, thicker tape or more padded gloves can help.

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dave atkinson | 12 years ago
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Have you changed anything else? your bike or position?

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