Pins and needles in hands

mrboswell

Only been on the bike since xmas, started off gradually with about 20k and add on a few k with each spin. Only able to get out once a week so its slow to get the distance up.
Anyway was out yesterday for about a 30k trip and started to get pins and needles on the way back. Lasted for most of the night.

My other half had terrible problems from using the bikes dublin bikes scheme and had a lot of pain for months after stopping.

Anyway I've looked on the net and see that it could be "handlebar palsy". Suggestions to minimise the problem include change saddle height, reduce padding on the gloves and handlebars. Don't know where to start really.

Is there any special handlebars that I can get to minimise the weight on the hands?
The route I've been on has some rough surfaces and one really bad slope downward for about a minute - the bike really rattles but its at the end of the route and I was getting the pins and needles about half way.

Cheers.
When buying the bike the guys said I was borderline for 2 sizes but at the time I felt more comfortable on the bigger size but it could be a big problem.

I have a Basso Devil and really like it.

I might have to change bikes but is there anything I can try to avoid it?

The route I've been on has some rough surfaces and one really bad slope downward for about a minute - the bike really rattles but its at the end of the route and I was getting the pins and needles about half way.

BostonB

I use a MTB for coummuting and changing the grips made a big difference for me. I also have longer bar ends so I've more options of positions I can change to. For road bikes I wouldn't have a clue. I think you can get padded tape, and padded gloves. I didn't like the padded gloves though.

torydiver

mrboswell wrote: »

Only been on the bike since xmas, started off gradually with about 20k and add on a few k with each spin. Only able to get out once a week so its slow to get the distance up.
Anyway was out yesterday for about a 30k trip and started to get pins and needles on the way back. Lasted for most of the night.

My other half had terrible problems from using the bikes dublin bikes scheme and had a lot of pain for months after stopping.

Anyway I've looked on the net and see that it could be "handlebar palsy". Suggestions to minimise the problem include change saddle height, reduce padding on the gloves and handlebars. Don't know where to start really.

Is there any special handlebars that I can get to minimise the weight on the hands?
The route I've been on has some rough surfaces and one really bad slope downward for about a minute - the bike really rattles but its at the end of the route and I was getting the pins and needles about half way.

Cheers.
When buying the bike the guys said I was borderline for 2 sizes but at the time I felt more comfortable on the bigger size but it could be a big problem.

I have a Basso Devil and really like it.

I might have to change bikes but is there anything I can try to avoid it?

The route I've been on has some rough surfaces and one really bad slope downward for about a minute - the bike really rattles but its at the end of the route and I was getting the pins and needles about half way.

Sounds like you have too much weight on your hands/arms,

Dont think a new handlebar would be of any benefit,

Noting that you are new to cycling, maybe finding a better position may help aleviate the problem to some degree,

Loads of stuff on here and on the web that you could try,but its a minefield once you get into bike fitting,

Is there someone in local area or club with some knowledge that could have a look at your position on the bike and offer some pointers...

coastwatch

Yep, sounds like too much weight on the hands. Raising the bars will help a lot. That will shift the weight back onto the seat. You can raise the bars by moving any spacers currently above the stem (if any), to below the stem. If all the spacers are already below the stem, you could replace the stem with another one with more rise or flip the existing stem so that it's angled upwards. All very easy to do with a set of allen keys, but if you're not sure, you local bike shop will do it for you, takes 5 minutes.

mrboswell

I'll try to head back to the bike shop on Sat and see what they say.

Cheers

smacl

Anyway was out yesterday for about a 30k trip and started to get pins and needles on the way back

I think a lot of people get pins and needles when starting out with longer spins. I certainly did, though they never persisted after getting off the bike, and they disappeared over time as I got more relaxed while cycling.

Lasted for most of the night

I'd tend to get advice from a medic with some sports background before doing too much more in that case. Aches and pains that hang around for a long time can be a precursor to long term damage if ignored. Not worth it, IMO.

I might have to change bikes but is there anything I can try to avoid it?

If you can keep your arms slightly bent at the elbow when cycling, it will reduce the amount of jarring to your hands, albeit that it can be slightly more tiring. If you have narrow tyres you may also benefit from moving to wider tyres, again with a trade off on speed/effort required. Cycling for shorter distances more frequently will also give your body a better chance to adapt in a far gentler manner.

RobFowl

Padded gloves, varying position regulaly while cycling and correct positioning/sizing all good.
I'd get diagnosed properly though especially if the pins and needles lasts for longer than a few minutes after stopping.
Technically its a form of carpel tunnel syndrome which can be nasty.
A chartered physio of GP would be the best port of call.

Triangla

Used to happen to me when I was tired and was leaning too hard into the handlebars.

Try not leaning so hard, support weight with your back and abs. Don't lock elbows either, always keep them bent so you can't put too much weight into it.

BostonB

The other issue maybe the frequency. When I haven't cycled in a while I find I get aches and pains that I don't once I've been cycling more regularly. Thats just commuting though. Probably a whole different ball game doing longer distances.

mrboswell

Thanks for all the feedback.

If its a case of bending the arms more then I need a shorter bike frame as there is not much room for bending.

I'm going to cycle on a cycle track for the next couple of spins to see if it make a difference. Boring but certainly less vibration coming up the bike.

If it persists I'll see a physio and of course first pot of call bike shop.

Cheers all.

BostonB

Carbon fork is said to help with vibration. Also a shorter stem might help with bending the arms. Some aluminium forks/frames are meant to transmit more vibration than others. A bike shop should give you some options to try.

nelly17

I could be way off the mark here but you should take a look into Carpal Tunnel Syndrome too

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpal_tunnel_syndrome

mrboswell

BostonB wrote: »

Carbon fork is said to help with vibration. Also a shorter stem might help with bending the arms. Some aluminium forks/frames are meant to transmit more vibration than others. A bike shop should give you some options to try.

Have carbon forks, I reckon I'll have to change bike so a shorter frame, but will call up to bike shop to see what they say

nelly17 wrote: »

I could be way off the mark here but you should take a look into Carpal Tunnel Syndrome too

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpal_tunnel_syndrome

My Mrs was diagnosed with that after using Dublin bikes for a year but stopped and if fine now.

Could be some of that but I reckon it is too much weight on the bars.

coastwatch

mrboswell wrote: »

Have carbon forks, I reckon I'll have to change bike so a shorter frame, but will call up to bike shop to see what they say

If the problem is too much weight on the bars because they're too low relative to the seat, then a smaller frame would make it worse, because the seat will be at the same height but the bars will be even lower (and a bit closer). If you're too "stretched out" on the bike now, you could get a shorter stem, with more rise, to move the weight back a bit.

jinkypolly

I had the same problem when I started doing a lot more cycling. I definitely think it's to do with the weight on the handlebars. My solution was to get the saddle forward/backward position just right so I wasn't falling down onto the handlebars but the main thing that got rid of it for me was when I started strengthening my core muscles by doing a 5 minute routine every morning. Of course the more you cycle the more your core will strengthen also but it wouldn't do any harm to do a few extra exercises like the 'plank' for a few minutes each day.

Mycroft H

Since changing to drops from flats I've eliminated the pins and needles in hands.