# first road bike.... tired hands



## smokey0066 (Mar 6, 2006)

Just got my first road bike yesterday and I took it out for quickie 10miles yeseterday just to start to get used to it and make minor adjustements to seat positioning. I've been on a mtb for ~15yrs and it is quite a different feel to be on the road bike having never really ridden one for any distance. 

My question is I tried riding with my hands on the hoods but i noticed my hands would get tired between the thumb and index finger area. I'm wondering if this is something I have to get used to or is the fit incorrect? Do i need a shorter stem to bring the hoods closer? I'm going to try and rotate the bar a bit up to see if that helps relieve some pressure. I have no problems riding on the top, in the drops or just behind the hoods. On the hoods it just didnt feel natural/normal. 

any help would be appreciated.


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## Pablo (Jul 7, 2004)

It sounds like you might be resting on a blood vessel or something. Maybe you're just not used to a non-mountain bike hand position. I found it similarly awkward when I started riding road bikes after mountain biking.


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## bruzer (Apr 7, 2008)

I found there is a difference between mountain biking gloves and road gloves. The cheap bastard in me is kicking himself for having different gloves for different rides. The bottom line is these new road gloves are more comfortable when I am on the hoods and on the bars than my mountain bike gloves. So shut up cheap bastard.


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## robbyracer (May 30, 2007)

I had the same issue and rotating the bar back about 3 degrees or so helped a lot. We did the same thing on my wife's bike too.


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## Dr. Placebo (May 8, 2007)

possibly a different style of glove would suit you better?


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## barry1021 (Nov 27, 2005)

you may have to much pressure on your hands, are you dialed in on the setup?? It sounds like that area is pressing on the hoods harder than it should.

b21


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## livin4lax09 (Mar 15, 2008)

push your butt down on the seat. 

Sounds like you are supporting too much of your weight with your arms/hands, and most likely putting too much pressure on the downstroke. Work on evening out your spin, and push your bott down onto the seat. It will help to take some pressure off of your arms and allow you a fuller spin. 

And make sure you are fitted correctly.

If it still persists, you can also try riding in the drops. May be more comfortable.


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## smokey0066 (Mar 6, 2006)

Thanks for all the suggestions... it sucks its been raining here all day.. I did make a few adjustments today.. I moved the seat forward 10mm, i noticed i wasn't quite sitting on my sit bones which might be causing too much pressure to be on my hands? and then I rotated my bars up a tad. I rode around inside the garage and it felt better but I won't know till I get some good miles in.

with regards to fitting it felt pretty good on the short test ride. I know its close so i just need to get the last bit dialed in. I will go back to the shop if this doesnt work and see if I can try a new stem.


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## ericm979 (Jun 26, 2005)

Moving the seat forward puts more weight on the hands. It moves your center of gravity forward vs the pedals. If your hands are hurting it won't really fix it.

If you want less reach to the bars, get a shorter stem.

I'll second the mtb gloves vs road gloves. The padding is different. Road gloves have padding farther up the thumb. You also need to build up some hand muscles. That can take a while.


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## buck-50 (Sep 20, 2005)

Try and get gloves with as little padding as possible- avoid gel gloves at all costs.


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## barry1021 (Nov 27, 2005)

smokey0066 said:


> Thanks for all the suggestions... it sucks its been raining here all day.. I did make a few adjustments today.. I moved the seat forward 10mm, i noticed i wasn't quite sitting on my sit bones which might be causing too much pressure to be on my hands? and then I rotated my bars up a tad. I rode around inside the garage and it felt better but I won't know till I get some good miles in.
> 
> with regards to fitting it felt pretty good on the short test ride. I know its close so i just need to get the last bit dialed in. I will go back to the shop if this doesnt work and see if I can try a new stem.


moving the seat forward is fine as long as it was too far back before. Your seat setup should be determined by your body's relationship to the cranks, not to reach the bars properly, which may have too long or too short a stem to begin with. If you do that you will just create other problems.


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## team_sheepshead (Jan 17, 2003)

yep, note carefully what barry and eric wrote. in general, your saddle should be positioned to make your lower body more efficient and comfortable, not to get you closer to the bars. if you are coming from MTBs, riding in a more upright position, it may take you a while to get accustomed to a road bike. you may want to have a nice, tall stack height (spacers under stem and stem angled upward), a relatively short stem and short-reach bars.

there are "comfort" road bikes out there with higher hand positions and relaxed geometry to make road cycling easier for many folks. note the trek pilot, for one.

happened to me. i went from 5 years on a road bike to 5 years on an MTB and then back again. i was on a trek 5200 with a top tube way too long for me. i was uncomfortable for months until i broke down and got another bike with a shorter top tube.

also, work really hard on strengthening abs and lower back. these muscles help hold you in that classic, tipped-over road bike position. without strong core muscles, your legs and arms and neck strain to support you. put your road bike on a trainer and start pedaling with your hands on the hoods. now lift your hands a few millimeters off the hoods and use your core to maintain your body posture. can you hold that position while pedaling for a few minutes? if you can't, you need work. good luck.




ericm979 said:


> Moving the seat forward puts more weight on the hands. It moves your center of gravity forward vs the pedals. If your hands are hurting it won't really fix it.
> 
> If you want less reach to the bars, get a shorter stem.
> 
> I'll second the mtb gloves vs road gloves. The padding is different. Road gloves have padding farther up the thumb. You also need to build up some hand muscles. That can take a while.


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