I get carpal tunnel (I know my hand innervation, 1st 3 digits palmar side, so median nerve) like symptoms due to vibrations, any recommendations for mitigation besides wider tires/lower pressure, like gloves that work really well, maybe a adding padding to stem if that exists, bar tape etc?
Iām not saying your issues arenāt because of Carpal Tunnel and vibrations, but you may want to find the cause before you find the solution. Or you could be chasing āfixesā, gear and bike fit.
I was having the same issues and would have swore it was CT or even a shoulder injury/issue as well. It turned out that it was much further up the chain, in my cervical spine (neck).
2 Likes
The thick bartape from Silca seems to have improved similar symptoms for me. It could also be bike fit related, for example resting the ball of the palm on the bar vs holding the hoods.
2 Likes
Itās always certain sections of road that do it for me, I just know that once I get there my hands will go numb and once I am past those sections Iāll be more or less fine
1 Like
Redshift stem was a game changer for me in terms of hand comfort
2 Likes
Unfortunately my handlebar and stem are proprietary
I remember when I first started riding, and after a ride, my hands would ache, and I often had numbness issues. Someone suggested that I stop trying to strangle my bike, and āloosen up dudeā, and it really helped. Changing hand position helped too, using the hoods and not over gripping the tops helped a lot. My issues disappeared. I find myself occasionally getting cramped/pain/numb when riding other types of bikes, and have to remind myself to stop choking the bike. (Hand numbness is epidemic in spin club devotees generating snickers from people when the instructor/leader said Are you afraid you will fall off?)
In my experience, using the Redshift stem āhelpsā, but the degree of help is limited. The amount of travel is small, and on a really bumpy/trashed surface, that stem could likely induce harmonics that could negate the cushioning. I have a āFuture Shockā equipped road bike, and it āhelpsā too, but I took a huge pop on a rail trail trail pothole, and stretched my scapholunate ligament. So even with that technologyā¦ (That I didnāt flat was interesting) So proper hand position, not gloves or a stem will do the most to maintain hand comfort. Those other items do help, but I donāt think they will solve the issue. The pothole I hit was in a shaded part of the trail, and my hands were on the tops and OUCH!! Had I seen that damaged area, I could have avoided it in any numbers of ways.
I also found that most of the gloves I have bought over the years are not supposed to be run through a washing machine, so well padded gloves tend to be hot and sweat tends to run down arms into gloves. Finding better gloves is a continuing search. Double wrapped bars is something people do, but hand positioning should be looked atā¦ Good luck, and rode on!
I donāt think I have tried every make of gloves that is available, but I went through a lot of different ones before I got to the āGrip Grab Supergel Padded Short Finger Summer Gloves.ā
Fantastic things.
Are you sure your bike fit is good, especially cleats and seat positions?
1 Like
Following along.
Flat bars (SL7)
Coming back from trigger finger in 3 of my 4 fingers left hand. Not to mention my thumb is bone on bone at the wrist.
On the trainer Iām using a compression sleeve then a gel padded glove. Triple folded microfiber towel on the hood. This works. I donāt put much pressure on the hoods anyway. Out on the road is where Iām going to need a solution, as soon a my orthopedic doctor says Iām good to go. We do have chip seal roads. They never seem to take the divots out before resealing.
1 Like
Those should be illegal! The dust and rocks that tend to fly everywhere. On ride, a rider got a rock from a passing car to the mouth. Ouchā¦ They chip windshields and are just nasty. Yeah, the road commissions seem to think that their machines automagically fill those cracks in perfectly, and deny the stone damage. But itās cheaper than spending the big buck doing a better job. Our tax dollars at work? Itās part of the reason I retired from road riding. (Oh, and when the seal the rail trails! GAG Whoās fooling who on that?
I have these already, not enough padding (the castelli gloves are even worse). I also have some specialized gel gloves which are much better
What are redshift steps?
Do you run a RedShift stem on your road bike?
Try sublingual B12 supplementation.
Bill Black
He canāt do a Redshift stem.
Have you tried gel under the tape? These look more absorbing than what Iāve tried in the past:
1 Like
Those are pretty cheap, so just bought them on amazon 
1 Like
Gel pads
1 Like
Yesā¦well, I did for a couple of years. I actually changed to a Specialized just to get the FutureShock ā¦if Iām totally honest, Iām not sure itās better than the RedShift!
1 Like
Hopefully the gel pads help a little. Even if you only use them between the top curve and the shifter hood, that can be beneficial.
1 Like