Discussion
@Weather_Rock_Wx asks:
I typically ride with my hands on the brake hoods/gear shifter. I am having issues with my hands going numb, especially near the thumb joint.
Q3. Is there any way to alleviate this, perhaps extra padding I can buy?
#BikeNiteQ #BikeNite #BikeTooter #Cycling #MastoBikes #BikeNite45_2026 cc @bikenite
Regarding Q3: thank you everyone for the great suggestions. This past week, I had pretty good success with tilting the handlebars up slightly, and nudging the seat back slightly with a slight adjustment to the angle. I also made sure the handlebar shock absorber was set to the maximum give.
I’m not sure where to buy gloves with better padding, but I tested that idea using a koozie as shown in the photo below.
Finally, I bought a MagSafe grip/knob for the back of my IPhone so that the side of the phone case doesn’t press on the side of the thumb.
@ascentale @Weather_Rock_Wx @bikenite A3. Gloves or multi-position grips might help, but they're just a bandaid and probably don't address the root of the problem, so I wouldn't start there personally. Most of the time when I see people with their hands going numb it's because their riding position is wrong and needs to be adjusted (ask at your local bike shop for who does fittings!) or because they're not engaging their core enough and are fully supporting their weight on their hands.
Do the free (well, a pro-fit isn't free, but a bike shop might give you basic advice for free) stuff first before buying new gear that may not even help!
@ascentale @Weather_Rock_Wx @bikenite A3: Multi-position ergonomic grips, and changing between those positions when you can. Ergon make a bunch of options, I'm using these at the moment:
Also, make sure you're not locking your elbows. That's a hidden source of nerve irritation.
@ascentale @Weather_Rock_Wx @bikenite #BikeNite A3. Definitely figure out fit. I was putting way too much stress on my front arms, bars too low and seat too high. I'm not racing, so really a race position is too aggressive. Have been moving to more comfortable positions since after tweaking my arm from too much pressure.