Sore hands!

Hi all, so ive been riding my bike for almost a week now and im loving it! but... after about 20 minutes rinding the palms of my hands start to really hurt with all my body weight pushing down on them, then a bit longer and a start to get pin n needles in my fingers.

My dad says you can get gel grips that help but i cant seem to find any, ebay has lots on there but they look very cheep, i was also thinking about getting thinker gloves?

Has anyone else had this problem or have any ideas or useful links for me?

Cheers,
Simon.

well to be honest after many years riding (shut up at the back), i still get sore hands/wrists after 20- 30 mins, goes away after so long though!!, myself i have just got used to it
Pete

When you first start riding a bike like the Cat you do tend to do the straight arm thing which puts all the weight on your arms and wrists.

There are a couple of things you can do, one is to adapt your riding position by gripping more with your knees and putting more weight on the pegs. This allows you to drop your upper body and bend your elbows. You can get grip pads on your tank to help in this.

Another assistance, and I found this helps, is a tank bag. On a longer run it can be great to rest your upper torso on.

Like others have said though, tbh you just get used to it as your forearms build up.

Might be time for a Harley

Hi Simon

There are folk nearly twice your age on Thundercats (granted not that many) without too many complaints.

Could you possibly be gripping too tight?

Only advice I can offer is try and stay relaxed.........oh and don't listen to Stretchie.

As above - you need to retrain yourself to sit right. You should be able to let go of the bars when riding without any change to your position, as you should support most of your weight through the legs and abdomen.

Also, if you go faster the wind blast helps to support your weight too.

Thanks for all the replys,
I think your all right, im gripping fairly hard cos im not as relaxed as i should be, also my arms are fairly straight, i will try to relax and get a better riding position, iv only been riding 6 days so im sure il relax and get use to it.

Cheers,
Simon.

Hi Si.

I was exactly the same when I was let loose.
Relax and enjoy (not endure).

Cheers
Rosco

It's definitely down to keeping your arms loose and bent. The ideal is to have your forearms horizontal - that way you are able to apply steering effort (counter-steering, or positive steering, as I believe it's now called) just with your arms and not your shoulders, so you have much finer control.

If you get the position right, and stay relaxed, 500 miles in a day is quite possible without any great discomfort, though a sporty bike like the 'Cat is never going to be as comfortable over long distances as a big tourer, of course.

As you'll see, I'm one of the oldies that Rosco has mentioned. Occasionally I do get a bit of numbness in my hands, more so with thin summer gloves than winter ones, but that's just a cue to tell me I'm starting to tighten up and need to relax more. It happens when I'm riding a push bike as well.

I have toyed with the possibility of putting Stomp Pad grips on the tank, but I've decided they aren't really necessary - on the 'Cat I can balance nicely on the balls of my feet. I did have them on the RSV but that was a much more extreme riding position, and anyway they were more for gripping when using the front Brembos to max effect so as to avoid permanent injury LOL.

I can testify to the distance thing. When I went to Germany I did 1,500 miles in 5 days. I was weary at the end but not sore. I tend to get a bit of numbness in my toes after a long time but I reposition them on the pegs for a few minutes and this goes away. High speed is easier than town stop-start though - in 30 limits I can get a bit of back ache but then I sit up for a bit and it goes away.

Never had hand issues other then being cold through wrong glove selection. I also make sure the fingers in the glove are slightly longer than required - allows for some room when they are curled around the bars.

If you're new to riding, now is the time to sort out your position so you get into the good habits, rather than the bad ones. Time in the saddle will also bring experience, riding fitness and general comfort.

I second that Dai-San!

An article that may be interesting...

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reciprocity wrote:An article that may be interesting...

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The article advises -

"
In men, a sheath in the perineum, called Alcock's canal, contains an artery and a nerve that supply the penis with blood and sensation. The canal runs along the side of a bone, and when a cyclist sits hard on a narrow saddle, the artery and the nerve are compressed. Over time, a reduction of blood flow can mean that there is not enough pressure to achieve full erection.
"

You're lucky it's just your hands that are numb - spare a thought for those hard up tour de france riders (or not so hard up perhaps)

Enjoy your soft comfy Thundercat seats.

Hi Si
I've only had my cat just over a week and I had the same problem. Relaxing my arms and not gripping on too tight has really helped. I've been doing quite a bit of slow riding around lots of corners and roundabouts just to get used to it. The more I am getting used to the Cat the more relaxed i am thus arms don't ache as much!

Thanks for the replys,
Riding to work and back today i tried to relax and grip with my knees more, its working for me so far