# Hand Pain After Rides



## Rockrockon (Jan 24, 2021)

My hands have started feeling achy the day after I ride, and my left pinky locks in a cured position.

I think the big problem is my death grip every time things get a little sketchy. I’m working on it, but any gear or technique suggestions would be great.

Thanks!


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## MSU Alum (Aug 8, 2009)

Raising/lowering the bar height, different diameter grips, more or less bar sweep angle, shorter stem, wider, narrower bars, seat eight, adjusting it forward or back can all have an effect, and some you can try without expense. There are so many things that can affect hand comfort that it's hard to pin point.


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## mtnbkrmike (Mar 26, 2015)

Tilt your saddle back a bit to take the pressure off your hands and remove the tokens from your fork. Set HSC wide open and adjust from there. Install a Luftkappe if still not happy. And don’t wear padded gloves - they cause more problems than they solve (with me at least). Also, max the spacers under your stem and buy a 35mm rise softer bar. Not RF (although I do run RF bars on most of my bikes...maybe I need to take my own advice...). Start lifting doing compound exercises to increase strength, including core strength - deadlifts are key.


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## d365 (Jun 13, 2006)

Could be many things, and/or just the fact that mtbing causes hand fatigue. You could have a dialed set up, and still have hand pain. 

First thing is to decide, is it b/c of unbalanced set up? - too much weight on the hands in general, just sitting there. Brake lever angle/ controls angle can make a difference at the end of the day. Handlebar rotation, sweep, rise, design, material. Grip diameter and design.

As for me, I'm about to get a handlebar with more backsweep angle, and ditch my 35mm bar/stem. I might try a carbon bar for the first time, maybe, they've always scared me.


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## MSU Alum (Aug 8, 2009)

I did go from 6 degree backsweep (Race Face Six carbon 760mm width) to 12 degrees (Fasst Flexx alloy 800mm width, which I'm about to start slowly reducing) with a stem that's 10mm longer. For me, that helped with reducing hand pain/numbness. The Fasst Flexx is pretty comfortable overall, but I think the sweep change is what helped hand-wise.


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## hsakkire (Mar 6, 2010)

As mentioned, it could be many things. I've been sensitive to this for years and mostly due to past injuries. 

What works for me is a modified setup with an alt bar. I run lots of spacers on my fork steerer tube and an upside down On-One Mary bar. I've run the Mary right side up but find that upside down works best for me. This does require a long steerer tube however to compensate. 

Grips also make a difference. Some like thick grips like Oury; my favorite. Others prefer slimmer diameter grips. 

Experiment and keep us posted. 

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk


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## toyotatacomaTRD (Apr 4, 2012)

If you're running a 35mm clamp bar that can do it too. I had to switch back to a 31.8 as the 35mm bars are just too harsh for my liking. Lots of other good suggestions above to try also.


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## provin1327 (Mar 31, 2013)

I used to get hand pain right at the upper knuckle of my pinky and in the soft fleshy part of my palm just behind that knuckle. It was a sharp ache that got worse when I pushed on it. I switched my handlebars to OneUps carbon 35mm bar and the pain went away and never came back. Their handlebar is made to be vertically flexible and compliant but laterally stiff. I immediately noticed how flexible and compliant the bars were just jumping up and down in the parking lot after installing. It may not solve your issue since hand pain can come from a variety of sources but it's worth a shot.

Carbon Handlebar


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## Crankout (Jun 16, 2010)

Ergon grips may help.


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## BaconBikeJoe (Nov 22, 2010)

Crankout said:


> Ergon grips may help.


Yeah, I had a problem years ago where my palms would hurt really bad after riding. I switched over to Ergon grips and the issue when away entirely and immediately.


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## BikGer2 (May 25, 2021)

Rockrockon said:


> My hands have started feeling achy the day after I ride, and my left pinky locks in a cured position.
> 
> I think the big problem is my death grip every time things get a little sketchy. I'm working on it, but any gear or technique suggestions would be great.
> 
> Thanks!


I had the same problem a few weeks ago. Had both of my pinkies locking, just for a different reason, I held really long wheelies. It got fixed in like a week of non riding, but you definitely should try to stop it in the first place, change your setup and do some experimenting just like the replies above suggested.
Make sure you recover first, wish you a fast recovery!


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## Whiterabbitt (May 16, 2020)

Rockrockon said:


> My hands have started feeling achy the day after I ride, and my left pinky locks in a cured position.
> 
> I think the big problem is my death grip every time things get a little sketchy. I'm working on it, but any gear or technique suggestions would be great.
> 
> Thanks!


I've had this. For me, root cause was poor grip. My hands are very long, my grips were standard.

I got wolftooth fat paw grips. If you have long hands, amy of the foam grips should help.

Two benefits. First, the diameter is more right. Second, the plush foam is very retaining in chop, so your hands stay locked in without a death grip.

should fix you right up for 30 bucks if you have big hands.

-------

left pinky and ring finger get weak because you're hurting your ulnar nerve and got cyclist palsy. It'll go away in a couple weeks.


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## JKA (Jul 26, 2006)

I'm an old goat. I've tried about every different set up on many different bikes. My hand pain is secondary to too much wear and tear and arthritis in the wrist. 600mg ibuprofen after a ride makes it way better. YMMV.


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## DeeCount (Oct 3, 2020)

Since you mentioned death grip, next question would be are you braking with one finger or two/three? Should be just the index finger on the lever for braking.
Middle finger is where most of your grip strength is, so if it's on the brake lever you hands/forearms are overtaxed trying to grip the bar. That could lead to numerous issues.


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## SoDakSooner (Nov 23, 2005)

Joy of bike just dropped a YT vid about bar sweep that made a lot of sense regarding hand and wrist issues. Made me want to try a more aggressive sweep as my hands naturally have more of an angle.


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## PTCbiker (Sep 15, 2020)

Rockrockon said:


> My hands have started feeling achy the day after I ride, and my left pinky locks in a cured position.
> 
> I think the big problem is my death grip every time things get a little sketchy. I'm working on it, but any gear or technique suggestions would be great.
> 
> Thanks!


I don't know how new you are at mtb but I also had hand pain the first few months of riding. It was the death grip, I was riding with somebody better than me so things got a little hairy before I was ready for it. And I had my share of falls, now my bravery and skills have caught up and I have no arm or hand pain at all.


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## Pedalto_themetal (May 29, 2021)

🚴‍♂️🚵‍♀️🚴‍♀️🚵‍♂️💪keep riding.


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## 33red (Jan 5, 2016)

Obviously you got many good suggestions. Maybe you can try and mix your riding.
Alternate from easy to challenging trails.
The more relaxed you ride = the less pain.
Just let the bike float over some roots and rockgardens.


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## DennisT (Dec 29, 2019)

I've had hand tingling and numbness from day one. A lot of things have helped to a greater or lesser extent. I've change handgrips. I've changed brake lever angles. I've tried making a point of sitting up more so I don't have so much weight on my hands, I've concentrated on relaxing and not having a death-grip. Eventually I got it down to the point where only my left hand had the problem, and only sometimes. I finally figured out that I tend to lock my left elbow when supporting my weight, which for some reason results in numbness. Now concentrating on not doing that, and it seems to be the last issue.


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## mactweek (Oct 3, 2011)

I have done a lot to adjust my bar/grip setup to opttimize it for myself. I run a 20 degree sweep bar with ergon g-2 grips and a higher stem. This works for me. Not necessarily for you. The most important part is getting your hands in a comfortable, relaxed position. Make sure that your wrists are not cocked back to reach the brake levers, your fingers should reach naturally forward to the lever. NEVER use a death grip. You will lose all fine control over your steering. Practice on smooth terrain by just setting your hands on top of the grips with your thumbs down and your fingers not wrapped around the bar. This will relax your hands and even your shoulders but you will still be able to control the bike, then wrap your fingers around the grips just firm enough to keep your grip on the terrain you are riding.
Learn to stay loose and relaxed on he bike. That is the first part of avoiding hand pain.


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## MdJumpnkc (Apr 2, 2021)

Rockrockon said:


> My hands have started feeling achy the day after I ride, and my left pinky locks in a cured position.
> 
> I think the big problem is my death grip every time things get a little sketchy. I'm working on it, but any gear or technique suggestions would be great.
> 
> Thanks!


So, the Ergon site has a great grip chart to measure and size up a true grip for you. Since then, since like you, I was experiencing wrist pain every time a I rode my mtb. I switched to Ergon " G3 large grips" and have not experienced any pain.


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## jimPacNW (Feb 26, 2013)

About a year ago I was trying out some direct from China BXT carbon handlebars on my 'shed bike' that I ride in bad weather or if I'm by myself and not trying to keep up with a group, the bars aren't super wide, I started getting knuckle pain towards the end of rides, apparently those bars are too stiff for me. I switched to aluminum bars from Performance and no more knuckle pain. I've got name-brand carbon bars on the other bikes, no knuckle pain on those. - Too stiff bars is a real thing.


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## D. Inoobinati (Aug 28, 2020)

It's doubtful you put in enough miles alone to get "cycler's palsy", but consider how much time you spend sitting at a computer with your elbow (and ulnar nerve) against the table. A work desk that's too high irritates the nerve and may lead to pain, cramping, and other weirdnesses at the pinky and ring fingers. Lower your table height or put a foam pad under your elbow.

If sitting at a computer all day isn't the issue, consider whatever activity you're doing that irritates that nerve.


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## kosmo (Oct 27, 2004)

Rockrockon said:


> My hands have started feeling achy the day after I ride, and my left pinky locks in a cured position.
> 
> I think the big problem is my death grip every time things get a little sketchy. I'm working on it, but any gear or technique suggestions would be great.
> 
> Thanks!


I've got a wonky hand/wrist, and second Whiterabbit's vote for Wolftooth Fat Paw grips. I go one step further with their Mega Fat Paws.

Plus ti bars from Why Cycles -- and One Up has a carbon bar now with a bit of built-in flex that looks intriguing.

When I ride friends bikes with lock-on grips it feels like I'm operating a jackhammer in comparison.


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## Smiles for miles (Feb 26, 2021)

Ergon grips. GS2 model is lighter than their standard models. These give the heel of your hand something to rest on, which alleviates a bunch of hand and wrist problems.


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## old_er (Dec 27, 2020)

Smiles for miles said:


> Ergon grips. GS2 model is lighter than their standard models. These give the heel of your hand something to rest on, which alleviates a bunch of hand and wrist problems.


The Ergon GA-3, which is similar to the GS2, helps a lot. I have arthritis of my base thumb joints and they give my hand a bit more surface area to grip and relieve the pressure near my thumbs.


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