# Which handlebar for 'carpel tunnel'??



## NiTCOM (Feb 24, 2004)

Hi folks!

I have a enduro 2004 and I can't help it but my wrist hurt when I ride it after the while. which handlebar would be suitable and high performance material at the same time for people like me that tend to the "carpel tunnel" syndrome.
My first thought was a flat or low riser bar. someone had similar problems, experiences? plz share! thanks friends!

NiTCOM


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## tim_54321 (Dec 14, 2004)

specialized have 'body geometry' gloves and grips that are designed to help with this link. Haven't tried them personally


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## C.J. (Jan 12, 2004)

*wrists 'hurt', not 'tingling'?*



NiTCOM said:


> Hi folks!
> 
> I have a enduro 2004 and I can't help it but my wrist hurt when I ride it after the while. which handlebar would be suitable and high performance material at the same time for people like me that tend to the "carpel tunnel" syndrome.
> My first thought was a flat or low riser bar. someone had similar problems, experiences? plz share! thanks friends!
> ...


If tingling, could be position of bar/bike set-up and 'death grip' on bars.

Pain in wrists, however, is different. I endure a lot of wrist pain due to injury and multiple reconstruction surgeries, but, have found that a good carbon fiber handlebar helps reduce vibration, pain and hand fatigue. Also, make sure your grips aren't too big in diameter for your hands. If you have standard 1 1/8 steerer tube, you could also run a magnesium stem.

I use Easton, FSA and Bontrager XXXLite carbon riser bars on my personal bikes, with ODI lock-on or stock C'dale lock on 'type' grips. So far, I like the Bonty bar best (31.8 mm clamping area.)


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## jeffj (Jan 13, 2004)

I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV, but i have had/do have carpal tunnel. Many years ago I had it going in both wrist along with tendonitis. I ended up having surgery on the righ elbow and wrist and in the three months I was off recovering, the symptoms on the left side subsided substantially, so I have not had the surgery for the left side.

I'll assume you have had a diagnosis from an MD. If not, I would advise it as the symptoms I had sounded more like circulation problems to me at the time.

At any rate, I'll just refer to this as hand / wrist issues because you don't have to have CT to suffer from improper (for you) adjustments. All this assumes you are riding a bike that fits you properly.

Handlebars come in many different bends. All riser bars are not created equally and neither are flat bars when it comes to bends. You need to find one that your hands feel the most "natural" in your grasp.

The next thing I would check is brake lever adjustment with regard as to how far they are rotated on the bar. When you are grasping the lever, you should be able to pretty much lay a straight edge down the length of your forearm all the way down to the first knuckle of your fingers. In other words, your wrists should not be bent. Now adjust your shifters to work well with the brake levers where they are at.

The next thing I would check is how your weight is distributed on the bike. I prefer my seat to be very close to level. That is a good place to start, but you may prefer yours slightly off from that. You just don't want it too slanted forward so that you use your arms to keep you from sliding forward and you don't want it tilted so far back that it is uncomfortable to your more sensitive parts. When seated, your fore/aft seat adjustment also plays a huge part in determining how much weight is held up by your arms. If you sit on your bike with the cranks in the 3 o'clock/9 o'clock position and the front of the knee in the 3 o'clock position is plumb with the pedal axle, this is a good place to start. For some however, this places a lot of weight on the forearms and causes some degree of discomfort. You can move your seat rearward to use your butt as a ballast to take some of this pressure off your forearms. If you find you are suddenly getting some pain in your knees when climbing seated after doing this, you can move your seat forward in small increments until the pain goes away. I like mine adjusted so that I can go from leaned over to bolt upright without needing my arms to do so. This lets me use my arms for steering, not for holding up my upper body.

You can also play with stem height and length, but I would not go too short on the stem as you risk moving the weight bias too far to the rear when climbing and the front wheel may lift or wander when climbing while seated.

Now check the brake levers again to make sure your wrists are flat with the top of your forearms.

Gloves can also help, but I would make all necessary cockpit adjustments first to make sure they as good as can be. I like the Specialized and Pear Izumi gel padded gloves the best of the gloves I have tried and do believe they help.

Cockpit adjustments are a series of compromises and there is usually give and take in all of them. Finding a set of compromises (comfort vs. control) for your riding style that you can most easily live with is the goal.


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## NiTCOM (Feb 24, 2004)

jeffj said:


> I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV, but i have had/do have carpal tunnel. Many years ago I had it going in both wrist along with tendonitis. I ended up having surgery on the righ elbow and wrist and in the three months I was off recovering, the symptoms on the left side subsided substantially, so I have not had the surgery for the left side.
> .....


hey, thanks for the detailed response. no I haven't really been diagnosed. but I'm at risk (lots of typing and writing) and I just felt my wrist hurt after a longer ride. So I guess I could get it if I would overdue it (riding and writing/typing). Adjustment of components is a good idea, I was just thinking of handlebar replacement. Do you use a flat or low riser bar?

thanks again,.

PS: I'm also gonna try that new specialized glove/. thank for the hint - forgot who wrote it.


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## Locoman (Jan 12, 2004)

My take: I'm not a doc either, but I have had CT flareups. If you can picture, the pain is from the wrist in a poor position pinching the nerves in the CT. Keeping your wrist imobilized in a neutral position is what you want to look for (so your fist is aligned with your forearm, not up or down). 

Get on your bike and check out how you position yourself and see if you can tell where you're going wrong. And while riding try to keep the grip relaxed. You might also want to pick up a brace (at Walgreens etc..), they have some pretty good ones that sell for about $25.

*You might want to speak to a doc that's into sports medicine. CT is a condition that can become permanent if not treated.

*Look into what else you do that might aggrivate your wrist. Like using a keyboard all day at work..

*And ice your wrist at night to get the swelling down. The pain is caused by swelling/aggrivation in the CT.


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## 2farfwd (Jan 24, 2004)

*Suggestion*



NiTCOM said:


> Hi folks!
> 
> I have a enduro 2004 and I can't help it but my wrist hurt when I ride it after the while. which handlebar would be suitable and high performance material at the same time for people like me that tend to the "carpel tunnel" syndrome.
> My first thought was a flat or low riser bar. someone had similar problems, experiences? plz share! thanks friends!
> ...


I have found that certain riser bars are very hard on the wrists depending on the rise and backward sweep. In my opinion, the Azonic Double Wall riser bars have the most comfortable hand position of any bar I have tried including raceface, easton, etc.


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## SpinWheelz (May 3, 2004)

Try this link for some discussion on handlebar alternatives. The discussion centers around alternatives to the rather expensive but much-lauded Jones H-bars.


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## madsen (Apr 12, 2006)

NiTCOM said:


> Hi folks!
> 
> I have a enduro 2004 and I can't help it but my wrist hurt when I ride it after the while. which handlebar would be suitable and high performance material at the same time for people like me that tend to the "carpel tunnel" syndrome.
> My first thought was a flat or low riser bar. someone had similar problems, experiences? plz share! thanks friends!
> ...


Maybe just other handles. Try Ergon R1M they helped me.
http://www.ergon-bike.com/home.php?la=de
madsen


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## logbiter (Dec 30, 2003)

madsen said:


> Maybe just other handles. Try Ergon R1M they helped me.
> http://www.ergon-bike.com/home.php?la=de
> madsen


it'd be interesting to see if the original poster still has problems!

another alt-bar is the on-one Mary. I've always preferred bars with at least 9 degrees sweep, the mary is something like 40 deg and a decent amt of rise... it's now my favorite bar (I'm thinking about ditching my ti risers on the other bikes... oh, the horror)!


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## Jeep_Nut (May 11, 2005)

Years ago I used to have a little numbness after a certain down-hill run. I would get to the bottom and shake my hands/wrist out. After I switched to a carbon bar it was the third or fourth time on that same run before I noticed the lack of numbness. The carbon switch helped me.

Also, as mentioned before, so many people put a death grip on their bar - you might want to check to see if you do this as well.


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## madsen (Apr 12, 2006)

*carbon*

Please tell me if you know where to buy a carbon flatbar oversize (31.8) that is more than 600mm wide then I will consider to change mine.


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## Chester (Jan 15, 2004)

*Nice inexpensive alternative bar. The Noah's Arc bar*

I ride with a bar similar to the one seen on this link

http://store.somafab.com/noahsarcbar.html

This is simple but gives you a very comfortable wrist angle and allows you to not place so much weight on your hands. Allow your wrists to heal and calm down.
Given the price, its worth a try and if you don't find it allows you the "flat" bracing ability, you can always install it on another more casual bike.
The nearly identical bar I ride with is used everywhere and I find it especially good for climbing.


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## hiroProtagonist (Apr 16, 2006)

madsen said:


> Maybe just other handles. Try Ergon R1M they helped me.
> http://www.ergon-bike.com/home.php?la=de
> madsen


Any one know if these are available in the states.

edit:found them on price point


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## madsen (Apr 12, 2006)

*try this:*

http://www.bicyclebuys.com/Items01.asp?NavID=search&searchterm=Ergon


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## fsr (Jan 14, 2004)

I used to get wrist pain in my right wrist and switching to a 9 degree backsweep from the standard 5 degree solved it for me. I think Salsa and Titec make bars with these kind of sweeps. Good luck. FSR.


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