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Hi all,
My partner has a Specialized Sirrus Sport hybrid bike. This one:
https://www.specializedconceptstore.co.uk/product/12011/2018-women-s-sirrus-sport/
1. She gets intensely tingly arms (and spreads to rest of upper body if its bad) when riding on rougher trails for a prolonged period of time.
2. She also gets a sore neck/shoulders, from having to keep her head up to look ahead when riding.
She has scoliosis, which is definitely related to the sore neck, possibly also the tingly arms.
There is of course bigger picture stuff she needs to work on, and is (stretching, osteo/physio etc etc), but wanted to see if there were any quick wins we could have on either of the above.
Tingly arms - softer grips? She has the Specialised Contours at them moment. I think being able to adjust hand position could help too, but not sure bar ends would help as that would bring her even further forward, see 2. Also less weight on hands would be good I guess, which brings me on to...
Sore neck/shoulders - I assume she needs to be more upright for this. I have already swapped out the 90mm stem and wide flat bar for a short and tall stem and narrower riser bar, but thinking we need something more drastic, with more sweep so she can be more upright.
So, any suggestions for the tingly hands and the sore neck? She doesn't want the bike to be full Dutch-shopper, but more comfort would definitely be appreciated..!
Thanks,
Duane.
my mum had similar symptoms on her bike so i bought this cheap high rise/swept back handlebar and it seems to have done the trick - no more tingly feeling
Check saddle tilt. She could be pitched forwards onto her hands.
I get tingly numb hands on my push bikes and my motorbike. Have mild carpal tunnel and can't seem to 'component the problem away yet!
Thanks, will have a look at saddle angle, good idea.
Somafunk, I was looking at that exact bar last night, good to hear your mum got on with it. Maybe worth checking out.
Ergon gp1 grips are excellent, and a little bigger than the specialized contour ones your good lady has currently, this will reduce pressure by spreading the load over a larger area.
Higher rise bars will help too, as they give more adjustment fore and aft.
Also check saddle angle, and whether it can be slid forward.
Best of luck, it’s really frustrating not being able to get comfy.
Take a look at the sqlabs website. There is detailed information o n there. I would suggest a riser bar with more sweep. Options are Sq labs, On one ogee, or Stooge Moto bars which I have. Also Ergon gp1 grips.
my mum had similar symptoms on her bike so i bought this cheap high rise/swept back handlebar and it seems to have done the trick – no more tingly feeling
+1
This guy comments on the exact problems you've mentioned with bar sweep being a big factor. Might take a couple of goes to find her sweet spot (fnar) with the sweep but worth the effort.
Buy a foam roller then find a tennis or cricket ball. Use the balls and roll against the wall to find the sore spots then hover over them, regardless of how painfull, for 30 seconds each. Foam roller is self explanatory.
Any scope for losing 5 or 10 psi from front tyre?
Suspension stem?
https://road.cc/content/review/249893-redshift-sports-shockstop-suspension-stem
For the tingly hands - look into "cyclists palsy" on google images. This is when the nerve at the base of the hand is affected by a lot of pressure from weight on to the bars.
This is more common on a road bike where you are higher up and people can end up leaning on to the handlebars with their weight.
In theory you should be able to lift hands up off the handlebars without stooping - if you stoop, your are leaning your weight on to the handlebars.
Solutions can be:
1. bike fit adjustments - e.g. to lower seat / raise handlebars / bring stem forwards.
2. you can get gloves with gel padding at the base of the wrist where the nerve is
3. Move between different hand positions as you ride - easier with RB hoods as you have 3 different hand grip positions to switch between
4. Posture / build core muscles
It sounds like the root cause may be something else - but possibly the same factors exacerbate it and the same solutions may assist.
Good luck