Is this normal? Numb feet, hands, etc.

[Tim Kelley]

It does get better with time. The first couple long rides of the year always make me feel it in my neck, and on yesterday’s ride around mile 120 (of 140 in the Shenandoah Mountains!) my wrists were definitely feeling fatigued.

If it doesn’t get better with time as your support muscles get stronger, or if the discomfort is sharp rather than a dull fatigue, then it’s time to start thinking about fit changes!

[eminva]

It sounds like you are doing everything right; moving hand positions, taking breaks, adjusting the saddle, etc. Since the bike is new, I’d say it is still a matter of adjusting to the new equipment and riding position. Also, some of the most difficult advice to give and to receive: add mileage gradually, to avoid injury.

I have noticed that there are certain foot issues that only show up when I am doing a rare long ride but that don’t seem to bother me doing 28 miles a day. But I use clipless pedals so it usually means the cleat has shifted or something.

Good luck.

Liz

[Dirt]

Interesting. I don’t consider numbness normal at all. If it happens, it is something that you should seek a remedy to. That said, I don’t necessarily have an answer for you. Take what I say here as possible things to consider as you search for a solution. I look forward to peoples’ discussion and ideas on this.

I do experience hand numbness when I get tired and use poor form on the handlebars (arms straight and all the bend at the wrist). When I get hand numbness, changing my hand position. The key for me is to make sure that I’m not bending my wrist back to grab the bars, thus using my wrist as a shock absorber. That job is best left to the elbows. I found it more difficult to get my hands comfortable if the handlebars are too fat or thin (I’m talking about how thick the bar tape is, more than how thick the handlebar actually is.). Padding is good, but if I have to reach around a very thick handlebar or good to hold on, it makes it so I have to hold on with more strength than usual to feel secure. That causes issues.

I had foot numbness problems last weekend for the first time in ages, but that was really a result of my calves cramping on a long ride in the rain. I also had rain shoe covers that were tighter than I’m used to… They squeezed my feet quite a bit and pressed the shoe straps in.

The feet and saddle issues could be related. Different positioning could be causing a nerve to be pinched or something.

There’s been talk on the forum in a few places about getting a professional fit. I’ve had great results when I’ve had a fit done. A good fit takes into account your flexibility and adjusts the handlebar reach and height based upon how flexible you are. How different is your positioning between the 2 bikes? Is the saddle height comparable? Are the handlebars lower on the new bike?

I hope this is at least of some help.

Pete

[dasgeh]

This sounds really familiar from when I started riding seriously, training for my first tri (years ago…). For me it was a combination of newness and bad fit/wrong equipment. The numbness especially sounds like a fit/equipment issue.

When I got fit at cyclelife, they not only adjusted my bike, but suggested insoles for my shoes, which made a TON of difference for long rides.

[americancyclo]

@dasgeh 18912 wrote:

When I got fit at cyclelife, they not only adjusted my bike, but suggested insoles for my shoes, which made a TON of difference for long rides.

When I got my fit at Cyclelife, I had Dr. Scholl’s gel inserts in my ratty old Shimano MTB shoes. They tore them out, told me, “Never do this again!” and immediately inserted Specialized footbeds. they felt completely different and weird for the first week, but now I wouldn’t use a cycling shoe without them. MY feet always feel great, even after the 107 miles yesterday, and another 12 this morning.

I’d have someone look at your wrist position. I’ve heard people say it should be like shaking hands with the grips on your bars. if they bend too far up or down, that could be causing the wrist issues. Do you use gloves?

[Rootchopper]

Sorry to hear about your pain. I road over 60 miles yesterday and I had the expected soreness from the increased distance. i even had some numbness in my hands.

I think your problems could be related to the gel saddle. Gel saddles are okay for short rides. Very cushy, in fact. Over long rides, howvere, the gel gets compressed and so do the nerves it i ssupposed to be protecting.

I am a big advocate of leather saddles. They may feel uncomfortable for the first 200 miles or so, but after that you’ll forget you are sitting on one. I’ve used both sprung – Brooks Champion and B67 – and unsprung – Brooks B17 – saddles. I do not much like the B67. It’s cushy but too wide for my posterior.

Last fall a bike commuting friend of mine decided to ride from Vancouver to San Francisco. She asked me for equipment recommendations. I told her to get a B17. She bought one off Craigslist and loved it.

I know a couple who ride brevets. These rides are well over 100 miles in length (they did 188 on Saturday). They ride on B17s too.

You can try one out risk free. Go to WallBike.com. They have a money-back guarantee.

[KLizotte]

@americancyclo 18919 wrote:

When I got my fit at Cyclelife, I had Dr. Scholl’s gel inserts in my ratty old Shimano MTB shoes. They tore them out, told me, “Never do this again!” and immediately inserted Specialized footbeds. they felt completely different and weird for the first week, but now I wouldn’t use a cycling shoe without them. MY feet always feel great, even after the 107 miles yesterday, and another 12 this morning.

I’d have someone look at your wrist position. I’ve heard people say it should be like shaking hands with the grips on your bars. if they bend too far up or down, that could be causing the wrist issues. Do you use gloves?

I have Spenco running insoles in my shoes and I do wear gloves. Wrist issues have been an on-going issue and will probably result in another trip to the LBS to try to resolve.

[KLizotte]

@Rootchopper 18922 wrote:

I think your problems could be related to the gel saddle. Gel saddles are okay for short rides. Very cushy, in fact. Over long rides, howvere, the gel gets compressed and so do the nerves it i ssupposed to be protecting.

You can try one out risk free. Go to WallBike.com. They have a money-back guarantee.

Wow, that’s amazing they offer the money back guarantee. I will definitely have to consider that since I’ve heard very good things about Brooks and I suspect the exact right shape for me will solve a lot of problems.

I decided to go with a wider gel saddle after the more traditional hard skinny ones caused sciatica pain on my left side (it was like riding on a knife); I tried the saddle that came with the bike, a Terry Liberator, a Specialized Lithia, and another whose name I’ve forgotten. I think my sciatica is closer to the surface than it should be because heavens knows I’ve got enough padding down there! Grrrrrr.

[KLizotte]

@Dirt 18911 wrote:

.
How different is your positioning between the 2 bikes? Is the saddle height comparable? Are the handlebars lower on the new bike? Pete

There is a big difference in positioning between the two bikes. My hybrid is a “comfort” hybrid so it has a rather upright posture, fork and seat suspension, a big cushy saddle, and high riser bars. Very easy to ride but all the power comes from the legs, mostly quads (I have very good quads now as a result). Moving to a road bike was a huge transition but I’m getting quite used to it and the death grip is almost all gone. Moving between the two bikes is an odd transition (I still use the hybrid for commuting). I still feel like I have too much weight on my hands on the road bike but am unsure if this is a fit issue or if my back muscles are undeveloped (probably both). Strangely I find riding in the drops to be very comfortable though my hand positions on the bars feel unergonomic in that position.

[Dirt]

@KLizotte 18936 wrote:

There is a big difference in positioning between the two bikes. My hybrid is a “comfort” hybrid so it has a rather upright posture, fork and seat suspension, a big cushy saddle, and high riser bars. Very easy to ride but all the power comes from the legs, mostly quads (I have very good quads now as a result). Moving to a road bike was a huge transition but I’m getting quite used to it and the death grip is almost all gone. Moving between the two bikes is an odd transition (I still use the hybrid for commuting). I still feel like I have too much weight on my hands on the road bike but am unsure if this is a fit issue or if my back muscles are undeveloped (probably both). Strangely I find riding in the drops to be very comfortable though my hand positions on the bars feel unergonomic in that position.

A big change in position will elicit a pretty big reaction from your body. Perhaps there’s a way to lessen the differences? Can the bars be raised a little, then lowered as your back, arms, neck get used to the new positioning?

I’ve always been more comfy in the drops or on the brake hoods because grabbing there matches the natural reach of my arms. When I ride a mountain bike I use bars that get me a little closer to that same feeling.

[PotomacCyclist]

Build up to longer rides gradually. Moving from 20 miles to 50 miles is a huge jump. It’s better to bump up the long rides in smaller jumps over a number of weeks.

A bike fit can help, as mentioned.

You may also want to switch to clipless pedals. It sounds like you are using running shoes and shoe cages. Running shoes can be a problem for longer bike rides. The softer sole does not transfer power from your legs to the pedals efficiently. The soles also allow too much flex, which can cause plantar fasciitis (bottom of foot) in some people. Clipless pedals will let you get rid of the toe cage, which might be wrapped too tightly around your shoes and feet.

When I did my first century ride back in 2010, my hands and wrists became numb. They stayed numb for nearly a week. I was really scared that I had done permanent damage. (Fortunately, the numb sensation went away and never returned.) That was on the tri bike. This year I’ve done all of my riding on the mtn bike (or CaBi). On the long rides (MTB only), my hands felt a little sore on the first long ride or two. But after I got used to the long rides again, I haven’t had any issues at all, for long rides in the 3 to 5-hr. range.

[KLizotte]

@Dirt 18939 wrote:

A big change in position will elicit a pretty big reaction from your body. Perhaps there’s a way to lessen the differences? Can the bars be raised a little, then lowered as your back, arms, neck get used to the new positioning?

Oh I’m sure there is a way to raise the bars a bit but my big ego is getting in the way at the moment (though I suspect my extremities will probably have the last say on the matter).

[acc]

First, YOU ROCK!! My God, you are seriously out there riding. Congratulations.

Second, I’ve been heartbroken for the last day and feel bad about not getting back here faster.

Please get a professional fit. Last night I discovered that Spartacus, the only man I get along with, is three sizes too big for me. All the issues I’ve been ignoring weren’t because of my ineptitude. The numbness, the twitching in my hands, the unbearable saddle, my neck killing me, a lot of my problems are due to riding on a bike that is far too big for me.

I’ve been riding on a 50 cm frame. I need a 44 cm frame. The other dimensions are just as bad. Spartacus is so far out of alignment there is nothing that can be done to adjust him.

Before you do anything else, go have a professional fit your bike.

And more congratulations for being a tough broad. You should not be riding in pain.

ann

[KLizotte]

Oh no Ann 😡 Not Spartacus! I’m so sorry for you.

I must say though that you might want to get a second opinion on the 44 cm frame. I think you are taller than me (I’m 5’2″) and the 44 I tried (Specialized Dolce) felt like I was going to go flying over the handlebars the entire time and I couldn’t ride in the drops (too squished). According to the Trek website, this is what they recommend for sizes:

Height Road Size
<5’2” 43/47
5’3” 47/50
5’6” 50/52/54
5’9” 52/54/56
5’11” 54/56/58

You’ll note that Trek doesn’t make a 44 in their current lineup. I know Specialized does and I believe Felt does too. Terry makes some very small bikes. Even though I’m having some fit problems I think if I went down a size (from 47) that I’d be putting too much weight on my hands/wrists and would have a hard time riding comfortably in the drops. I’ve already got the seat pushed as far back as it will go; I feel more balanced that way and it helps with the hand issues.

I have also discovered the hard way that the saddle makes a huge difference in balance and having better control of the bike (who knew?!). One saddle was kind to my posterior but I couldn’t ride without both hands on the bars else I’d start wobbling; trying to get a drink of from my water bottle was a somewhat dicey exercise (I’m sure I scared the bejesus out of a few cyclists nearby). I thought this was normal till I tried a different saddle and voila – half of my problems disappeared (probably because it has a longer nose). Personally, I think the saddles that are sold with the bikes are junk; they know you’re gonna change it out anyway so why put any money into it?

I presume you asked about a shorter (and/or adjustable) stem, moving the seat forward, raising the handlebars, etc. I hope you don’t have to buy a new bike but at least you should be able to get a good price for Spartacus if necessary. I’d still get a second opinion; I discovered when shopping around that everyone has their own “philosophy” as to what constitutes a proper fit.

You may wish to check this article out: http://www.ebicycles.com/article/bike-fitting-common-misconceptions.html

Keeping my fingers crossed for you.

Kathy

[KLizotte]

@PotomacCyclist 19014 wrote:

Build up to longer rides gradually. Moving from 20 miles to 50 miles is a huge jump. It’s better to bump up the long rides in smaller jumps over a number of weeks.

A bike fit can help, as mentioned.

You may also want to switch to clipless pedals. It sounds like you are using running shoes and shoe cages. Running shoes can be a problem for longer bike rides. The softer sole does not transfer power from your legs to the pedals efficiently. The soles also allow too much flex, which can cause plantar fasciitis (bottom of foot) in some people. Clipless pedals will let you get rid of the toe cage, which might be wrapped too tightly around your shoes and feet.

When I did my first century ride back in 2010, my hands and wrists became numb. They stayed numb for nearly a week. I was really scared that I had done permanent damage. (Fortunately, the numb sensation went away and never returned.) That was on the tri bike. This year I’ve done all of my riding on the mtn bike (or CaBi). On the long rides (MTB only), my hands felt a little sore on the first long ride or two. But after I got used to the long rides again, I haven’t had any issues at all, for long rides in the 3 to 5-hr. range.

I think you are right on all counts. Too far/fast on an unfamiliar bike. I’m sure I need help on final fit tweaks. I felt like I was putting a lot of weight on the ball of my foot; I can see how a stiffer sole would help as is the case with clipless.

I must learn patience….

P.S. Damn, that’s a long time to live with numb hands. Glad it all worked out for you. Insane.

[Author]

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