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Paul
July 30th 03, 11:21 PM
I been riding for around 18 months including a number of 40 mile+ rides.
Recently I've begun getting a slight tingling in my fingers and sometimes a
slight ache in the heel of my palms, it has been suggested that perhaps my
riding position is a bit too stretched.

In ride a 22" framed comfort mountain bike - mostly on road with some light
off road and tracks/trails. I'm 6' tall with a 34" inseam and was measured
up for the bike before buying. I have a fairly upright riding position,
probably around 70 degrees to parallel (not a ninety degree sit up and beg)
with weight spread over the saddle and bars. Although my position is fairly
open I have a slight bend in my elbows and my shoulder come mid-way between
the saddle and bars (not directly over the bars as I've seen some MTBers in
photos).

The current position feel comfortable and I get no knee or back trouble and
I've been checked out by a guy at the LBS who I trust who seems to feel that
the position looks ok.

Does there sound a problem with my position or have I worried too much about
the suggestion of too stretched a position? There's plenty of advice on bike
fit on the internet but there seems to be lots of slightly differant views.

If I do need the position shortened any do I need a shorter stem or could I
get by with just rolling the riser bars back slightly?

Thanks for any thoughts,
Kind Regards,
Paul.

John Appleby
July 31st 03, 12:03 AM
"Paul" > wrote in message
...
> I been riding for around 18 months including a number of 40 mile+ rides.
> Recently I've begun getting a slight tingling in my fingers and sometimes
a
> slight ache in the heel of my palms, it has been suggested that perhaps
my
> riding position is a bit too stretched.
>
> In ride a 22" framed comfort mountain bike - mostly on road with some
light
> off road and tracks/trails. I'm 6' tall with a 34" inseam and was measured
> up for the bike before buying. I have a fairly upright riding position,
> probably around 70 degrees to parallel (not a ninety degree sit up and
beg)
> with weight spread over the saddle and bars. Although my position is
fairly
> open I have a slight bend in my elbows and my shoulder come mid-way
between
> the saddle and bars (not directly over the bars as I've seen some MTBers
in
> photos).
>
> The current position feel comfortable and I get no knee or back trouble
and
> I've been checked out by a guy at the LBS who I trust who seems to feel
that
> the position looks ok.
>
> Does there sound a problem with my position or have I worried too much
about
> the suggestion of too stretched a position? There's plenty of advice on
bike
> fit on the internet but there seems to be lots of slightly differant
views.
>
> If I do need the position shortened any do I need a shorter stem or could
I
> get by with just rolling the riser bars back slightly?

Potential strain injury is always a fun one. IANAD (I am not a doctor) but:

1) Consider wearing gloves if you aren't already. This can reduce trail
buzz, which might be part of your problem.

2) 22" is a big bike for somone your size. I am the same size as you
(6'1/34") and ride an 18" bike with a long seatpost. This is partially
personal preference but the fact that you have a problem is indicitive.

3) Consider changing the grips. I have found in the past that some grips put
undue pressure on parts of your hands, which can make riding uncomfortable.

4) Try moving your saddle forward on its mount, or replacing the stem for a
shorter one, or as you said try moving the bars back a little.

The bottom line is that since you have a problem, the best thing you can do
is to try things and see what works for you. This sort of thing is very
personal and what works for one might not work for another.

Hope this helps :)

John

Sam Huffman
July 31st 03, 01:22 AM
"Paul" > writes:

> I been riding for around 18 months including a number of 40 mile+ rides.
> Recently I've begun getting a slight tingling in my fingers and sometimes a
> slight ache in the heel of my palms, it has been suggested that perhaps my
> riding position is a bit too stretched.

My wrists used to become numb when riding my mountain bike (20" or 21" frame,
IIRC). I'm 6'4" and have had CTS (and associated surgery). I tried gloves and
moving the seat forward and back with no result.

On a suggestion from this group, I got new bars with a 2" rise in them
(replacing a flat-bar) and the problem was completely solved. I later added
bar-ends to give me a wider variety of hand positions.

Apparently the weight on my wrists from having to lean too far over caused the
numbness.

Sam

Paul
July 31st 03, 10:21 AM
Thanks for the thoughts John. 22" does sound big for a mountain bike I know
but the 'Comfort' Mountain bike label makes it more of a hybrid (albeit with
26" wheels) than a true mountain bike. It has more road orientated gearings
(48,38,28 rings) and was sized more as a hybrid as I do most riding on-road.
It's also a general purpose workhorse, luggage carrier and shopper.

There's a good 3"-4" or standover clearance and apart from the hands the fit
feels comfortable on long rides so I hope it's not too big. A shorter stem
or twisting the bars back may help but it feels that doing this might push
the ride position more upright than I'd like.

One thing I did forget to mention is that is an aluminium frame with a rigid
fork so a fair amount of buzz does make it through the bars and I've
recently changed tyres from 1.95s to 1.75s (running at a tad higher
pressure) which has made this a bit more noticable.

The chap at the LBS has suggested that before changing bars/stems etc. I
might like to try a pair of Specialized Body Geomatery Grips and since my
current grips and getting a bit rough I have a pair on order to try.

Thanks again for taking the time to give me some advice.
Kind Regards,
Paul.

Eric Murray
July 31st 03, 07:59 PM
In article >,
John Appleby > wrote:

>2) 22" is a big bike for somone your size. I am the same size as you
>(6'1/34") and ride an 18" bike with a long seatpost. This is partially
>personal preference but the fact that you have a problem is indicitive.

I'm exactly the same size as the OP and my MTB is a 19.5". 22" would
be kind of large for me.

>3) Consider changing the grips. I have found in the past that some grips put
>undue pressure on parts of your hands, which can make riding uncomfortable.

40 miles in the same hand position is tiring. Get a set of
bar extensions.

>4) Try moving your saddle forward on its mount

Set saddle position for best pedalling, then
use a different stem to get the reach right.

>The bottom line is that since you have a problem, the best thing you can do
>is to try things and see what works for you. This sort of thing is very
>personal and what works for one might not work for another.

Yep. Also try some gel gloves. I like Pearl Izumi
but there's lots of makes. And move your hands around frequently.


Eric

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