xdarthveganx Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 I ride a bianchi pista with drop outs. After about 20 minutes or so my wrists start to really bother me, and they will be sore for days afterward. I am considering trying bull horn handlebars over the drop outs. Do you think this will help any? Also any other suggestions are appreciated as I am rather new to the cycling thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finbarrio Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 Do you always ride in the drops? I don't use the drops all that much - only when I want to get low and cook for a while. I ride with my hands gripped on the hood of the brakes/shifters 80+% of the time. I imagine that if you were always riding in the drops, the angle might hurt your wrists - especially if you were riding in traffic, twisting and turning a lot and stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xdarthveganx Posted January 24, 2007 Author Share Posted January 24, 2007 Do you always ride in the drops? I don't use the drops all that much - only when I want to get low and cook for a while. I ride with my hands gripped on the hood of the brakes/shifters 80+% of the time. I imagine that if you were always riding in the drops, the angle might hurt your wrists - especially if you were riding in traffic, twisting and turning a lot and stuff. thats the thing I rarely ride in the drops. Its mostly city riding so I dont really find the opportunity that much. But its hard for me to find a comfortable spot regardless. My wrist is always sitting at some sort of an angle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finbarrio Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 Hmmm. I wonder. Rather than getting the bull horns, you might want to just change the angle of the hoods - sliding them up the bar a little (closer to you) might help. I like to stretch out, so my hoods are pretty far forward, but I've seen other guys with the hoods very upright, and thus they ride in a more upright position. I suppose you could even change the angle of your bars so they're a bit more upright, especially if you're not in the drops very much. Even changing your seat position (up/down or back/forward) will change your arm/wrist angle. I might play around with all those things until I feel it's right. I'm constantly tweaking my bikes. Every little change I make - new shoes, pedals, cleats, seatpost, saddle, tires - anything - I find I have to tweak things again to find the optimal position for whatever I'm going to encounter. Even just a few millimeters makes a difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xdarthveganx Posted January 24, 2007 Author Share Posted January 24, 2007 Hmmm. I wonder. Rather than getting the bull horns, you might want to just change the angle of the hoods - sliding them up the bar a little (closer to you) might help. I like to stretch out, so my hoods are pretty far forward, but I've seen other guys with the hoods very upright, and thus they ride in a more upright position. I suppose you could even change the angle of your bars so they're a bit more upright, especially if you're not in the drops very much. Even changing your seat position (up/down or back/forward) will change your arm/wrist angle. I might play around with all those things until I feel it's right. I'm constantly tweaking my bikes. Every little change I make - new shoes, pedals, cleats, seatpost, saddle, tires - anything - I find I have to tweak things again to find the optimal position for whatever I'm going to encounter. Even just a few millimeters makes a difference. its funny. I did just that with the bars last night. I am going for a short ride in a couple hours and we shall see. thanx for all the advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slackar Posted April 4, 2007 Share Posted April 4, 2007 It's been a while since this thread has had activity... Have you fixed your problem yet? If not, here's my input. Do you hold your bars loosely or firmly? I usually ride with a relaxed grip, and only grip it tightly when I'm about to hit a bump or something which will require more control. Gripping tightly all the time can be pretty strenuous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 4, 2007 Share Posted April 4, 2007 I never saw this thread...anyway if its still bothering you I suggest you try some wing bars. You can spread your weight out a bit more on the tops and still have drops. Personally I hate bullhorns and unless you get a shorter stem too they screw with handling....plus they look funny. Anyway some people put too much weight on their hands(I know I'm guilty of this). And when I climb my wrists don't bug me at all. But other than that I'm bound to a life of sore wrists. I've had bad wrists ever since I was 15 and it seems the things I enjoy most are all terrible for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted April 5, 2007 Share Posted April 5, 2007 On my road bike, I ride about 80% on the top of the bar, about 15% on the hoods/brakes when I think I'll need them, and less than 5% in the drops. Hand and wrist pain invariably comes from too much pressure for too long, so shift your hands around during your ride, even if they aren't in pain, just to keep the circulation going and reduce any one stress. I don't find the drops useful unless I'm in a paceline with other riders when I need to be a little more aero to save energy (or when I used to race), plus it puts extra pressure on the back being hunched over longer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hero Posted April 6, 2007 Share Posted April 6, 2007 perhaps tendonitis? give your arms a huge rest for a long time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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