Have you tried raising your bars slightly? The last time I had this issue raising the bars to take a little pressure off my hands solved the problem. I do wear gel gloves for longer rides, and do think they help. Interesting that your bike fitter hated the Roadini. Randy in WI
On Saturday, March 21, 2026 at 4:21:14 AM UTC-5 [email protected] wrote: > I’m glad this works for most people. But for the record, this method does > not work for everyone; it doesn’t work for my sensitive left palm, which > gets numb if left on one position in the hook no matter how it rests on the > bar — and I move it around frequently to keep numbness at bay for as long > as possible, which on a good day is about 40 - 45 minutes. My right palm as > I said is perfectly comfortable in the hook, tho’ yes, I avoid that dip. > > On Sat, Mar 21, 2026 at 1:35 AM Guy Jett <[email protected]> wrote: > >> I had this problem years ago and it is easily solved. >> >> Take a look at the base of your hand near where it meets your wrist. >> Between the muscle supporting your thumb and the "muscle" supporting your >> pinkie is a slight "dip" in the center. The main nerve to your fingers >> runs through this area. Putting pressure here will numb them starting with >> the pinkie. It can also do long term damage! It also seems to be a >> "logical" place to put your hand on the handlebars. >> >> This problem went way once I trained myself to rotate my hand position >> slightly to move the pressure to the base of the thumb. >> >> It took awhile but this slight shift now feels natural. Anyone >> experiencing similar numbness should do this as well and -- problem solved. >> >> GAJett >> >> On Fri, Mar 20, 2026, 9:26 PM Galen Gruman <[email protected]> wrote: >> >>> (tl;dr? Just to the bottom for the questions.) >>> >>> I've been experiencing numbness in my outside fingers on my 61cm Roadini >>> with 54cm Noodle bars on an 8cm Tallux stem. Particularly after 30 or so >>> miles of on-road riding. It's become clear that most of the numbness comes >>> from gripping the bottom curve of the drops so I can keep my index fingers >>> on the brakes when riding curvy roads, downhill, and in areas with traffic >>> and driveways/intersections where quick brake access is needed. I get much >>> less numbness when I'm riding the flats of the drops near the bar end, and >>> that numbness is not focused on the outside fingers. >>> >>> I ride the drops nearly exclusively; I find the tops give me less >>> control and the hoods feel too far away. Back in the 1990s, I routinely >>> rode my Nishiki's tops with safety brakes, but I've never liked riding so >>> far forward as to favor the hoods. That hasn't changed now that I'm riding >>> a road bike again. I rode a 58cm Trek Domane last fall for a month and >>> found that riding the hoods was uncomfortable and quick to numb my hands, >>> and the whole far-forward geometry made me feel unstable and the 44cm >>> handlebars reduced my range of motion. (I have wide shoulders, and so I >>> previously rode an XL Trek FX3 hybrid for the width and stability; the L >>> size that the Trek bike shop recommended was again too small.) >>> >>> Riding the wide drops on the Roadini and reaching the brakes from the >>> drops not the hoods took care of all that. >>> >>> Still, with the hand numbness on longer Roadini rides, I thought maybe I >>> should get gloves with greater padding than my current ones, especially as >>> I am riding longer distances (I've done a couple metric centuries and a >>> true century planned for summer). When I went to the LBS to check out the >>> Specialized Body Geometry Dual Pad gloves, they suggested I get a quick fit >>> check in case the issue was about fit not gloves. >>> >>> The bike fitter absolutely hated the Roadini: too big, too wide, quill >>> stems are bad, handlebar not ergonomic, and I shouldn't be riding the drops >>> routinely. I know from test-riding a buddy's 57cm Roadini and from my month >>> on the 58cm Domane that my 61cm Roadini is not too big. Yes, the reach to >>> the hoods is further than on the Domane, but it's fine to the tops and >>> drops, where I ride. I had seen the Riv posts about their thoughts on >>> handlebar width and geometry being so different from the major >>> manufacturers, but I didn't get how diametrically opposed they are until >>> the bike fitter's clear disgust. Wow! >>> >>> Anyhow, the Roadini is an incredibly comfortable bike, and I can go a >>> good pace on the road and feel fully stable on turns and stops, unlike with >>> the Domane. >>> >>> Still, I wonder two things, and would live to get people's comments: >>> >>> - What are your thoughts on reducing or preventing hand numbness, >>> especially in my riding position of my hand at the base of the curve >>> with >>> my index finger on the brake levers ("trigger finger" position) That >>> bike >>> fitter thought the resulting hand angle was causing undue pressure, but >>> I >>> can figure out any adjustment to address that. >>> - Should I be trying to find a way to ride the tops more? (That is, >>> how concerning is it that I am so drops-oriented?) >>> >>> Thanks! >>> >>> -- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>> Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>> an email to [email protected]. >>> To view this discussion visit >>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/fef4b7e2-ffa7-4e41-9af4-daec3c221e16n%40googlegroups.com >>> >>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/fef4b7e2-ffa7-4e41-9af4-daec3c221e16n%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >>> . >>> >> >> >> Guy >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected]. >> > To view this discussion visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/CAMHQv6Xcx-1PXVBkfMHvgNyyPGZSUDg2yRp5oM3iUUBkOGS_TA%40mail.gmail.com >> >> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/CAMHQv6Xcx-1PXVBkfMHvgNyyPGZSUDg2yRp5oM3iUUBkOGS_TA%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >> . >> > > > -- > > Patrick Moore > Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Executive resumes, LinkedIn profiles, bios, letters, and other writing > services > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > *When thou didst not, savage, k**now thine own meaning,* > > *But wouldst gabble like a** thing most brutish,* > > *I endowed thy purposes w**ith words that made them known.* > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/6a5aa800-c032-4487-8cc7-16b9e2b20c0fn%40googlegroups.com.
