First ride on my new bike today and the heels of my hands were copping it from holding the hoods through the fields…

Apart from manning up what what gel pads or such like to people use under their gravel bike bar tape?

Sounds like you’re afflicted with soft, dainty office hands.

You need to soak them in petrol for an hour an evening.

Relax a bit, try not to have a death grip

How’s your core strength?

Cheers David, I thought that might be it. I’ve had the Dremel to them for the past hour…I’ll try petrol now before bed..

Relax a bit, try not to have a death grip

I’d never thought of that, thanks!

How’s your core strength?

I’m using a mac I think it has 4 cores but I am not sure what that has to do with me having an 8yr old childs hands

😀

Try moving your saddle back a bit, or adjusting your bar position, or wearing gloves etc. etc.

Could be any number of cures really!

I kinda know how to ride and I’m happy with the cockpit, just want to know what people put under there bars.

If that doesn’t work then I’ll try not holding on as hard, working on my core strength, adjusting my saddle, bar, three pairs of gloves and then resort to removing the forks and replacing with something bouncy. I think you can get something called front suspension which might help? 😛

I don’t put anything under my bars. HTH

Petrol worked for you then Jonny?

No just a strong core and a relaxed grip. 😉

My hands are soft as silk too

Had the same issue when starting to ride my gravel bike. Followed the advice to relax grip and move around a little on the bars and no huge issue now. Bar padding seems a bit bulky. I only use gloves in the winter but may invest in some lightly padded mitts for longer rides.

Fizik Bar Gel works for me, a bit more comfort for long rides. It only covers parts of the bar, so not too bulky.

Fiizik and Specialized both do a bar gel that will do the top of the bars and the drops. Neither will help much if you’re complaining about it being rough when on the drops.

General advice would be; grip less tightly (Lizard Skins DSP tape feels really sticky and can give some added confidence) or learn to ride in the drops more (you may want to raise you bars a bit if you do this). It really depends if you’re after a racy, CX, type riding position or a more upright and relaxed adventure/gravel/touring position.

Even if cockpit length ok, 10mm shorter stem and 10mm back on saddle will improve your hands no end.

If that’s not for you, then

Fatter tyres
Fizik bar gels
Thick bar tape
Gel gloves (Gore do some expensive ones)
Carbon bars (maybe)

Fiizik and Specialized both do a bar gel that will do the top of the bars and the drops. Neither will help much if you’re complaining about it being rough when on the drops.

yep … I added bar gel last time i retaped and not sure if that happy with the added diameter to the bar – I have small hands

for hoods would consider igm’s suggestions above or before switching stems try turning the handlebars down a couple of degrees – counter intuitive but puts less weight on the hoods at least for me

as well as an invisible cloak of MTFU I always wear gel gloves – this month I’m mostly wearing Castelli Arenberg’s and am quite liking them

Some amphetamine based masturbation will toughen up your hands

I double wrap the top section as far as the hoods on my cx.

I use Lizard Skins DSP over gel strips and wear gloves. Mind you I live in Belgium and we have some short patches of cobbles here

Spesh Phat bar tape comes with decent gel pads. I also use smootape xl with Cinelli pads on my fargo. Reckon that has more travel than my old Mag 20s.

You can buy gel inserts or just double wrap that bit of the bar.

Glove choice too, especially in not road specific as the pads are in different places. Some have more substantial heal pads than others.

Ultimately though just htfu and ride through the pain and long term debilitating damage. Real men drink the petrol after soaking their hands in it.

thorpey0

How are you holding the hoods? The heel sounds an odd place to have pressure.
You say this is the first ride on a new bike. Have you done much riding previously ?

Lizard Skins DSP and MTFU.

Some amphetamine based masturbation will toughen up your hands

Thanks for all the replies but I am going with this.

Lizard Skins HOW MUCH! I’ll MTFU or is that a football club? 😉

No pudding under the tape no padding on the gloves.

Dirty reiver and zero hand issues.

Ride the drops when its rough and fast.

theotherjonv
I double wrap the top section as far as the hoods on my cx.

This!

Don’t ride with locked out elbows holding the bars with a death grip.
Oh, and medium fizik tape with gel pads.

We fit bontrager or cube gel inserts, both are good but i always crave haribo when I’ve finished doing the tape

I find the more I ride the less of an issue however I swapped my bars this year as I never ride on the drops so swapped for something like these.

^ can you put road shifters on those bull bars?

This –

FWE shockproof extra-thick tape with gel pads

I cut bits of the gel pad to go near the hoods and the tape’s great, really thick compared to the 2.5mm standard stuff. Wind it a bit closer for more overlap where you need the most padding.

The problem for me is not padding so much but the diameter of the bar with one layer of tape. So i’m just about to pull off the current tape I have on there, put some cheap cork/spongy stuff on first then wrap with my top layer of tape. There will be some form of padding but mainly an increase in diameter which is just more comfy and relives the pressure point.

My issue is how quickly I wear through it – 6 months and I’m through my latest set of tape.

I think my sweat must be caustic.

Quirrel – Member
Some amphetamine based masturbation will toughen up your hands

Quirrel – Member
My issue is how quickly I wear through it

worrying

Position of the bars is more important than tape. I ride with the thin Fizik micro tape, some of the lizard skin like silicon tape, and none. I suspect yours are two low and too far away. Core strength is often mentioned, but really it’s just down to position. Bring them up and closer, and use any tape.