I'm getting a lot of pain in my third finger on my left hand (non dominate one). Mainly in the knuckle, to the point where it gets stiff and i find it difficult to grip the bars on decents.

Any solutions?

Tape it to the ring finger. Go see a physio.

I get it too. My brake pump problems made it infinitely worse. Changing grips, lever reach, lever angle can all help. There are also exercises you can do to strengthen your grip like doing pull ups gripping a towel or rope.

I had this exact problem. broke my finger playing bball as when i was 14 and as i got older had bad pain when riding.

issue is with the ulnaris nerve and blood flow.

I now use ergon ergenomic grips which help your wrists stay in a straight position.

i was almost at the point of riding becoming too uncomfortable and flirting with the idea of giving up. now with these grips i have NO Issue at all. cant recommend them enough.

Weird, my knuckle on same finger on same hand started aching a week or so ago with no apparent cause – was wondering if I was getting arthritis or something.

yerrr… quite intense pain from ring finger on left hand if I have to grip very hard.. (fast rocky rooty lumpy stuff..) it feels swollen and tender now after a ride and will do so for a day or two.. pull ups are out of the question.

It started immediately after I moved my brakes inboard..

yunki….It started immediately after I moved my brakes inboard..

Move your brakes outboard, HTH

Move your brakes outboard

that's an inspired idea..

it's definately not a strength issue, i climb a lot so never get arm pump but get what u describe on one of my bikes so the positioning thing sounds most likely…

clancol, these ergon ergonomic grips sound very interesting. I have no old injuries with my hands or fingers but I have in the past suffered from "the claw" very severely. I had to stop riding for more than 3 weeks when I was doing my season in whistler because of it. Arm pump went away after a week but the pain in my fingers and the loss of grip strength was really a problem.

These grips are expensive but worth it if they solve the problem, they'd look a bit goofy on my dh bike but who cares?! Does anyone else have any experience of them?

This problem is very often closely linked to the way you ride, and in particular the way you use your body, hands and feet on descents and when braking.

One of the skills we work on a lot is footwork and using your lower body to absorb more of the trail forces so your grip can be lighter and your bike control can then become more confident and relaxed at the same time.

In addition a common cause of pain is from riding with brake levers too close to grips, which forces you to seat your hand partly on the corner of the grips overhanging the edge, rather than squarely in the centre of the grip (with a bit of bar sticking out to the side). This is even worse if you use metal-ended lock on grips. Instead of the fatty pad of your palm being on the bars your nerves are placed under far greater direct pressure.

If you want more advice on this or the links to a couple of features we have written on footwork then feel free to fire me an email on chris@cycleactive.co.uk and I'll gladly fire them over or send you some links.

Cheers
Chris@CycleActive

I had this exact problem when I hired a Zesty form GT the other week. I have never had it on any other bike! I must be allergic to French things.

that's so true about grip.. I've found myself using a grim terrified death grip on a couple of chaotic occasions since returning to fully rigid… especially trying to keep up over the fast but bigger than stuttery stuff.. bigger roots.. babyhead boulders etc..

I think the pain started with a badly timed/executed manual which resulted in a sprain or similar.. and I kept riding on it.. with the rigid fork and the poor technique.. and the new brake position.. so the pain led to a worse technique.. downward spiral..

I'm taking it very easy for a month to give the injury time to heal and re-training myself in the grip department.

I had exactly this when I went to do PdS the other year. Rode back to the Endless chalet by road as it was too painful to continue, and on my return I was asked "Are you riding a hardtail?" (I was). They've encountered similar – something to do with positioning more over the bars, leaving your 3rd finger to dangle under the bars, which means they get more of a pasting.

I rode a Patriot for the PdS and it was painful, but tons better. Not sure if it helps, but it sounds like a decent excuse for a new bike to me 😀

have you tried bigger grips?

i would get very painfull / stiff fingers after only a few minutes riding. mainly in the knuckles of the third and fourth fingers, your description of 'the claw' brings back horrible memories.

i fixed the problem with thick sunline logo grips.

whoever invented the 'thin grips are better' myth was a sadistic ba5tard.

I tried bigger grips in whistler but of anything I found it worse. However the damage was already done so perhaps that wasn't a fair comparison. I think these ergon grips could really work though by supporting the outside of your palm. I currently run odi yeti grips which aren't particularly thin. When my brakes are sorted I will experiment with different lever positions.

Cycleactive, please do post up those links, could be useful. Can anyone else shed any light on this or have any miracle cures?