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I'm having hand numbness and tingling and I'm almost certain it's due to bike fit - since I fitted a new stem (replaced the original 70mm stem with a shorter 40mm stem which has massively improved the handling) I unintentionally changed the handlebar's rotational position. Then I messed with it again & again and now it feels like I can't get it right.
As for the bars- They are the standard bars that come on a Specialized Camber Evo 29er 2015 which are:
Specialized XC, mini rise, 6000 butted alloy, 8-degree backsweep, 6-degree upsweep, 10mm rise, 31.8mm
Does anyone know how to set the rotational position of the bars right and how you can tell when it feels right ?
Currently it feels like the grips are rotating my wrists towards each other rather than allowing me to keep them straight and aligned with the forearm and hand in a straight line.
I set mine by trying to even out the pressure across my palms - sit on the bike and hold the bars (ignore the brake levers / shifters)- do you feel more pressure on the outside or inside of your palm? If it's the outside then roll the bars towards you a bit; if it's the inside then roll the bars away from you a bit (I think). It helps to have the bars loosely clamped, so you can make adjustments without getting off the seat.
Once the bars are set, adjust the brakes / shifters to suit. Ride around for a few days and tweak again if you feel the need.
OK I'll give that a try - attempting to equalise the pressure on the Palm - then ride around on the road a few times to test it out and adjust if necessary before going back on the trails.
By outside of the Palm do you mean the part of the Palm nearest to the thumb ? Inside of the Palm being the other side of the palm ?
One problem I have is I'm finding it hard to set the bars in a position so that they keep the palms straight, instead they are forcing the Palms to rotate towards each other unless I try really really hard not to.
Shorter stem often goes with wider bars. This may be one cause.
I usually set mine by having the bars loosely clamped in the stem with the grips loosely locked on. Sit or adopt maxgnar position on the bike next to a wall or table, shut your eyes and twist until things feel right. Open your eyes and see where the bars are (use marked up masking tape if no lines are printed on). Tighten stem face plate. Set brakes to desired angle. Ride.
Usually works for me with very little tweaking required.
By outside of the Palm do you mean the part of the Palm nearest to the thumb ?
No, I mean with reference to the bike... (so thumb side would be "inside", pinky side would be "outside" - wish I'd thought of describing it that way originally 😀 )
There's usually reference marks for rotation on the bars near the clamp - you could always set them at 'zero' as a starting point.
I usually set mine by having the bars loosely clamped in the stem with the grips loosely locked on. Sit or adopt maxgnar position on the bike next to a wall or table, shut your eyes and twist until things feel right. Open your eyes and see where the bars are (use marked up masking tape if no lines are printed on). Tighten stem face plate. Set brakes to desired angle. Ride.
Sounds good I'll give that a try as well
Shorter stem often goes with wider bars. This may be one cause
Bars are 740mm which, could see it being a cause if they were (for example) 650mm but I think 740mm is considered to be quite wide ?
There's usually reference marks for rotation on the bars near the clamp - you could always set them at 'zero' as a starting point.
Unfortunately it's missing from my bars
I angle mine so the rise of the bar is inline with the angle of the headtube when viewed from the side.
Always feels right in that position for me even with different uo and back sweep bars.
Re Nairnster I think the OP doesn't have risers with a proper rise section (the standard bar on that bike is effectively flat) but if he does, that is a good starting point or with a proper riser you could go with the rise vertical and work back.
I do roughly what tillydog does but perhaps not so exactly.
I never even knew bar rotation was a fix for pressure points, been riding for decades and just got on with it. May try this now...
You may not get on with these bars and no changes will help.
I never had issues with any bars in 25 years of cycling until my new bike came fitted with enve carbons with upsweep. These bloody killed me so I went back to proper flat bars with little back sweep and no up sweep.
Problem solved.
i've just been through this myself. New bike did not feel right, for about 3 months I couldn't put my finger (or hands) on why, but just didn't.
My hardtail felt right however, and realised the backsweep on the new handlebars was around 9 degrees, which meant I was riding too much on my palms, and the angle was hurting my wrists.
I've now bought the same handlebars that I've been riding for year (renthals) with around 3 degree sweep, and it feels like a new bike, unbelievable the difference it has made.
Sorry OP you may be able to follow Nairnster's method spotted in the first post if yours does have a bit of visible rise (rather than upsweep or backsweep) in it.
Oddly my bike (same model and year, build date late 2014 on the sticker) doesn't have a discernible rise unless the 10mm is the amount the thin bit of the bar is off set relative to the centre of the fat bit in the middle.