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Had this really bad today as I was on the FOD uplift (which is spot on, btw). I think I may be just holding on too hard, but I tried to relax my grip and didn't feel in control at all as my hands kept slipping.
Gloves were new Troy Lee Designs Air (these are utter shit and I'm sending them back as the stitching is already coming apart on the first ride), which admittedly are really thin, but it happens with my thicker Alturas as well. I don't like really thick or padded gloves as I think it takes away from the feel - ideally I'd ride gloveless but don't like cut up hands and its lethal when you're sweaty.
Will thicker grips help and which should I try that are thicker than Superstar mushrooms? Is there any way to measure what the ideal thickness should be?
Forget the grip thickness. Move your brake levers up above 45 degrees to almost flat, but in a comfortable position.
You're basically reaching down for your brakes when you stand up on the pedals, and this means you're supporting your whole body weight on your fingers. This tires the muscles in the forearm (armpump) that control finger movement. By moving the brake lever up, you can support your body weight on the pads just below your wrists and just move your index finger to brake.
It sounds like a pile o crap I know, but it works, and costs you nothing to try.
BTW, I use TLD XC gloves and find them fantastic. I also use 661 Raji in hot weather and they feel great too.
Ive had a nightmare this year with hand pain when downhilling at bike parks, after lots of fettling and spending finally found grips{lizard skins peaty which was the 4th set I'd tried} and unpadded gloves did the trick and rode pain free for the 1st time this year
and for fairness, DO consider thicker grips.
i thought i was going to have to give up biking - the pain in my knuckles was excruciating - until i tried thick sunline logo grips.
never had hand pain since.
and setting my brake levers to about 25 degrees 'down'* made a big difference to the burning-forearm-pump, but i understand that most people think this feels too weird.
(*common wisdom suggests you should set your brake levers in-line with the angle of your forearm - which would be about 45degrees 'down')
Move your brake levers up above 45 degrees to almost flat, but in a comfortable position.
You're basically reaching down for your brakes when you stand up on the pedals,
If your standing then surely your arms will be in a straight line through your levers, unless you mean your hands are reaching down when your hung off the back of the saddle (which is the worst way to descend (unless its REALLY steep). I find having my brake levers moved inboard a little helps, means you can brake easiily with one finger and have a loose grip on the rest of the bar with the others, loose is key!
Of course if your doing uplifts your always going to get arm-pump if your pushing hard.
it's simple really,
most of the time, you're pushing your hands into the bars - not pulling back on them.
with your brake levers 'in-line' (about 45degrees down) the only part of your hand you can push with is with the crook of your thumb. this isn't quite enough on it's own, so you have to grip quite hard through rough bits to hold on. (gripping hard = forearm pump)
by setting your brake levers to about 25degrees down, your hands have to twist backwards/upwards a little, and you can now push with the palm of your hands as well.
(Rob Warner has been saying this for years, i thought he was mad until i tried it)
with your weight now resting on your crook of your thumb AND the heel of your hand, you don't have to grip so hard through the rough bits.
thin grips = knuckle pain ('The CLAW!')
gripping very hard = forearm pump (that burning 'can't hold on' feeling)
(also, you simply can't grip as hard when your brake levers are in the 'Warner' position, the design of your wrist won't allow it. the 'Warner' means you don't need to grip as hard, and you [i]can't[/i] grip as hard
it's a little bit like the 'heels down' advice for flat pedals).
Ok cheers I'll try that. My brake levers are angled down a bit, I don't know what degrees though!
I don't really get arm pump, I just get achey fingers to the point of where it initially hurts to extend them back from a gripped position!
I agree about the brake positioning thing, but thicker grips also work for me. I like cheap WTB Weirwolf ones.
And if you want to throw even more money at the problem, or if the problem persists, get a carbon handlebar.
_tom_ - Member
I don't really get arm pump, I just get achey fingers to the point of where it initially hurts to extend them back from a gripped position!
ok, it sounds like you get 'The CLAW!' - it used to get me in my little + third fingers.
i fixed it with thicker grips, i can't promise they will help you, but they're a cheap and easy thing to try.
And if you want to throw even more money at the problem, or if the problem persists, get a carbon handlebar.
Nothing carbon will ever be seen on my mountain bike! Going to try some thicker grips and the Warner method of gripping. Can't do any of this til my shoulder heals up though 🙁
I've had this really badly, mainly when doing a season in whistler. I'm convinced that a major part of it is having decent brakes. When I say decent I mean full on dandy, no brake pump, no fade, stop on a dime good. You can stop as quick with crap brakes, the limiting factor being tyre to ground friction, but you'll end up pulling the levers so much harder. Powerful brakes mean easy one finger braking and far less fatigue. It may not be a one stop solution but it helps a lot. I fitted xt brakes to my glory, immensely powerful but first day of uplifting at triscombe I found the rear faded significantly whereas the front was fine. The difference in finger fatigue between my front and rear braking hands was like night and day. I have since had the rear bled and I had virtually no fatigue when uplifting at fod recently (not completely gone but much improved). I'm going to try some ergon grips at gawton in a couple of weeks to see if they help.
All of the above are good things to try.
Also be aware of how [i]far[/i] you are 'reaching' for the brake lever. If you can still get enough power then move the lever reach point further in so that your levers are initially closer to the bar. Fatigue may be coming from hovering over the brake lever while it is too far out.
Also thick grips may not be the absolute solution. Better padded grips are what you may need. Most lock on designs use a solid core which reduce the amount of padding on offer for a given thickness/diameter.
Try Midge bars. You can use a much looser grip.
Bit of a problem if you have hydraulic brakes though - in which case BB7s are your friend.
Think i have exactly the same issue as you. Long weekend hammering down the Pre La Joux bike park at chatel on a hardtail, brake bumped to hell and a month on my fingers are still sore. Feels like you have cramp in your fingers and hard to straighten them out when you're riding? Feels like you've strained the tendons and they hurt when you try and crush something like a tennis ball in your hand? If anyone's been to the physio i'd be interested in the diagnosis as i haven't got round to it yet 🙄
Edit: And i've got oury lock on grips which are the largest i could find. Still got the issue but i do notice it being worse when i ride a mate's bike with much thinner grips so the fat grip may help you.