I always get numb hands, regardless of which bike I’m riding – yeah, it’s probably something amiss in my set-up/position, but the bikes feel ‘right’ and comfy otherwise. Wondering if Ergon grips will help – adjusting my hand position to holding the end of the bars, as if I had mini bar ends seems to help for a while
I use ergons, they don’t really stop numb hands, might be worth looking at something like Rev Grips to see if they can maybe help, yes they cost a fortune, but if it’s a bit of an issue it’s always good to get the right thing to make riding better.
I use them, was getting pain and maybe numbness in that ‘heal’ of the hand area. Tried a bunch of bars. Feel like the grips sorted it, maybe I switched bars again at the same time ???
Was GP1s I put on the problem bike. Have GA3s on the newer bike, never waited to find out if they were needed, they went straight on from new.
I was getting some wrist pain when riding my bike last year which I suspected was down to poor hand/wrist posture from not having enough core strength to properly support the weight of my torso. I fitted some Large GA3 grips which have got just enough of a palm wing to force me to position my wrists properly which has largely resolved the issue (though it probably would be better for me to build up my core strength in the longer term).
Apart from the shape of the grips helping posture (and the large size wich is a nice fit for my bigger paws) they do also seem to be made to pretty high standard with a nice grippy rubber that isn’t wearing too quickly. The single ended clamps also seem to be working well too and I’ve not had any movement despite my considerable bulk being swung about on them.
EDIT:
This is what I was doing to my wrists and how the grips shifted them about. According to Ergon this is linked to issues with the Carpal Tunnel syndrome/median nerve damage
yep, got GP1s on my cross country bike, they are expensive, heavy and ugly but sooo comfortable.
I tried the GS1s( slightly smaller wing for marathon MTB) but didn’t get on with them bacuse the pointy angle on the wing dug into my palm and was uncomfortable
I was always tempted to try these on a DH bike but I don’t have one anymore. That’s certainly where I’ve suffered the most hand, wrist and finger pain over the years.
I’ve got the GA3 model on 3 bikes.
I was getting bad wrists and I found they helped. Take a little getting used to but are especially good for xc type riding.
Ok for gnartech but I think you tend to want to move your hand position more there.
They’re not THAT fugly, and I agree on the above that they are very nicely made.
I use them, but not on my ‘normal’ MTB. I use them on my rigid Salsa which is set up half way to a roadie riding position, for covering ground not technical riding (although it does that too). I have a 660mm On One Fleegle bar with 15 degree sweep, and this combo with the Ergon grips is amazingly comfortable. I never liked the grips with normal flat bars though, or with risers – in fact I pulled them from the spares bin where they’d been discarded for the Salsa, and I’m glad I did.
I only use this kind of grip now, and have done for years. Really like the ones with stubbu bar ends, but my last pair broke.
I tend to buy cheap copies now, being a skint parent. Decathlon and Clarks will do some for about £10-15. eBay for Chinese bargains, which is where my next pair of bar end ones will be coming from.
I’m just testing a pair to help with pain in my right wrist, which I put down to angle I hold the bar. Went for the version with little bar horns as I often hold the edges of the bars on climbs. Extra hand position is great, still trying to dial the angle of the grip in. Not there yet. The bar ends hook vegetation so you need to be careful on overgrown trails not to end up in a bramble bush….
@weeksy If the angle is wrong along with the brake lever angle/reach this can all affect your hands and wrists. I spent quite a wee while getting that set up along with my suspension.
You’ll have to spend some time sorting out to your set up. I use the thin grips because I have small hands. Bar roll, brake angle and lever distance are personal.
A combination of ergon grips and, initially using, Specialized Grail gloves helped a numb hands problem for me. The gloves basically have a pad in the middle of the palm rather than one under the heel or edge like ‘normal’ padded gloves. unfortunately out of stock now so I now just use gloves with no padding at all and the nerve issues have stayed away. I do think it was older gloves with padding in the wrong places that caused the initial problem.
“Scientifically proven Body Geometry Equalizer™ gel pad distributes surface pressure over the hand, and this creates unrestricted blood flow enhancing overall hand comfort.“
I have a pair on one bike. I bought a pair of Giant similar grips for my main bike. I like them very much but had a scary moment a few months after I started with them (several years ago) when my hands nearly slipped off the bars on a tricky descent because I’d got used to them and I found I’d stopped gripping the bars. Now I have a light but positive grip.
I use GP3s on the (flat bar) tourer and also the 29er in gravel mode. They are ace. I’d consider using other Ergon grips (minus bar-ends) in MTB mode. In fact I used GC1s on the loop bars and they were comfortable as, but they can be a bind climbing as yr hand is in a fixed position owing to the ‘wings’
We got some of the cheaper Brand X jobbies from Chain Reaction for our e-trundlers and (I think) they are comfier on longer rides than round grips. We’d started doing much longer rides, more often, and noticed I was getting a bit of numbness in my little fingers so thought that some different shape grips would help and they have. I don’t think I’d like them on my skids-and-wheelies bike but for longer stuff they’re ace.