i was riding the red at glentress yesterday, and i found my fingers got really stiff by the bottom of the downhill. i got my hands off the bar, but my fingers were still curled around as if i was holding on. i could get them to release and as i do my fingers ‘snap’ back to a straightened position. does anyone else get this? is it some kind of arthritis? i used to get it years ago, when i was riding to work every day plus riding offroad every evening. i have recently started commuting again – so is this it? please don’t say i ride too much!

any help would be great

thanks, kieron

Try bigger OD grips, or maybe some softer ones.

I used to get it back in the day before suspension, when you needed a screwdriver to lever your fingers off the bars and brake levers at the bottom of a descent, but not so much since.
Maybe your forks need a service 🙂

work on forearm and wrist strength. as this will improve your muscular endurance in that area. various exercises for this.

fatter and softer grips, i used to get the same thing but i bought some sunline lock ons – in thick flavour and it really helped.

You’re gripping too tight. Relax!

(Oh, and w’nk more 😉 )

Pretty common in MX, ive not ridden Glentress so no idea if it would work there, but it used to help if you can consiously release your grip and stretch out your fingers on a section thats not quite so relentless, maybe before entering a corner, and just try to not hold on quite so tight. (easier said than done!)

JonEdwards – top advice! 😕 and to everyone – thanks. i think i will try the bigger grips. forks were serviced not so long ago so not that. i run thick dual compound grips on my commuter and i don’t get finger lock – but the downhills are not too sketchy (plus that bike has cantilever brakes so it’s three finger braking!). i run 2004 fox rl float 100s – i’ve always been a bit disappointed as i really expected 100mm forks to feel like my 97 coil z1s! i have been thinking about longer forks (menjas or reveleations) becuase I also had problems in the alps last year with my forearms feeling like they were going to fall off… and yeah, i will investigate excercise too 🙂

tinsy – i did used to be more relaxed! bit too relaxed though, with my hands coming off the bars mid corner – not good! i ride my hardtail quite hard too and maybe i scare myself a bit!

Stop with the vulcan death grip! I have the same sort of issue compounded in my case by a bit of osteoarthritis. You need to do as tinsey says – consciously relax your grip all the time and especially on the less demanding sections.

Mary bars helped me greatly as well

Get better brakes, and set them up for one finger braking. Its fatigue from the stretching of your tendons thats giving you the pain. I get it in the alps. But its much better if you can one finger brake.

“set them up for one finger braking”

ah-ha – i did! yesterday before my ride! i have indeed heard this before. however if it’s tendon-stretching then i might try rotating the levers upwards a little…

make sure the biting point on your brakes is close to the bars – don’t stretch to reach the levers, when applied fully the brake lever should be as close as possible to your shifters etc.

oh and make sure the rebound on your forks isn’t set too fast as that will transmit more force into you hands…..

menja’s feel like old marzocchi’s, fact 🙂

fork rebound is set fast because if i have it slow then they’re not rebounding quick enough for subsequent bumps. and i run avid juicy threes, so not bite point adjustment…

Anyone have any suggestions in regards to exercise that may help with Arm/hand fatigue – What about powerballs ETC?

I’ve got a powerball and am sure it helps. DOn’t use it often enough really. Just get the cheapest one they do, you won’t end up using all the display crap on them anyway.

I get the same problem – I don’t know if it’s because I have quite small hands.
If it’s really bad, it could be carpel tunnel syndrome, but unlikely.

Dasnut – that is a matter of preference – I have my levers set up a long way from the bars so with single finger braking the bite point is where my finger is strongest – about halfway thru its range of movement- and this also means your other fingers are not crushed between the lever and the bars. By all means try altering the lever reach but what works for one person will not work for another – with the levers close to the bar I get far worse cramps / pain in my hands

I tried all kinds of exercises, terry grips, a good one was a bit of broom handle with a string with a weight on the end, twist the handle using just your wrists to wind the weight up, then the other direction to lower it, hold your arms out in front of you.

The best thing was just riding more and releasing the vice like grip on the bars, witch also comes with confidence witch comes with practice.

Going to places like Glentress (not that ive been there) or trail centres, once in a blue moon and expecting to rip and shred all who lay in your wake just isnt going to happen, its easy to try and over do it, go to fast stress yourself out and end up riding slower, out of control and putting yourfelf at risk.

As above – one finger breaking – run them very close to the bars. Feels alien when you do the car park test but on the trail you forget almost straight away.

As for the bars – you might find a thicker grip slightly tougher on the forearms initially, I’ve been running thicker grips for a few years now and much prefer them.

Pukz – Member
Anyone have any suggestions in regards to exercise that may help with Arm/hand fatigue – What about powerballs ETC?

Powerballs do work but there is something gimmicky about them I dont like. Best exercises to develop forearm strength would be to load up a dumbbell then lift it off the floor using only your fingers. Use what ever weight you are comfortable with, repeat till failure.

If you already do some weight lifting routines then get a thicker bar (or thicken the bar you have). The thicker bar will make gripping the apparatus more difficult giving you a good forearm work out.

Also – they are the fad du jour with women and celebrities at the minute but dont discount kettle bells. Brilliant for a myriad of different routines and the thick handle means all movements done with it will add to your grip strength. Many of the main traditional kettle bell exercises include snatching or releasing the weight mid movement which is great for building grip strength.

Judoka have been using them for decades to supplement their many grip training exercises.

hum, i have ridden glentress loads, almost always on my own. the pain and seized fingers were worst this time and it coincides with cycling lots more for commutes. first glentres in about 4 months, mind…