Ok, in just the past year I've started getting an incredible pain in the outer edges of my palms after riding for over an hour. I haven't changed anything but it got me thinking about the handlebar sweep - most bars sweep back 3 to 5 degrees.

Now, go hop on your bike and look at how your hands interface w/the bars - seems to me if anything the sweep should be FORWARD, not back toward the rider. To get my hands to conform parallel to the rearward sweep I have to practically tuck my elbows into my sides. This doesn't make sense to me.

From what I can see I should have a STRAIGHT bar if nothing else; the rearward sweep forces the bar into the outer edges of my palms causing my pain. Anyone else out there have any sort of similar experiences or I am I just a mutant?

Hey ya Mutant :D
try rotating your bars forward so there almost tilted up on the ends........That kinda reduce the sweep of the bars alittle...
Also make sure your seat isnt tilted to far forward because you might be leaning to far forward while seated, putting too much pressure on your hands....

Originally posted by Kyron
try rotating your bars forward so there almost tilted up on the ends........That kinda reduce the sweep of the bars alittle...
Also make sure your seat isnt tilted to far forward because you might be leaning to far forward while seated, putting too much pressure on your hands....

I've tried that. If you cause the ends of the bar to go up rather than back that only aggravates the problem; the bar still presses into the outside of your palms. I don't think seat positioning is a problem, but thanx for the reply :(

The reason for the rearward sweep is to force you to rest on your outer palms. This forces the weight and stress through the Ulna bone of the arm which is the large bone in the arm. If the bars were straight or swept forward the wrists would be straight, but most of the weight would be trasnfered between the thumb and index finger which would load the radius bone (small bone in the arm) instead of the ulna. This would cause alot of radius fractures. and wrist fractures.

hope this helps.

Ok. Wrong.

Your handlebars/hands/wrists shouldn't be bearing the weight of your upper body period - your lower back should. The handlebars are a balance point, and a means of control.

Paul

Originally posted by nasvik

Your handlebars/hands/wrists shouldn't be bearing the weight of your upper body period -

Paul

Yeah, if you ride like a Barney!:flipoff2:

Yeah ok whatever... :rolleyes::D:flipoff2:

Seriously, unless you're in the "sit up and beg" position, you will definitely be bearing weight on the handlebar. Try this, while you're seated in your normal position, take you hands away and see how long you can hold that position without staightening up.

As to the original question, if you are even close to having you elbows at yours sides in a normal seated position, your frame is too small or your stem is too short. IMWO.:D

That's true. And it's also true that most people don't work to strengthen their lower backs to support their weight. The point isn't what's easy, but what's proper. Form doesn't come easily in ANY sport.

Try this: put all your weight on your bars. Turn. Pick yourself up.

Paul (12 years racing, 2 years living at the OTC and racing with the National Team, 20+ years selling and fitting bicycles...)

Form is good, so is weight distribution. With all your experience (me, I only have 17 years riding MTBs) you should understand why its good to have a little weight on the bars, unless you wheelie up all the steep climbs you come across. It's (weight on the bars, that is) also handy when wishing the front wheel would quit washing out in the turns.

Mike

We weren't talking about weight distribution, but about pressure points and support. Very different.

Paul

With all due respect I don't see how pressure points/support and weight distribution can be separated.:confused:

Are you still in the biz, or did you escape too?

Extend your arm in front of you. What's holding it up? The muscles around your shoulder. It would take less force to hold it at the hand, but that doesn't mean it's lighter out there - just that it's better leverage. That's a separation of distribution and pressure points. Either way the arm stays up.

BTW - support it at the hand only and the wrist will tire quickly.

All I"m saying is that if you want to get into the nitty gritty of why they designed a handlebar to sweep a certian way it has nothing with protecting the Radius. It has to do with control of the bike, not supporting the upper body.

Out of the business as of last August.

Paul

Originally posted by nasvik
It would take less force to hold it at the hand, but that doesn't mean it's lighter out there - just that it's better leverage.

The reason it takes less force (at the shoulder) is because the load (weight) is better (or more evenly) supported (distributed) at the contact (pressure) points(now the shoulder and the hand).

But you probably care less than I do at this point:D :beer: :beer:

Mike

Originally posted by SpineTx
The reason for the rearward sweep is to force you to rest on your outer palms. This forces the weight and stress through the Ulna bone of the arm which is the large bone in the arm. If the bars were straight or swept forward the wrists would be straight, but most of the weight would be trasnfered between the thumb and index finger which would load the radius bone (small bone in the arm) instead of the ulna. This would cause alot of radius fractures. and wrist fractures.

hope this helps.

That actually makes some sense, is the best answer I've received so far. So, do you have any recommendations to relieve sharp pain in the outer palms (no, I can't stop whacking off)?

*sigh*

Originally posted by D60
So, do you have any recommendations to relieve sharp pain in the outer palms (no, I can't stop whacking off)?

a friend of mine believes that rotating the bars so they sweep downward helps relieve his hand pains. might be worth a try.

have you tried different stem rises and lengths to possibly balance your weight better?

Originally posted by Jekyll

have you tried different stem rises and lengths to possibly balance your weight better?

Yeah, actually I just installed a riser bar which seemed to help at least some, but I haven't ridden it a lot yet so I'm not certain the hand pain thing is solved. It is a lot more comfortable all around, I like the overall feel much more and seems much easier on my lower back.

I thought about rotating my old bar so the sweep was down but it just seemed like it would be weird. Now, if I were to rotate the riser bar down that'd kinda defeat the purpose LOL.

Nasdick, I caught the part about a strong lower back and I agree 100%. The rest of the pissing match above I just skipped over. Nonetheless, I get the impression you're mostly a roadie (and if I'm wrong I KNOW you'll correct me and flame me all at once), and IME road riding and mtn biking are very different, particularly when it comes to the loads and forces exerted on the rider's hands.

I mean you can't convince me that your hands see the same loads when riding a 30 minute rocky, twisty downhill standing up the whole time w/frequent braking VS riding, well, anything on the road bike. I think when you stand, corner and descend on the mtn bike much more weight is transferred to the hands, at least intermittently. Not to mention drops/brake hoods VS straight bars.....

Originally posted by D60

I thought about rotating my old bar so the sweep was down but it just seemed like it would be weird. Now, if I were to rotate the riser bar down that'd kinda defeat the purpose LOL.



Sweeping the bars down is a bit weird(I wasn't going to say that before :)). It just looks wrong, not to mention being bent over the front end too much. My buddy wants to be more aerodynamic. I don't need less wind resistance nor being over the front end for the stuff we ride here.

I agree, the riser bars do make the overall setup more comfortable. Either I'm getting older or smarter...

Originally posted by D60

(and if I'm wrong I KNOW you'll correct me and flame me all at once),

Who's flaming who....?

Skim over the drivle above if you want. Anything short of strengthening the lower back is a band aid. Your first (and third) paragraph above illustrates exactly why.

That said, don't ask a question if you don't want the answer. Sorry.... was that a flame? Wasn't meant to be. :rolleyes:

This is: don't be such an ass. :flipoff:

Paul