Hands Are Killing Me!

PB Forum :: Downhill
Hands Are Killing Me!
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flag dillis
Posted: May 25, 2015 at 17:00 Quote
On saturday I rode a bikepark for my first time, as well as real downhill for the first time. I haven't been riding my full sus in the last two months until saturday.

On my first lap my hands were hurting very badly and I stopped multiple times on the way down to try and stretch them out. At the bottom I couldn't open them without pulling them open.

As the day went on I tried to be light on my hands, that helped a bit, and I focused on keeping my elbows up as well. That seemed to help for about an hour; then it started up again, even worse that before, the the point where I was releasing my grip at every flat/smooth section of the trail to stretch my fingers and let them wiggle.

I keep one finger on the brakes at all times, and just upgraded to hydraulic discs. They stop me easily with one finger. I tried eating bananas to help with like arm pump and stuff but it is only happening in my hands.

I have Lizard skins Logo lock on grips, Shimano deore brakes (I'm lightweight) with 200mm front rotor and 180mm rear rotor. I never have had this issue before, and I have only been riding my bmx lately because I live close to parks and can't drive myself anywhere.

Braking bumps and small rocks are the worst. Big rocks and drops and jumps are all fine, but the small stuff and vibrations just wreak havoc on my hands. Whats going on??

Also, on sunday, I could barely grip anything, and my tendons or knuckles were super sore.

any tips to make this go away? Is it just from not riding enough?
flag bikebike69
Posted: May 25, 2015 at 17:18 Quote
It depends on the size of your hands. But maybe switch to ODI Rouges. They're thicker/rounder for more damping and you don't need as much squeeze on them.
I run ODI Ruffians on my DJ bikes but prefer the Rouges on my DH bikes.
Also are you running your tires super hard/inflated? Running the pressure a bit lower will ease the harshness on the hands.
flag dillis
Posted: May 25, 2015 at 17:29 Quote
bikebike69 wrote:
It depends on the size of your hands. But maybe switch to ODI Rouges. They're thicker/rounder for more damping and you don't need as much squeeze on them.
I run ODI Ruffians on my DJ bikes but prefer the Rouges on my DH bikes.
Also are you running your tires super hard/inflated? Running the pressure a bit lower will ease the harshness on the hands.

I'm running around 28-30 PSI on the rocky trails so I don't get flats.

I'll pick up a set from work soon and try them out. Thanks!
flag mmckechnie
Posted: May 25, 2015 at 17:32 Quote
I just started riding DH last fall. The first time I went my hands hurt a lot. I'd have to stop multiple times each run and kind of pump my hands (repeating making a fist and then opening my hand) to temporarily stop them from hurting. It would get so bad that my hands would be locked into claws and I'd have to physically unbend my fingers and hands back to normal/flat.

It is definitely something that you get used to/build up a tolerance to the more you ride, but there are a bunch of things you could try in the mean time to help minimize the pain.

Riding as loose as possible on the grips/bar while still being in control of your bike. Nothing drains your hands and causes pain like a white knuckle death grip. Also the more you can let off the brakes the better. Braking with your index finger uses your pinch grip muscles which again fatigues your hand muscles and causes pain. If you're braking pretty much the whole run it's going to cause a lot of pain. You might consider a quad piston DH brake so you don't have to use quite as much pinch grip force to slow you down. Some people recommend strengthening your pinch grip muscles by pinching plates at the gym and gradually holding them for more time and increasing the weight.

As far as setup goes, check your fork and make sure it isn't setup too stiff. If you can add a volume spacer to your air spring (assuming you don't have coil) you can run less air pressure to make the top of the stroke extra supple while still having bottom out control because by reducing the volume of the air spring you've made it more progressive.

Some people say carbon bars help dampen some of the high speed chatter you encounter on the trails like braking bumps and small rocks. I haven't tried that yet, but might be something to consider. Also experiment with things like grips (diameter and softness), bar width, sweep, and rise, and brake lever positioning. You might want to angle your brake lever up a bit from where you normally ride with them on xc trails to compensate for your bike being pointed downhill the majority of the time.

I think the biggest thing is staying loose on the grips, off the brakes where you can, and making sure the top of your fork is supple and the rebound quick. After working on that you could try some of the other things if you're still having problems. Also try to ride often and your hand muscles will adapt.

Hope this helps.
flag trailblitz
O+
Posted: May 25, 2015 at 17:34 Quote
you're gripping the bars too hard, I guarantee it
flag dillis
Posted: May 25, 2015 at 17:43 Quote
So I have a 2005 Bighit spec. I'm trying to milk it through the rest of this season without putting more money into it. I'm saving for a new enduro bike. The deore brakes were just put on on friday before the ride and they are brand new, and work amazing over the old mechanical disc brakes.

I certainly wasn't gripping the bars too hard because my hands were as loose as possible without losing control. I even tried gripping tighter and still no help. I think I'll be riding some freeride on wednesday, so I'll see if it shows up again.

I'm not new to riding at all, I am starting to think it's just from not riding enough on rough trails.
flag Zrocket
Posted: May 25, 2015 at 20:17 Quote
Seems normal. I had this today. I have this every time I go to a bike park since I go so infrequently. Riding a 36 Talas 160mm

I wonder how much weight you should carry on your hands? When I got tired, putting some weight down on the bars helped, so i didn't have to keep my fingers curled on the grips. It was the pulling up that was killing my grip.
flag RichyMTB
Posted: May 26, 2015 at 6:41 Quote
You don't have to grip the bike so hard! Ride loose and let the bike do it's thing.
flag Justin678
Posted: May 26, 2015 at 7:25 Quote
If you go to the gym or have some weight at your house, then these exercises might help condition your hands when your not able to ride.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/detail/view/name/standing-palms-up-barbell-behind-the-back-wrist-curl
http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/detail/view/name/palms-down-wrist-curl-over-a-bench

Hope these help out. I know my forearms and hands endurance have increased when I started implementing those two exercises to my workout routine.
flag a-d-e
O+
Posted: May 26, 2015 at 8:06 Quote
i would suggest a PROPER warm-up BEFORE you start riding, back shoulders & neck especially. shake your arms & hands & then gently stretch - but dont over do the stretching before a ride or your hands will become weak from over stretching. shorter periods of riding when you first get going then longer runs as you get really warmed up.
flag ShantySpark
O+
Posted: May 26, 2015 at 8:44 Quote
One thing to try that has worked well for me is to lower the amount of low speed compression that is set on the fork (if it has this adjustment). Was out for the first time this year on Friday and after the first couple runs I was having this problem, I recalled from the prior year adjusting the low speed compression and so I did this. It made a world of difference and no more sore hands! This will allow the fork to be more supple/plush in the first portion of the stroke, but also will likely introduce more brake dive, so finding a balance is needed.

Hopefully that helps some of you out as claw hands can ruin a good day of riding.
flag dillis
Posted: May 26, 2015 at 9:33 Quote
Im riding some enduro trails tonight so we will how my hands feel. Off the brakes and loose
flag gramboh
O+ FL
Posted: May 26, 2015 at 15:09 Quote
Do deadlifts and pull-ups at the gym to strengthen your grip, hands and forearms.
flag felimocl
Posted: May 26, 2015 at 15:48 Quote
I used to have the same problem.
By the sounds of it the problem could be coming from your brake lever position. I found by aligning my forearm, wrist and brake lever in a straight line while in a pedalling/not fully descending position really helped. If your hands and wrists are awkwardly angled on the levers the constant small vibrations can really wear out your hands quickly.

Generally if your hitting drops and descents you sit back over the saddle putting less weight and stress on your hands and extending your arms utwards. hence the lack of stiffness over the rougher stuff

Try adjusting them for whatever feels comfortable
flag ronnyg801
Posted: May 26, 2015 at 20:42 Quote
Not saying don't exercise your grip but one of the things that is common with arm pump and grip issues is the forearm muscles get too engorged with blood and then are constricted by your arms fascia. This is usually only common with guys who are into working out or have large forearms but it could be one of the potential culprits.

I have found for me that breathing is often an issue, you may not realize it but sometimes in high intensity situations your breathing suffers, your limbs will be the first to suffer from lack of oxygen, where I am from it is first of the season and my body is not conditioned to the terrain and even though in my mind I can see what I want to do, it is requiring more focus than mid or late season, I start to put more emphasis on that then breathing, then its just a downward spiral

try a couple coaster laps to warm up, just pump and play around
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