Raising handlebars

[Master-Ti]

My wife has carpal tunnel syndrome and develops intolerable numbness in her hands during bike rides as short as 30 minutes! They get so numb she is not able to pull her water-bottle out of its cage unless she stops, and she's afraid her hands will be too numb to make a panic stop if needed. We've tried many things to no avail, including too many pairs of padded gloves to count, multiple layers of handlebar tape, as well as gel pads under the tape. She has been advised by her physician this week to raise the height of her handlebars to lessen the weight on her hands during bike rides.

She rides a Colnago Master X-Lite with a carbon fork that has a steel threadless steer tube. I have her 10cm stem at the top of the steer tube and inverted to maximize the height, but she wants to try it even higher.

How do I accomplish this? Adjustable stem? Is there anything on the market similar to the Deda Spada but designed specifically to increase the height of the threadless steer tube without jeopardizing it's strength?

I realize this is not exactly a Weight Weenie type question, but value the expertise of the readers of this forum.

Thanks in advance!

[NiFTY]

She is screaming for a carpal tunnel release if she hasn't had one done already (sounds like not). Raising the bars is a bandaid solution.

I assume you already have a +ve rise stem installed? That would be the first recommendation.

In terms of bars - the FSA K wing (tops) and new specialized venge bars (everything) come with section raised above the stem clamp height.

[AJS914]

What about moving the seat farther back? That might balance her weight out more towards the rear and put less on her hands.

[Marin]

Was about to suggest the same, it helped me a lot.

It's counterintuitive but logical - with mor eseat setback, the legs will do more to support the upper body and hands, arms and shoulders will be stressed much less. Worked for me.

[highdraw]

My wife has carpal tunnel syndrome and develops intolerable numbness in her hands during bike rides as short as 30 minutes! They get so numb she is not able to pull her water-bottle out of its cage unless she stops, and she's afraid her hands will be too numb to make a panic stop if needed. We've tried many things to no avail, including too many pairs of padded gloves to count, multiple layers of handlebar tape, as well as gel pads under the tape. She has been advised by her physician this week to raise the height of her handlebars to lessen the weight on her hands during bike rides.

She rides a Colnago Master X-Lite with a carbon fork that has a steel threadless steer tube. I have her 10cm stem at the top of the steer tube and inverted to maximize the height, but she wants to try it even higher.

How do I accomplish this? Adjustable stem? Is there anything on the market similar to the Deda Spada but designed specifically to increase the height of the threadless steer tube without jeopardizing it's strength?

I realize this is not exactly a Weight Weenie type question, but value the expertise of the readers of this forum.

Thanks in advance!

If you want the best advice, then you need to post of picture of her leaning against a wall on the bike with hands on the hoods. As it turns out, a proper fit will place very little pressure on her hands which doesn't sound to be the case. But many times, this isn't just about raising the handlebars but rather INCREASING reach. That's right, the opposite of what you think intuitively. Rider weight distribution starts with centering it on the saddle. The feet are stabilized by the pedals and set the tone for weight distribution. A weaker rider is generally better served with saddle position more behind the pedals because CG is not offset by pedal forces. If your wife isn't a strong rider, then moving the saddle back is directly correct to take the weight off the hands. Behind KOPS is many times better for a weaker and less fit rider...not even addressing rider body weight which is a factor as well. Behind KOPS with a higher handlebar but positioned well away from the rider is generally a good recipe for taking pressure off the hands. A profile picture of her on the bike with hands on hoods would help with this determination.

Personally if you want to stick with a road bike, sell her bike and consider one of the many excellent endurance geometry bikes with taller head tube. You can even run these with rise stems and place the handlebars well above the saddle. More weight on the saddle and less weight on the hands and why endurance bikes are the most popular choice among those a bit less fit or a bit less speedy. Btw, I am a considered a pretty fast club rider and I ride one as well and I ride with many if not most that ride very aggressive positions.

[DMF]

My GF has suffered the exact same problem as the OP describes, what actually worked out, besides changing bars, stem, tape, fit, etc (did that too, which helped a little too), was to fit short (ITU-ish...) Tri/TT extensions with the elbow pads...

Took a lot of pressure off not just the hands, but also the palms and shifted the weight to where the essential nerves didn't suffer pinching. It is not a full solution, but has at least been a great source of relief and enabled her to ride with much, much less pain.

OT, she's just had the surgery done too, and I think that is something to seriously look into...

[Hawkwood]

Personally if you want to stick with a road bike, sell her bike and consider one of the many excellent endurance geometry bikes with taller head tube. You can even run these with rise stems and place the handlebars well above the saddle. More weight on the saddle and less weight on the hands and why endurance bikes are the most popular choice among those a bit less fit or a bit less speedy. Btw, I am a considered a pretty fast club rider and I ride one as well and I ride with many if not most that ride very aggressive positions.

Interesting reply, I went down the endurance frame route a few years ago due to neck and back problems, I can still get low enough if I need to. What endurance bike are you riding out of interest?

[RussellS]

Cheapest, maybe easiest way to increase handlebar height. But these options may require longer cables.

Stem riser for 1 1/8" threadless steerer fork.
http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10 ... 1___204726
http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10 ... 1___204726

Adjustable angle stem for 1 1/8" steerer.
http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10 ... 1___204726

[sungod]

as mentioned in a couple of replies above, if she is leaning on the bars then that needs resolving

if it is not simply 'habit', then the first thing to check is saddle position, body core strength should carry the weight, not the arms, but if the saddle is in the wrong position the core cannot do this

try the approach here...

https://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com/bi ... oad-bikes/

[highdraw]

Personally if you want to stick with a road bike, sell her bike and consider one of the many excellent endurance geometry bikes with taller head tube. You can even run these with rise stems and place the handlebars well above the saddle. More weight on the saddle and less weight on the hands and why endurance bikes are the most popular choice among those a bit less fit or a bit less speedy. Btw, I am a considered a pretty fast club rider and I ride one as well and I ride with many if not most that ride very aggressive positions.

Interesting reply, I went down the endurance frame route a few years ago due to neck and back problems, I can still get low enough if I need to. What endurance bike are you riding out of interest?

Hi,
I ride a Specialized Roubaix Pro SL3 with Campy 11s and Fulcrum wheels.
Amazing bike. I ride with an older group of ex racers...what I call a A- group ride...paceline speeds 20-24mph...pulls routinely in the 22mph range. Faster than a B ride and hint slower than A young racer group with break aways and dropping the pace line. With a higher handlebar but riding in the drops a lot...I like the drops a fair amount...my bike doesn't hold me back. Sometimes the group gets a little nutty and it runs 25 mph. I just try to get my back a little flatter. In fact, I believe I am faster on this bike after 20 miles because I am less fatigued when hammering. I have owned countless slammed racing bikes with conventional head tube to top tube ratios. I like this bike a lot more.
As you know body position can be quite independent of handlebar height. Most of the ex racers do not ride an endurance geometry in this group and ride with a lot more drop but guess who uses the drops a lot more? Me.
To me older riders should be on endurance geometry but honestly there is the factor of vanity and pro look and perception that a bike with lower handlebar is faster which just isn't so and in my opinion on longer rides the average decent recreational rider like myself is faster on an endurance geometry. All about the rider and position on the bike.

As to fit, I mentioned about a counterintuitive aspect of fit. Based upon my experience of helping many with their fit, the biggest mistake I see are good recreational riders riding with a handlebar too low and too close in. More reach and a higher handlebar for many is much more comfortable and quite aerodynamic. Lance Armstrong rode this way his entire career...sized up to a size 58cm Madone with longer top tube and 130mm stem, stretched out without a lot of drop. Most pro riders his size would be on a 56cm or even 54cm with a lot more drop and handlebar closer in.

A great article on fit and hand pressure:
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.ph ... Numb-Hands

[bikerjulio]

As well as the good points related to positioning on the bike raised above I'm going to raise something I have not yet seen on this thread.

I think that a lot of us will suffer hand numbness problems if we stay in the exact same hand position for too long. One of the main advantages of current drop bar and shifter design is the wide variety of hand positions available. I'm constantly rotating my hand position on the hoods and bars, as soon as I feel an issue.

I'd also agree with the point that it's important to find the bar/shifter combo that is the most comfortable. A picture of the current setup might help.

[AJS914]

Lance Armstrong rode this way his entire career...sized up to a size 58cm Madone with longer top tube and 130mm stem, stretched out without a lot of drop. Most pro riders his size would be on a 56cm or even 54cm with a lot more drop and handlebar closer in.

Great description of "pro" fit from the previous generation and what is going on now. Now, I see pros on what seem like tiny bikes and a huge drop from the seat to the bars. And some riders never seem to use their drops. They are on the hoods all the time. Maybe it's proven to be more aero in the wind tunnel?

[cyclenutnz]

This is almost definitely a case of having the saddle too far forward. I'm picking that she rides with her pelvis rotated back a lot, with a lot of curvature in lower back.
Whether the bike is an "endurance" geometry or not is irrelevant unless the Master prevents her from getting into a decent position.
Raising the bars may slightly alleviate the pain but will not fix the issue that she is resting on her hands too much.
Unfortunately there aren't that many fitters that focus on rider balance, so you'll probably have to work on this yourself.

If she is on one of the smaller sizes - they have steep STA and you will likely need to hunt out a post with a lot of setback, then maybe shorten stem by a couple of cm to avoid over reaching.

[Svetty]

Just a comment that a lot of male riders are commenting on a female fit in this thread. Ladies have different......anatomy that often makes rotating the pelvis forward a potentially bruising experience.
If the rider in question has a genuine medical issue - CTS (or perhaps a neck issue with nerve root irritation) then this needs to be treated appropriately from a medical perspective. Her fit should be optimised for general riding but not solely from a 'minimise CTS' perspective IMO. Working on her core should also help lessen the load on the wrists/hands I'd suggest.

[cyclenutnz]

Just a comment that a lot of male riders are commenting on a female fit in this thread. Ladies have different......anatomy that often makes rotating the pelvis forward a potentially bruising experience.

50% of my fit clients are female. Not feeling good on the saddle is a topic of conversation for ~80% of them. Getting the saddle right is also critical to allowing ladies to relax into the bike.
There are simple things that can be done with her position that would show improvement, if there is one, within a week. If that doesn't work then obviously full steam ahead on medical intervention is required.