Hello everyone, I'm new here and new to cycling. I just got myself a second hand bike to start with. It's a bit old but works well. I'll use it mainly to commute and some occasional long rides.
However, I've noticed that after a while my wrists start to hurt quite a bit. I'm unable to hold the bars from the top as I can't reach the brakes, forcing me to hold brakes at the bottom or where the handle bends.
I've asked ChatGPT for suggestions and it gave me a bunch of stuff I "could try", such as tilting the bar more upwards, or raising the bar to reduce the pressure, or even unwrapping the tape and moving the brakes higher (which feels a bit long and complicated).
I want some more concrete suggestions so I don't just try pointless stuff, and that's why I'm here. What do you recommend I do, what's the main issue here? I'm open to any suggestions (preferably not too expensive). Thank you
by Puzzled-Inspector556
14 Comments
i would suggest changing the handlebars to compact.
These are traditional and they have a large drop, not really something to really do here, compact are far better suited for beginners …
Four things:
Your aero levers are installed very low. They should be slid further up the bar, about 2-3 inches.
You could also try newer brake levers, where the cables route under the tape instead of straight up. Newer levers have wider hoods
Newer levers with the under-tape routing will give you the option to run “interrupter levers”. They’re a second set of levers that mount to the top straight section.
Your seat might be too high. A high seat shifts your weight forward to your hands and wrists
Wow, ChatGPT actually got it right this time. IMHO, as not-a-bike-fitter, I would start by moving the brakes higher so that you can reach them comfortably from the top. It’ll be a bit of work, that’s true. The bars might also be too low, but that’s impossible to say from just this picture.
I would take the bike to your favorite local bike shop and have them help adjust it for you. You’ll need a second person to adjust your position, and it might as well be someone who’s job is bikes. They’ll also rewrap your bar tape and such for probably fairly cheap.
You also might have carpal tunnel in your wrists. There’s some things you can do to help, like make sure your wrists are straight and changing hand position on the bars throughout a ride, but in my experience it’s something I just have to live with.
Could try moving the brake levers further up the handlebars – you should be able to reach them from the hoods. They’re quite low atm
Other option is to buy some upright or straight handlebars
I would rotate the bars higher and perhaps raise them.
The problem here is the unnatural position of your wrists: you are putting too much weight on them and that’s why they hurt. The only way to fix that, if you don’t want to replace the drop bars, is to turn them so the upper part is parallel to the ground, now they are facing downwards, and to move the brake levers closer to you (check the picture)
https://preview.redd.it/ob1rrfb6i42f1.png?width=864&format=png&auto=webp&s=3c0600e768603bfc4cff33eba29186fc4097beb6
It boils down to shortening the reach. Either getting shorter stem, modern dropbar with your measurements, shift levers in better position. Simply, you’re stretched over bike bit too much, but not extremely.
Search youtube for bike fitting and your problems, you’re bound to have things explained simply and well.
It certainly doesn’t look like a bike you want to spend money on new handlebars for. And the stem is already short. So yes start with tipping the handlebars upward until you have a level surface on the top. You probably don’t use the drop sections of the bars that much as a commuter so their new angle won’t impact you much. If that simple free fix doesn’t do it, then yes you likely need to move the brakes up a bit. Since we can’t see you on it, it’s hard to comment on the overall reach.
A bit old is an understatement for sure
one minor thing that is easy to miss when moving the bars and shifters is the angle of the shifter. angle them in, around 15°-30° tighten it all down & go for a short ride before installing the bar tape. make adjustments so the angle of your hand-wrist-forearm will all be straight when riding on the hoods.
These brake levers are set too low. You would get a lot out of moving the levers up and replacing the bar tape. This would allow you to ride on the hoods. Switching to modern brake levers with under tape cable routing would make riding on the hoods even more comfortable, IMO. I would expect to pay $100-150 for brake levers, bar tape, new cable & housing, and labor. You’ll get several years of low maintenance riding out of it after updating the setup.
https://origin8.bike/products/classique-sport-road-levers-8271
It sounds like you are riding in the drops, but have you tried riding with your hands on the hoods?
Even so, these brake levers still look really low, you’ll probably be best off removing the bar tape, repositioning the levers, and then re-taping the bars
Move the hoods up so you aren’t reaching like crazy
These bars and hoods are *retro* to say the least. You can tilt them towards you, but I’d seriously consider replacing them with a modern compact bar and hoods. Doesn’t have to be anything too fancy too, if you want to keep the price low.