Tips for Sore Wrists?

Did the NSC on Sunday on an old road bike, and my wrists have been reminding me ever since.

Any suggestions on how to deal with stiffness and burning sensations in the wrists (aside from pain reliever and time off the bike)?

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Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on April 6, 2010 at 3:50pm

Gloves with decent padding can help absorb vibration. Not leaning with full weight on your hands helps a lot. Changing hand positions regularly also makes a difference. Many of the tips offered above are good ones.

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Permalink Reply by Tank-Ridin' Ryan on April 6, 2010 at 4:06pm

That's the answer I was looking for! Joe, why did you hold back for a year and a half?

joe said:

ride no handed....duh! and lets you hold 2 beers as well.

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Permalink Reply by Dr. Doom on April 6, 2010 at 7:27pm

Prevention is a lot better than cure, but if it's too late for that athletic tape and wearing a wrist brace with a metal insert when you're off the bike (the cheap kind you get at Walgreens is just fine) can really help.

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Permalink Reply by Jessica on April 6, 2010 at 8:08pm

Tips for numbness/pain: gloves, adjust the angle of the bars/brakes to find a comfy hood position, and change stems for shorter/longer/appropriate.

Tips for holding upper body up: Take horseback riding lessons (I'm not kidding. Learning how to support yourself from your legs and core without relying on the reins translated directly to cycling for me...), and make *sure* you have a flat back/good posture. it will help.

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Permalink Reply by john89 on March 29, 2016 at 3:58am

An important thing is to regularly change hand position, especially when first starting with cycling. Maintaining a fixed hand/wrist position puts considerable strain on the wrists, and can also damage nerves in the hands.