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Best way to avoid blisters?

W

wildcard

Chimp
Jul 9, 2007
77
0
I'm about to spend some time riding at Whistler, and I always get blisters on my hands when I ride. I get them usually on my thumbs where they hold the handlebar, kinda near the base of the thumb.

Any one have any suggestions to help prevent blisters from forming there in the first place?

I hardly ever ride, and I have mad computer nerd pvssy hands.

Any insight would be appreciated!
 
ocelot

ocelot

Monkey
Mar 8, 2009
395
10
Canadastan
I've always had blisters at the beginning of the season and develop callouses as the season progressed.

Like everyone else says, RIDE MOOOAAAAARRRRRRRRR!!!
 
lachy_mtb

lachy_mtb

Monkey
May 25, 2008
124
0
if they are starting to blister put metholated spirits on it and it will dry them out quicker, but inevitably they will take time
 
Kntr

Kntr

Turbo Monkey
Jan 25, 2003
7,526
21
Montana
I ride without gloves before I go to Whistler as much as I can.

Wear tight gloves at Whistler. They will stretch as you sweat. Ive noticed if I wear bigger gloves they bunch and give me blisters.

Oh and ride more too.
 
c101aviojet

c101aviojet

Monkey
Oct 30, 2010
178
1
...where the sky is blue below and dark above...
Blisters are produced by a mixture of heat and pressure.
- Heat comes from the frictions caused by a loose fitting glove/shoe, so get one that stays in place when it's covered in mud and sweat.
- Pressure is unavoidable, as you're grabbing & twisting the hands around a bar for several hours. Gloves help to a certain point, but as others have said, the only real solution is developing calluses. Once you get to that stage, unless you really want to get rid of them (IMHO something a bit stupid if you ride a bike, as they protect you), use nivea every once in a while to keep them in good shape (otherwise, they eventually dry and become holes in your hand).

So you can either search for anti-blister gloves (which will save you for a few hours) or begin riding NOW. Don't over do it, or you'll get blisters instead of calluses.
 
D

DHRracer

Monkey
Sep 29, 2004
371
0
wildcard said:
I'm about to spend some time riding at Whistler, and I always get blisters on my hands when I ride. I get them usually on my thumbs where they hold the handlebar, kinda near the base of the thumb.

Any one have any suggestions to help prevent blisters from forming there in the first place?

I hardly ever ride, and I have mad computer nerd pvssy hands.

Any insight would be appreciated!
Click to expand...
Most people don't have the ability to do as many runs in one day that you can at Whistler. So it can be hard to get into Whistler shape. Two sugesstions- If you are going to be there for more than a few days don't feel like you have to ride all day every day. The second sugesstion is to take at least two pair of new gloves for each day, or wash your gloves each day, switch too a fresh pair of gloves half way thru the day(allways where tight gloves), another is to also ride with a looser grip (a tight grip tensions forearms and then you usally tense up allover)
 
bizutch

bizutch

Delicate CUSTOM flower
Dec 11, 2001
15,928
24
Over your shoulder whispering
Day 1: Pull your gloves off on the lift and let your hands dry.
Day 2: Wrap your palm/thumb with athletic sports tape. Tear the tape length wise into long, thin sections you can wrap all the way around your wrist.

I've ridden 3 straight days with blisters and sports tape over them and it was fine.
 
W

wildcard

Chimp
Jul 9, 2007
77
0
OK, I'll take all this in consideration. thanks everyone.

Riding more isn't really an option, and neither is digging in the dirt :( My computer nerd job / lifestyle doesn't really help, but I think getting to the gym / pullups are a good idea. It's probably pointless to try to build up calluses because they will just disappear before my next Whistler trip.

I think my best strategy is to just avoid getting blisters in the first place... Will athletic tape around my thumb help prevent the blister on my thumb?

That and some tight gloves...
 
- seb

- seb

Turbo Monkey
Apr 10, 2002
2,924
1
UK
Get to your local climbing wall. I don't get blisters at all any more from riding. You will occasionally do this while climbing instead though:



But they heal quickly enough! :)
 
daisycutter

daisycutter

Turbo Monkey
Apr 8, 2006
1,657
129
New York City
When on the lift take off your gloves and let your hands dry. Sweat makes your skin soft and more likely to blister. Keeping them dry works well for me.
 
Westy

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,394
20,186
Sleazattle
Start dishing out handies at the local truck stop. Can probably pull in some a few coins in the process.
 
LemonadeMoney

LemonadeMoney

Chimp
May 6, 2011
13
0
What grips have you got? I used to have the Yeti grips with the stand out letters which I thought were particularly bad. Using Renthal Kevlar now which I would recommend - cheap, thin, soft, grippy and hard wearing. You just need to get over the piss stained colour.
 
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