gel padded downhill gloves

Gary · Mar 23, 2011

have you thought about surgery?

dhbrigade · Mar 23, 2011

With padded gloves you will get a lot of armpump.

klunky · Mar 23, 2011

fox reflex have some gel in the palm. not much but it might help.

HAve you tried squishy grips?

Inclag · Mar 23, 2011

saruti said:
Yes.
Was thinking about it.
But the only time it was really bugging me is in morzine last summer.
The 2 last days I wasnt able to hold the bar ... the pain was too much
Did some physical therapy and acupuncture for some time.
It helped and now I feel load better.
But I dont want it to happen again in morzine after 7 days of riding

Personally, I feel that heavily padded gloves feel clumsy and cause worse arm-pump due having less tactile feel of the bars which increases gripping force.

I'd suggest looking very carefully into refining your handlebar/cockpit layout, going to a more powerful less "modular" brake, and using 25.4mm diameter handlebars.

Heck, I would potentially give these a try http://www.ergon-bike.com

Jim Mac · Mar 23, 2011

I can't cite a source here, but I do recall some info on "gel" gloves/seats, etc actually INCREASING friction due to the movement of the gel, thus also increasing issues like arm pump, chaffing, etc.

StabprimoMonkee · Mar 23, 2011

Forget gel, over the top protection, etc...

The best gloves for DH are thin leather XC gloves, or good MX gloves. TLD, Fox, Royal and similar are the best. The role of gloves is to provide good and comfortable interface between your arm and the handlebars. They're not there to prevent injury to your hands.

Regarding carpal tunnel. I'm a programmer who went through this before. Until you sort out CT - forget riding. There is only one solution to CT and thats to cure it - no bandaid solution will help you ride without causing greater harm in the long run.

To solve CT problems - you need to understand it first. There is one major factor in CT - body imbalance. You are either sitting, laying, training or riding wrong. My case was crooked sitting compounded with wrong positioning of computer monitor and lack of exercise.

So to solve your problem: ponder all your life aspects through ergonomic lens, set up your work and living environment in an ergonomic fashion, also solely for your bike it is worth checking that your bars are not tilted too far forwards and adjust your brake position.

Also I recommend that you visit physical therapist who will show you some body balancing exercises - or you can alternatively google them up yourself.

Sandwich · Mar 23, 2011

You may want to check out those ergon grips. I've got a set waiting to go for my DH sled. They have a particular shape that's supposed to reduce pressure on the ulnar nerve and therefore reduce arm pump and hand fatigue.

Supposedly the DH grips are somewhat far removed from their XC offerings, but you may find that they help. I'm happy to report back when I get some riding time in, but I don't suffer from CT, and now that I have legitimate (saint) brakes, I no longer get arm pump as bad.

I would avoid gel gloves, try longer bars, and see if you can optimize your cockpit for better weight balance to reduce pressure on your hands.

Jim Mac · Mar 23, 2011

Sandwich said:
You may want to check out those ergon grips. I've got a set waiting to go for my DH sled. They have a particular shape that's supposed to reduce pressure on the ulnar nerve and therefore reduce arm pump and hand fatigue.

Supposedly the DH grips are somewhat far removed from their XC offerings, but you may find that they help. I'm happy to report back when I get some riding time in, but I don't suffer from CT, and now that I have legitimate (saint) brakes, I no longer get arm pump as bad.

I would avoid gel gloves, try longer bars, and see if you can optimize your cockpit for better weight balance to reduce pressure on your hands.

It's funny, but us desk jockeys probably have more issues from day to day ergonomic issues than from biking. Having said that, biking tends to be the 'straw that breaks the camels back'.

slyfink · Mar 23, 2011

wouldn't wrist braces be better than gloves/grips for promoting a better alignment of the wrist? something like these: 661 wrist wrap (though I've seen identical wraps in a local pharmacy sold as "sport wraps")

slowitdown · Mar 23, 2011

Jim Mac said:
It's funny, but us desk jockeys probably have more issues from day to day ergonomic issues than from biking. Having said that, biking tends to be the 'straw that breaks the camels back'.

Yes, yes, yes!

It's like "singlespeeds hurt the knees" -- uh, no more than a geared bike would! It's all about how you are set up and how you choose to ride.

To the original poster: if you really think you need hand cushion, use super-thin gloves (thin in the gripping side, the palm & fingers) and try ESI Chunky grips.

More likely it has to do with your posture on the bike and your control setup -- lever reach, lever position, bar sweep & rise, bar rotation within the stem... and the way those things exaggerate existing skeletal weaknesses or issues you have from the other things you do, other than riding bikes.

-BB- · Mar 23, 2011

From what I know, it is better to use narrow grips than thick squishy ones. This is so you can get better "wrap" with your fingers... Imagine this scenario. Would it be easier to do pull-ups on a standard handlebar, or trying to grip the large end of a baseball bat?

That being said, I will also "second" the ergon grips (at least for trail riding). Having all the different hand positions decreased the numbing I was getting from standard grips on those long (3hr+) trail rides.

Beast · Mar 23, 2011

Might help. Best wrist brace out there - http://www.allsportdynamics.com/braces.htm

sanjuro · Mar 23, 2011

Also try some Ergon grips.

Kntr · Mar 23, 2011

Do the surgery. It will eventually bother you all the time. I waited too long and one of the tendons in my left hand actually snapped. I did the surgery on both hands and now have had no problems for the last 15 years.

slyfink · Mar 23, 2011

saruti said:
Was thinking about this 661 support.
But it looks so uncomfortable
Anyone using them and can tell how it feels?

they're not uncomfortable at all. warm and a bit difficult to get certain brands of gloves over, but not uncomfortable. I got mine from CRC for something like $11. worth a try. but I second what others said about adressing the problem. you need to get that sorted out, otherwise no amount of band-aid solutions will work.

sethimus · Mar 23, 2011

sanjuro said:
Also try some Ergon grips.

these are not good for dh, try the ga1 from ergon...

intensified · Mar 23, 2011

at night I wore the wrist things with the metal bar and they helped for sometime. I gave up on them and the ct came back overtime.
some have told me if you strengthen the forearms it can take some stress off the ct, not sure if that is true, it could be the opposite?

EVRAC · Mar 23, 2011

I've used one of these with good results:

slyfink · Mar 23, 2011

EVRAC said:
I've used one of these with good results:

i asked my physio about those for rehab from broken wrist/arm. she said they were dubious - no proven, documented results. but it probably wouldn't hurt.

Kntr · Mar 23, 2011

I tried everything. I tried the wrist support wraps, forearm exercises, etc. It always came back... until I had the surgery. Now, Im pain and numbness FREE for 15 years. Go have the test done and they will tell you how bad you hands/nerves really are. They hook up your hand and fingers to a machine and measure the nerves pulses. Then make a decision on what you are going to do.

TheTruth · Mar 23, 2011

Jim Mac said:
I can't cite a source here, but I do recall some info on "gel" gloves/seats, etc actually INCREASING friction due to the movement of the gel, thus also increasing issues like arm pump, chaffing, etc.

Absolutely. The fat people who buy gel seats are only increasing the friction between their fat ass and the seat. Gel also has a tendency to create pressure points and make your muscle work more on an unstable platform.

Kntr · Mar 24, 2011

saruti said:
Thanks guys
Kntr. I did the EMG test. That is how I know it is the carpal tunnel problem…
How did the surgery go? How long is it to go back to go back to work? Or to ride a bike?
Thanks

It heals in no time. I bet you would be back on the bike in 4-6 weeks, more like 3-4 for EASY road riding. You could ride the trainer in the meantime to stay in shape. I know a few guys that had them BOTH done at the same time. Its a pain, but you get it all over at once. The only problem is you need help doing everything. I would suggest getting one done and then the other done later. Its not a life or death situation, so just wait to have the surgery done when it is most convenient for you.

NWS · Mar 24, 2011

-BB- said:
From what I know, it is better to use narrow grips than thick squishy ones. This is so you can get better "wrap" with your fingers... Imagine this scenario. Would it be easier to do pull-ups on a standard handlebar, or trying to grip the large end of a baseball bat?

That being said, I will also "second" the ergon grips (at least for trail riding). Having all the different hand positions decreased the numbing I was getting from standard grips on those long (3hr+) trail rides.

It's funny you say that, because if you're thinking of the same Ergons that I've got (GP-1), they're thicker than just about anything on the market.

And I'm talking about measuring on the thin axis, not the palm extension.

gel padded downhill gloves

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