I'm still fairly new to mountain biking, and this season I have been riding way more than ever before. This has introduced two hand issues im hoping to figure out.
So the first problem I'm having, is while gripping the handlebars on longer descents, my glove will bunch up in the area on opposite side of my knuckles and can range from being annoying to painful. I think I'm also pinching the skin in that area as well. I have partially fixed this by getting some better fitting gloves, but even with better gloves it still happens for some reason.
The second problem is somewhat similar but its just on the pinky area of my palm, again on the part that is opposite of my knuckle. It starts to blister which sucks, so far it hasn't gotten bad enough to stop me from riding but on a really long day I think it would.
I have a feeling these issues might have to do with my cockpit setup, but I'm not entirely sure what I can try to change to fix it. I have been slowly changing things but working through it takes time, I'm hoping some of you might have had the same problems and solved it already. If you have solved this issue, what did you change? Thicker grips? Thinner grips? Adjust bar roll? Change brake lever position? Something else?
I used to get this where my hand was rubbing on the outer lock ring. Switching to push on grips and grips with just the inner lock ring resolved the issue for me.
So like, between your finger and the grip is there your gloves bunch? It seems most riders prefer a thin grip, but I’ve found a thicker grip to be beneficial. Might help if that’s your issue. odi rogues have been good for me.
2 things. So I used to use lock ons and tried slips on and I cant get back. Theyre muuuch better. I prefer the Renthal Kevlars personally.
The other thing is backsweep and upsweep can make a huge difference. Renthal is one of the few companies with a 7° backsweep and if I go to 8° or more I get severe wrist pain and pain in my pink knuckle region. I just have hands that want to be pointing straight on.
May need to try different setups.
To help clarify, i have uploaded an image to show where my issues are happening. Gloves will bunch up there, and i think the skin in that area is getting pinched between the handlebar and the rest of my hand.
Looking at my hands, I have some large callouses in those areas. So part of it may just be more time on the bike.
That said I am very picket about gloves. They have to almost be too small so they don’t bunch up at all. This leads to them blowing out at the finger tips quicker than they should but that’s the trade off. I use gloves that don’t have any padding in them as that tends to bunch and cause rubbing.
Also I like larger grips. It means I have to close my fist less, which makes the skin in those pressure point areas bunch up less as well.
If you can, try doing a ride without gloves. That will quickly resolve if it’s a glove issue or something else.
Thinnest gloves possible that are preformed to the curve of your hand. I've had good luck with Fox Flexairs (the ones with perforated palm - they also make ones without holes that use a thicker material), Leatt 1.0s, & Outdoor Research Freewheel. That and just ride a lot to build up calluses.
see if you can have some smartie or fast person watch you ride. I’ll bet the culprit is your suspension.
Is your bike too big? Weird stem? Bars too far out there? Mess around with your bars and your body position, there may be something there…cool thing about that stuff is you can always go back
Concentrate on heavy feet, light hands.
And / or lay off the brakes!
I’ve been lucky to have ridden with good riders who can hear my gripe and suggest “more air in your fork” or whatever. Suspension can be counterintuitive, and nothing’s more important.
They are kind of expensive. But handup pro performance gloves have a very tight fit on my hands and tend to last a pretty long time.
Blisters turn to callouses and then you won’t feel it anymore. Just keep riding.
Yes I recently upgraded my gloves and they fit FAR better, pretty much as you are describing. I still get a bit of bunching though, which makes me think it isnt the gloves so much as how im holding the bars. I really feel like it might be a cockpit setup thing, perhaps i just need to put the time in and play w/ things to see what works.
You might be gripping the bar too hard, Should be loose and relaxed, fluid like playing a piano
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