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Sore hands in MTB: Here are the causes and solutions

Hand pain? Often it can be solved with some tricks, or at least limited. Let's see some common situations of hand pain in Mountain Bike.

5.Fox_Tahnee_Seagrave_TS57_Product_35MM_005 Low Res

Hand pain in MTB is a problem that is often felt: not only on long and technical descents, but also on short single tracks or relatively easy stretches. It can be a nuisance or a real pain that makes it difficult to hold the handlebar.

Let's try to see various situations to try to solve this annoying problem. Obviously ours are advice on incorrect postures or the choice of unsuitable components, in the event of more serious pathologies or problems you must consult your doctor to avoid serious inflammation or other.

Here are, in order of importance, the major causes of hand pain on MTB.

BRAKING WITH A FINGER

The era of V-Brakes and 4-finger braking is over! We now have braking systems which, even in the basic models, are performing and allow braking with one finger (index). Of course I'm talking about hydraulic disc brakes. Keeping one finger on the brake (and not 2/3) allows you to relax your hand and have it less tense even in the sliding sections. A finger is also used to use the brake in a better way, managing to make more modulated braking.

BRUNO-ZANCHI-MONT-STE-ANNE.-GRUNDIG-DOWNHILL-WORLD-CUP-1996
Even Bruno Zanchi braked with a finger at Mont Sainte Anne in 1996: why do we have to use 2 with 220mm disc brakes? – credits: Malcolm Fearon

So give up the bad habit of stopping many times! The phrase "but I've always braked like this" doesn't apply. Often 2-finger braking is due to an incorrect 'lever-knob' distance: a lever that is too close means that the index finger does not go to press the end of the lever, not leveraging and therefore helping me with a second finger (more information in the in-depth links below).

One tip is to avoid prolonged braking but better let the bike pick up speed (releasing the brakes) and then brake more decisively. The hands, and the overheating of the brakes, will thank you.

FURTHER LINKS

I recommend you to watch our ironic but professional video dedicated to 10 MISTAKES NOT TO BE MADE IN MTB e HOW TO POSITION THE BRAKE LEVERS ON A MTB

TIRE PRESSURE

Having an ideal pressure limits all high-frequency shocks which are one of the main causes of hand pain in MTB.

What is the only component that puts the bike in contact with the ground? Yes, it's the tyres, because the suspension then acts as a filter. It means that it is very important to have a suitable pressure to have a further "suspension" that works for us: a suspension that does not turn into rebound but into absorption of obstacles.

ronja blochlinger val di sole 2023
The goal of professional athletes is to lower pressure without the risk of breakage: this is the reason for the arrival of the inserts (Credits: Michele Mondini)

Some athletes don't like having pressures that are too low because, especially in the case of lighter tyres cross country, tend to bulge and lack precision when driving aggressively on firm ground. Here then came the inserts (or sausages), widely used in the competitive field since they give undeniable advantages to technical and advanced athletes (read more: What are MTB inserts for??).

We recommend always working with tires that are not too light, sacrificing a little weight in exchange for an optimal driving feeling.

FURTHER LINKS

I suggest you look at this article to learn more about it: THE CORRECT PRESSURE IN MTB TIRES

HEALTH CONDITION OF THE FORK

The other filter between us and the ground is the suspension: fork and/or shock absorber in the case of full-suspension. One aspect that can certainly affect pain in the hands on a mountain bike is the state of health, and related adjustments, of our fork.

We divide this topic into 3 subsections: maintenance, pressure and regulation.

MAINTENANCE

The suspension needs to be overhauled: most bikers don't care about this aspect and it's a shame. A revised suspension is equivalent to having bought a new one. I say this because it happens that, when you feel the suspension is working badly, you think about changing it to the latest model. It's often a useless expense, at least if you don't do it just to be cooler with your friends.

3.- Flo Espiñeira_Orbea Fox Enduro Team 2022
A Fox 38 that hasn't been overhauled for 2 years performs worse than a overhauled Fox 36. In this case hopefully Fox Espineira has overhauled it 🙂

SERVICE FOX

Here's what Fox recommends, at a Service level, on its suspensions. We recommend that you always contact authorized centres.

servicefox

SUSPENSION ADJUSTMENT

Working on the fork is one of the main tips for when you have pain in your hands: pressure and adjustment.

This opens a paragraph that could last forever: suspension adjustment! Professional athletes of the downhill they rely on telemetry to set them to the best but, our goal is not to seek the best performance on the hundredth but to have a comfortable and functional set-up without making gross mistakes during the adjustment phase.

BYB Telemetry_Cover
BYB Telemetry: Italian telemetry system to be applied next to the stem

The most common mistake is to reduce the fork pressure too much thinking you will find greater comfort but in reality you get the opposite effect: removing too much pressure causes the fork to work in the last half of the stroke, often going to the bottom of the stroke, making it hard and insensitive. This situation is not good even for the geometric dimensions of the bike.

Another mistake is adjusting the bike's rebound too fast for your riding style: this makes the bike very nervous and uncomfortable.

FURTHER LINKS

I recommend this article: HOW TO ADJUST THE SUSPENSION IN MTB

BRAKE CONTROL POSITION

The positioning or, better to say, the vertical inclination of the brake can lead to incorrect postures and, indirectly, to pain in the hands. The goal is to be able to brake, in an off-the-saddle position, without having to rotate the wrist. By angling them correctly, you will avoid having to literally go looking for them in times of need.

FURTHER LINKS

I recommend this article: HOW TO POSITION THE BRAKE LEVERS ON A MTB

HANDLEBAR POSITION

A handlebar that is too low will make the front load more and, indirectly, the hands on the grips. Raising the position of the handlebar a little, using the special shims, leads to reducing the load on the front and therefore on the hands.

knock block
You can see the shims under the stem: if moved above or below the stem, the height of the stem varies.

FURTHER LINKS

Going to a biomechanic: THE IMPORTANCE OF A BIOMECHANICAL - HOW HIGH DOES THE MTB HANDLEBAR GO?

DRIVING STYLE

Where to put the wheels is important… and also how you drive! Being easy to ride and choosing the flowiest lines brings us more safety and less stiffness. The advice therefore is to attend a driving course which, in addition to seeing all the technical aspects we have talked about, also brings greater technique in posture and in approaching any technical traits, especially at a mental level.

mtb-courses-365school
Do not underestimate the MTB courses: they are fundamental

The mental aspect is very important because it allows you to ride less tense and more relaxed: often it is precisely tension that brings stiffness to our body and therefore indirect pain deriving from the fact that we are taking all the bumps coming from the ground "in our teeth". .

FURTHER LINKS

We have analyzed various aspects related to MTB riding technique with an ironic but professional tone: MOUNTAIN BIKE VIDEO COURSES



Written by

[email protected] I am a fan of everything that has 2 wheels: at a young age I practiced road and track cycling (Italian Allievi champion). At the age of 18 I passed into the cross country competing at national/international level as an Under23. Past Elite, I made the choice to take things more lightly from a training point of view, and my love for gravity disciplines was born, training me as an FCI MTB instructor and guide. Now I have made passion my profession by managing 2 MTB centers on the island of Elba (Bike Center Elba and Elba MTB), creating the FANTAmtb and telling in an ironic but professional way everything that revolves around MTB thanks to 365mountainbike and 365TV (YouTube'PULITI dentro BIKER fuori').

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