munkee Posted April 3, 2005 Report Share Posted April 3, 2005 Ok since ive started doing natural ive noticed i get cramp in my hands really badly after half a section. Not the type of cramp where your just knackered and your arms kill etc.. ill be fine itll just be my at the back of my palms. Ive been told that its probably because im unfit or something, but to be honest i doubt you can have unfit hands. Using monty bars and stem with some thick grips. Just wondering if switching to thinner grips will help at all? got small hands so wondering if its due to the grips being thick and having to reach for the brake so much. I dunno just some things i think it could be... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark W Posted April 3, 2005 Report Share Posted April 3, 2005 Hey, I've got stupid hands too; huge palms and tiny fingers. To give you an example, I find anything over Ruffian thickness to be way too huge. I've always found thinner grips help, really, just because I could kinda get my hand round it a bit easier. I've always thought about it like the fact that if you clench your hand into a fist, it's strongest, so the sorta nearest to that (within reason, obviously) would be the better. Monty foams are really top banana for small hands, plus you don't have to worry about sweating problems or anything like that. They also last for eons. It can be 'cos you need to ride more though. It sounds stupid, but you CAN have 'unfit' hands. It's the same sorta cramp I used to get when I either played bass ultra fast for quite a while or when I'd been out of riding for a bit then tried riding again. It's just all about being 'bike fit' really, so you're kinda fit to ride, really. Just riding more should make your hands stronger though and you'll be able to ride at your optimum for longer. The biggest b*****d I always found at comps was arm-pump, but I've been riding loads recently so hopefully I'll be able to stave it off at the first YMSA round (Y) Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
munkee Posted April 3, 2005 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2005 Hey, I've got stupid hands too; huge palms and tiny fingers. The biggest b*****d I always found at comps was arm-pump, but I've been riding loads recently ← Thats me.. huge palm tiny fingers, i cant ride my friends bikes when they have their lever biting after a couple mm of travel it just aches to reach out so far all the time. When i started natrual id get arm pump constantly, now i dont notice it as much its the cramp that hits me first. After having a quick look my grips are super thick, i forget the name but they have a basic rubber grip, which you then slide foam on to. Making them huge. You think i should go for the ruffians or montys? i ride without gloves as i used to get the cramp over a year ago when i rode with them (prolly due to the added thickness). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark W Posted April 3, 2005 Report Share Posted April 3, 2005 Personally, I'd go for the Monty's, mainly 'cos the Monty's lasted me over a year, and the Ruffians wore down to the plastic lock-on sleeve in 3 weeks. Oh, as well as that there's the huge price difference, and the way that if the Montys are wet they're still grippy, but th Ruffians are ultra slick. For the same "Fist = stronger" principle, my levers come back really far too, and it seemed to help me with arm pump too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
munkee Posted April 3, 2005 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2005 Exactly mine travel quite a way before the lock, not parallel to the bars but getting close when i put the power in. Ill get some montys, i had a look on the search at the "thin grips" thread and it seemed it was down to the montys or ruffians anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashley Smith Posted April 3, 2005 Report Share Posted April 3, 2005 i personally found the monty foam grips to be very, very comfy, but after a prolonged period of use i usssually found that i got cramp, i found this due to the grips being so thin................................ therefore i decided to try the velo monty grips, since then my hands have been fine.................... regards ashley smith :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
munkee Posted April 3, 2005 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2005 well since the montys are so cheap ill give them a go for a while, if not ill try something else like the velo's thanks for the help people Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phatmike Posted April 3, 2005 Report Share Posted April 3, 2005 If you're getting arm pump, a great idea would be to buy a powerball. They strengthen your grip, and your forarms, making great training, you can do whilst on the pc/watching t.v www.powerballs.com Good fun too. Basically, they've just got a giroscope inside a ball, which by rotations of the wrist, gets faster and faster, and puts immense pressure on your arm! There's a video of the guy who's got the world record (fastest RPM, at 15332 i think), and you can see the kind of force needed to get the high speeds! Definately something to try. :lol: Also, good brakes are a must to not get arm pump! Even if it's just for a comp or something, a little tar, or ensuring you've got a decent brake will do you good. Mike. :S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JT! Posted April 3, 2005 Report Share Posted April 3, 2005 First of all, drink more fluids. Try the monty foam grips, they're cheap, and last ages. And they don't give you those lumpy things on your plam. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
munkee Posted April 3, 2005 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2005 (edited) fatmike: yea seen those some guy at uni has one.. unluckily he now has one forearm stupidly larger than the other cos he sits doing it at his computer. The highest he got was just over 13000. I had a go for a few days and peaked at 9800 and something. They are really cool though and give you major aching muscles. JT!: Deffo need to drink more fluids.. i hardly ever drink whilst im riding unless we stop off for some food too. No where to keep bottle etc unless i bring a bag. My cure for the calluses on hands is a old mach 3 turbo blade cant feel a thing, the closest shave ever Edited April 3, 2005 by Spacemunkee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haydon_peter Posted April 3, 2005 Report Share Posted April 3, 2005 I have been told if you squeeze a squash ball repeatedly it should help with arm pump. I have been meaning to go into the sports shop down the road from work and buy a few squash balls for ages. Has anyone else heard about or tryed this method? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Nick Riviera Posted April 3, 2005 Report Share Posted April 3, 2005 yeah , i have . ive also heard about those power balls as my mum had both arms done for carpal tunnel syndrome. and was looking into one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tank_rider Posted April 4, 2005 Report Share Posted April 4, 2005 chris, sounds like the problem i get whenever i ride someones bike that has the brakes set to bite a long way out. You know how close to the bars my brake bite and i have relatively thing grips, my hands are just damn small. Try some thinner grips, nothing to loose really, as they arent exactly the most expensive part on your bike :lol: Maybe try setting your brakes up to bite a little closer to the bars could also help a little, and is free so may as well give it a bash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Si-man Posted April 4, 2005 Report Share Posted April 4, 2005 I have monty riser bars an was running some shadow conspiracy grips. I found them to be too wide for my small hands, so changed to some thinner grips and they feel perfect. No aches in my fingers anymore. The grips are only cheapo velo grips too :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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