After a few miles of riding I'm getting numb hands/wrists and was thinking this could probably be down to poor core strength, as I notice I tend to lean quite heavily on the bars letting them take my weight. So, are there any exercises I should be doing apart from crunches and dorsal raises to improve core strength? I tend to ride on the top of the drops. Otherwise in terms of positioning the general set-up feels very comfortable. Cheers.

this has been covered b4, with a real good info. do a search

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Consider buying a pair of gloves with a gel pad over the right area of your hand

Try 'the plank' for core strength. Basically, you're lying face down, keeping your body rigid (like a plank), with only your toes and forearms touching the floor. Keep dead straight. Neck straight too. Don't stick your arse in the air or sag. Hold it. Rest, repeat etc, build up the time you can hold it.

I did a search before posting. 'Numb hands' comes back with no matches for thread titles but quite a few links for posts. Had a quick look through some of the threads like 'Stfo' (Stretchered the fuck off) and one about Sidi shoes?!! But there wasn't anything that seemed relevant. Admittedly perhaps I should have spent longer going through the threads that did come up but I also think search isn't always as straightforward as people generally think it is. At least not for everything.

tilt your saddle back a fraction?

worked for me when I was getting numb hands.. also makes riding no-handed easier, essential.

I'd forgotten about that thread
(STFO)

i'll look

It seems to me that having the hands a 90 degrees to the top tube i.e. holding the tops of drops, or with straight bars is more likely to give numb hands than riding with hands parallel to the top tube. The only time I suffer numb hands is riding risers. The position is reasonably upright, certainly a lot more upright than when I am riding on the hoods or drops of my road bikes. Therefore, I assume that wrist angle has something to do with it. Gel insert gloves cured the problem.

Also, if you are riding a very stiff track frame this might contribute to the problem. Anyway gel golves did it for me.

@RPM - thanks I should have thought to check Sheldon! Very useful info.

@GiraffeBoy - cheers, I'll try that.

@smithchild - I've recently tilted the saddle forward a bit, which has fixed numb balls! Perhaps there's now a pay off for not-numb balls being numb wrists.

@dogs - thank you.

Sounds like Gel gloves could well be the way forward.

HTFU

Well, someone had to say it and the rest of the advice was *cough* 'sensible'.

hippy! I was waiting for that, it had to be done ;)

Best simple, single, piece of advice I could find on Sheldon's site:

Wrist angle.

Numbness can also be related to poor wrist positioning. Generally, the wrist should be held so that the hand is pretty much in line with the forearm. If your hand is bent upward from the forearm, the nerves can get pinched, causing numbness.

not to bang on but check www.rosstraining.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57pv_.../hardcore.html

I do a lot of core strength training and rotational strength stuff (2:25) and a lot of it can be taken from what Ross bangs on about, so it's worth a look. Very budget too and you can literally do it in your back yard, front room, whatever.

absolutely no idea how it will stop your hands from hurting but if you're after core strength then he's your man.

ummm,
after yesterday and taking a knock, which i wrote about int bridges ride (and incorrectly attributed it to my left side when i meant right) my right arm is numb. almost entirely.
handlebars or crash?
my back is painful as, and i have 0% concentration today.

if you never had that numb feeling from the handle bar its more likely to be caused by the crash, isn't it? I would go and see a doctor. maybe trapped nerve, or could be serious. better check.
Hope you'll be fine

After my major head on crash in September, aside from seven broken bones, my main worry was pins and needles in both arms all the way to my armpits. The sensation lasted 5 days, and I still get occasional twinges in the underside of my forearms. I now know that this is not a terminal affliction, but am surprised at the length of time the healing process has taken.

judging from my basic grasp of these things its ulnar nerve issues, which suggests gloves. but yeah i'll get it checked by supervisor tomorrow.
gnight :)

your brachial Plexus ( a motorway of nerves underneath the armpit) is very sensitive to stretching,
and a crash where the arms are subjected to flailing or sudden intrusive movement, can disrupt those nerves and cause the kinds of symptoms you speak of.
Drunk people who have slept with their arm over the couch (stretching the brachial plexus) have been know to have numb arms for weeks after.
Time usually heals, permanent damage is only seen in very high energy situations like car crashes and such.

After a(nother) 24hr vodka binge I passed out (somewhere) with my arm over (something) for a couple of hours. I ended up with 'Saturday Night Palsy' where you bust the nerve under your bicep(?) and you can no longer control your hand movements properly. It took a month to heal before I could use it without a wrist brace. Give it some time.

I kept getting this numb hand thing after riding only a mile or two on my OTP. Recently put on fresh bar tape and the problem has disappeared.

You are masterbating too much

STFU

(soften)